Use a weight distribution hitch or not?

[vlopddap]

My question is pretty easy. I bought my Sportsmen used and the former owner let me his Equal-i-zer weight distribution hitch for free with the trailer. It's not the new lightweight 400 tongue/4K trailer model, it's the the big one (the 6000K) when my trailer only weight 2270 pounds!

This WD thing is INCREDIBLY heavy, like 90 pounds for the shank and the sway bars... the WD hitch itself is very heavy on the rear suspension of my van and you need to remove and store it when the trailer is parker on campground!!!

The tongue weight of my trailer is only 300 pounds actually, do you think I really need to add a 90 pounds devices to "equalize" weight on my vehicle? That doesn't make sense to me... adding 90 pounds to save on tongue weight? The rating of my Curt hitch is 400 pounds tongue without WD and 500 pounds with WD.

If it's just a of sway control matter, I can install a small 40$ friction sway bar (Curt or Reese) and that's it... Moreover this WD hitch cost over 700$, so I can get a great price by selling it into the classifieds.

Keep in mind my trailer is a 16-feet Sportsmen (2270 pounds / 300 pounds tongue) and the towing vehicle is a brand new 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan.

Thank you very much!

[johndeerefarmer]

I use the Equalizer on my Surveyor Select TT and just bought another set of brackets to put on my 24' car hauler that I tow two Polaris RZR's on.
The Equalizer not only moves weight from the rear axle to the front it also provides very beneficial sway control.

[HighCover]

I would use the WD hitch.

[Gsragtop]

samhain7 wrote:

Camper G wrote:

You will get tons of responses on this subject, from "your fine" to "you need a 3/4 ton truck to pull your 16' camper".

I literally laughed out loud at that one...

And I thought it was just me who noticed that, in only two posts I have made so far... Glad I'm not crazy.

[Terryallan]

Earl E wrote:
I think you are on the right track. While the Equal-i-zer is a great product, in your case the much lighter Andersen will fit your situation much better. I am now using it and I love it because of it's light weight and ease of use. No matter what many people will say, you do not need to worry too much about sway. A 16' trailer just won't have that much of a problem. What you do need to worry about is leveling out the Caravan and keeping the weight on the front axle. The Andersen is going to do that just fine with that small of trailer. Let us know what you decide. 🙂

In truth a 16' trailer can sway as much as a 30' trailer. Coleman Bayside camper became known as swaysides. And given they they are towing with a short wheelbase minivan. sway would be a huge problem.

And yes. Getting the weight back to the front axle. The axle that does pretty much everything on a FWD vehicle is real important. That returns steering control (eliminating sway). traction for the drive wheels, and of course improves braking. In truth all the rear axle does is hold up the back of the van.

[Camper_G]

MX-RV wrote:
. my personal rule is you need wd and sway control when you get over 50% of your towing capacity.

I think this is an excellent rule to follow. This is an apples and oranges example, (compared to the frontal area of a TT), however, I have a 6'4" wide x 12' utility trailer that I have loaded heavy a few times. It's got a 2999 GVWR and even loaded heavy my X handled it no problem at all. No WDH necessary at that weight and that's under half of my 6900lb tow rating.

Using my personal guidelines, you are in even better shape than I am, if my calculations are correct and your trailer does have a 2700lb GVWR, your at 75% of your tow rating.

I also can see the point of the one poster who suggested that you try to dial in the equalizer if possible. They are good quality pieces, I don't know that I'd agree they are the "the best" but they are very good. There are lots of good choices out there. You already have the equalizer, so why not give it a shot and see if you can dial it in?

It would be great if you could take a few photos of the van hooked up to your TT after you get it dialed in for all of us to see and post them here.

Also - no problem at all with my posts/advice. That's all it is, my personal advice. Just trying to help. The one thing I truly love about camping is that most of the campers I come across are friendly, helpful folks and I truly appreciate that.

Good luck,
G

[Camper_G]

samhain7 wrote:

Camper G wrote:

You will get tons of responses on this subject, from "your fine" to "you need a 3/4 ton truck to pull your 16' camper".

I literally laughed out loud at that one...

Yeah, I couldn't help myself...LOL :B

[Earl_E]

I think you are on the right track. While the Equal-i-zer is a great product, in your case the much lighter Andersen will fit your situation much better. I am now using it and I love it because of it's light weight and ease of use. No matter what many people will say, you do not need to worry too much about sway. A 16' trailer just won't have that much of a problem. What you do need to worry about is leveling out the Caravan and keeping the weight on the front axle. The Andersen is going to do that just fine with that small of trailer. Let us know what you decide. 🙂

[RedRocket204]

I guess I'm not even sure why OP is asking this question, or even why I read through this thread :-/, because it is fairly clear based on the original post that OP has no intention of using a WD hitch.

Please do what you want because that is clearly what you will do anyway.

[MX-RV]

While the equalizer might be over kill its by far once set up correctly one of the easiest hitches to use. provides great sway control and weight distro. my personal rule is you need wd and sway control when you get over 50% of your towing capacity. from what I'm reading your over. while its heavy you already have it and theres lots of good resources out there to get it set up properly on your vehicle. remember each vehicle is different as is each trailer so moving a hitch head between vehicles even the same model can require changes to your hitch head. I would recommend finding someone who is proficient at setting up an equalizer from scratch and either get them to help you or get them to do it for you.

or buy a ¾ ton and don't worry about it 😉

[vlopddap]

Wow, thank you very much Camper G for this very complete. I truly appreciate you take time to write this complete and clear answer. You are right about the fact few people will only answer you need a 3/4 tons pickup with a diesel engine to tow a 16-feet camper! Those small and extremely lightweight trailer are specifically built for minivans.

To answer back your questions, the GVWR of my Sportsmen is 2700 pounds because the cargo capacity is only 400 pounds. So that's what I call a "very safe play" towards the towing capacity of my van. We do not carry any particular cargo while traveling (no bikes, boat, etc), just some clothes and foods, that's it.

Moreover my van is a 2014 which is the latest generation of Grand Caravan who introduce many new towing features since 2013 only like new heavy duty brake, new heavy duty cooling and integrated trailer anti-sway control. Since 2013 there's no more "towing pack" for the Grand Caravan because all models came equipped with it. Only one option is available, is a rear self-leveling suspension. But basically it's just some rebranded Monroes Sensa-Trac rear struts. I can install those struts for 80$ a PAIR later, so I didn't took that option (700$). I also got a Tekonsha Voyager P3 trailer brake controller.

Honestly the reason why I asked about not using a WD hitch at first is because the Equal-i-zer hitch is probably the best WDH, but it's also the heaviest because it use large metal rods instead of chains like other brands. I'll maybe looking to sale the Equal-i-zer and get the Andersen WD instead which is a very unique design and also the lighter and easier to use WD on the market!

[Terryallan]

samhain7 wrote:

Camper G wrote:

You will get tons of responses on this subject, from "your fine" to "you need a 3/4 ton truck to pull your 16' camper".

I literally laughed out loud at that one...

Yup. but it's true you know. some body is bound to say before this is over.

[samhain7]

Camper G wrote:

You will get tons of responses on this subject, from "your fine" to "you need a 3/4 ton truck to pull your 16' camper".

I literally laughed out loud at that one...

[Camper_G]

vlop,

I checked Dodge's website and the poster who stated your van is limited to 3600lbs max tow rating is correct. What is the GVWR of your trailer (Gross Vehcile Weight Rating), as that is the more realistic weight with all contents in the trailer, fully loaded ready for a weekend camping trip.

If your at 2300lbs "dry" weight, I would guess loaded up with a 16' trailer you will be closer to 3K or mabye north of 3K, or getting pretty close to your maximum tow rating.

Now, I know at one time this was the case for minivans, that you DO NOT subtract the weight of cargo in the van from the weight rating as you would from payload in a pickup truck, but that may have changed.

Honestly if your asking a brand new minivan to pull a travel trailer, even a small one of this size, you better have the heavy duty tow package from Dodge AND use a WDH. I would agree you don't need the one that came with the trailer,, if those weights you mentioned for the WDH are accurate. YOu could go with a lower rated WDH (which should be lighter as the bars would be smaller diameter, the hitch shank and head should be lighter as well, ETC and it would not be anywhere ner 90 lbs, if that is an accurate weight as well.

The Reese Trunion bar set-up I have for my 23' 6K GVWR Layton, the hitch head is maybe 20-30lbs tops and the bars, maybe 5-10 lbs each, so maybe 50lbs total? I think my set-up would even be overkill for your small trailer so I'd seek other options.

however, with that said, my opinion is you DO need a WDH, not just for the weight transfer, but they also DO help towing stability greatly, especially high wind areas. Adding sway control helps even more as you mentioned.

You will get tons of responses on this subject, from "your fine" to "you need a 3/4 ton truck to pull your 16' camper". In my personal opinion, and it's just that mind you, a rule I like to use is "The trailer's GVWR should be no more than 80% of the vehciles tow rating." Again, many will disagree and that's OK, we're all entitled to our own opinions AND we can stay civil here and respectfully disagree. I find when using that rule I have a comfortable towing experience "no white knuckeling" that you might find when you approach the limits of the vehicle's tow rating.

A perfect example is this: My 2000 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer with the Heavy Duty Tow package is rated to tow 6900 lbs. My trailer has a 6K GVWR so I'm currently at 87% of my tow rating with my trailer's GVWR, and honestly, I would not want any more behind my X than I currently have with the 23' Layton. It's not white knuckling at all, but fully loaded with camping gear, firewood, and my family of 4 it's working it hard, no doubt about it. I know the trailer is back there.

Please let us know what the GVWR of your trailer is, I'm curious to know that number.

Good luck.

-G

[samhain7]

nomad297 wrote:


Yup. What a tool.

Bruce

Uncalled for....