Hitch question

naturist wrote:
But the BMW has self-leveling (air bag) suspension.

Which can make the Beemer look pretty by leveling it out but does absolutely nothing in terms of transferring weight back on to the vehicle's front steer axle, the sole purpose of a properly sized and adjusted weight distribution system. :R

Short answer: no, not necessary at all.

Depends on your TV and trailer. I used one when I was towing our 5,000 lb TT with a Jeep Libby diesel, which had a 1430 lb payload. It made a huge difference in how the combination handled.

I don't use on towing that same TT with a BMW X5 diesel with a 1260 lb payload limit, and don't miss it a bit. But the BMW has self-leveling (air bag) suspension.

So, long answer: it is not necessary sometimes, and sometimes it is necessary. Which, is a function of the trailer and the tow vehicle, as well as how said TV is equipped as well as what the tongue weight of the trailer is.

Americamper wrote:
Is it necessary to have a weight distributing hitch on a 5000# TT?

I'd say it depends on the TV. Our current Coachmen averages 4600 lbs loaded & ready to camp, with an average gross tongue weight ~ 600 lbs, and I definitely need weight distribution towing this trailer with our 1/2 ton Chevy Avalanche. If we had a 3/4 or 1 ton I'd probably not bother.

Depends on the tongue weight of the trailer, the rating of the receiver, and the vehicle you are pulling with.

For example, a 5k trailer will have 600+lbs of tongue weight. Most 1/2 ton trucks have class 3 hitches standard, which are only good for 5-600lbs weight carrying (dead tongue weight) but 1k when using a wd hitch. So the trailer may exceed the hitch rating on a 1/2 ton truck without a wd hitch. As well, 600+lbs hung off the back of a light duty truck may reduce the weight on the front steer axle enough to may the drive unstable.

A 3/4 ton truck or better, which come with higher rated hitches and are heavier to start, can handle 600+lbs of tongue weight without a wd hitch.