Question about weight distribution hitches and rear axle weight

[MO311FAN]

I own a 2015 Expedition EL Limited. I picked up a new travel trailer.

Here are the numbers I am seeing.

Ford Weight: 6103 stock according to Ford Fleet guide (FFG). Weighed mine at Cat Scale this morning before getting the rv. Myself, Wife, some tools and equipment in back, 6780. The FFG Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is 7,760.

We are under the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

Unloaded Trailer Weight (of travel trailer): 6,428. We towed her home empty weight plus battery and propane, a little bit of shopping for equipment and gear.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of travel trailer is 7,837.

FFG Combined Gross Vehicle Weight: 15,300

Ours combines to 14,617 (theoretically)

According to CAT scales we weigh in at 13,540

FFG max tongue weight: 920 lbs
Ours is unknown right now, but I think the answer is here somewhere.

We are using a Reese Pro Series weight distribution hitch. Model 49913 installed by the rv dealer. According to the Reese website it has a Gross Trailer Weight of 11,500 and Tongue Weight Rating of 1,150. The tongue weight of the rv is stated as 837 max. We should have been quite a bit under this since we had minimal gear loaded.
We should be well under tongue weight rating.

Tire Capacity 2,833/ tire, 5,666/axle.

Axle Capacities FFG: front 3,700 we weighed in at 3,380 this morning and 3,160 with travel trailer and Reese WDH. Front fender measurement rose 1/2” with trailer.

Rear axle rating FFG 4,300. This morning no trailer 3,400, with trailer 4,500!

So to sum it up, we are under in GVWR both truck and trailer. We are under in tongue weight (right?).

We raised the tire pressure from 35 to 41 cold ( XL rated tire 50 max psi).

Front axle weight went down with trailer but rear axle weight is over by 200 lbs according to the scales.

Do we need a more stout WDH, to transfer more weight? All of the numbers are under except rear axle weight. What next?

 

[MO311FAN]

She pulled perfectly for 90 miles home. No problems with sway, braking, etc at all. Got 10/ mpg (driving into a 15 mph wind most of the time). Was quite happy with how she handled/towed. No problems with power, if I kept it under 63 she ran in 6th gear most of the time.

 

[mwl001]

It does seem like you need to increase the distribution of weight, maybe with stiffer bars if your system has them.

also not sure where you calculate such a low max tongue weight. If your max trailer weight is 8837 and tongue weight is 10-15%, then the theoretical max tongue weight is as much as 1175 lbs.

Make sure once you’re hooked up truck and trailer are as level as possible. Easiest way to tell if you’re close is that your front fender height is close to what it measures when completely unloaded. Also get any and all heavy stuff out of your payload and store it over your trailer axles if possible - you don’t have a lot of room just based on the axle loads you reported.

 

[MO311FAN]

Height of front fender unloaded 35.5”, loaded 35”

 

[MO311FAN]

I think I will contact Reese on Monday and see what they say. Will report back.

 

[Jrparne]

What trailer did you pick up? I bring this up because it may have been great bringing it home empty but then the way you loaded it may have actually increased the tongue dramatically. We tow a 2800 bh with a camping weight of nearly 7700 lbs. typically and I am right at rear axle limit and normally 3250 or so on the front axle. I do have to be careful how I load the trailer. That front compartment can hold a lot but ultimately that translates to the tongue quickly. So I off set with my rear compartment to be a net gain to keep about 11% tongue.


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[MO311FAN]

It does seem like you need to increase the distribution of weight, maybe with stiffer bars if your system has them.

also not sure where you calculate such a low max tongue weight. If your max trailer weight is 8837 and tongue weight is 10-15%, then the theoretical max tongue weight is as much as 1175 lbs.

Make sure once you’re hooked up truck and trailer are as level as possible. Easiest way to tell if you’re close is that your front fender height is close to what it measures when completely unloaded. Also get any and all heavy stuff out of your payload and store it over your trailer axles if possible - you don’t have a lot of room just based on the axle loads you reported.

The Trailer GVWR is 7,837. Not sure why it has a listed tongue weight of 837lbs. Our CGVW is 13,540

 

[mwl001]

Let me know if I have this right:

Trailer attached, no weight distribution:
Front axle - 3160
Rear axle - 4500
Total loaded vehicle weight - 7660
Trailer axle weight - 13540-7660=5880?

If that's the case, once you distribute that weight you will be better off... but I do think you're carrying a lot of tongue weight as mentioned previously. All a WDH really does (at least this is how I think about it) is take some of the weight from the rear axle and send it about equally forward to the front axle and back to the trailer axle(s). So if you can "redistribute" maybe 300-400 lbs from your rear axle that should help a lot. However, it's unwise to push your front axle height "down" past where you started - the reason being your vehicle won't steer as intended, you're going to be more prone to oversteer which could be really bad in a high speed avoidance maneuver.

I mentioned loading over your axles because while loading the rear of the trailer seems like it would work, that's going to lower the tongue weight too much and you'll almost definitely have sway that could get out of hand.

 

[RedLdr1]

The Trailer GVWR is 7,837. Not sure why it has a listed tongue weight of 837lbs. Our CGVW is 13,540

The listed tongue weight may be the GVWR of the trailer minus the axle(s) rating. On our RP-182 the posted GVWR is 4,840 pounds less the axle rating of 4,400 pounds leaving the posted tongue weight of 440 pounds. Unloaded the trailers real tongue weight was 350 pounds with a full tank of propane and a battery added.

 

[JasonH]

Height of front fender unloaded 35.5”, loaded 35”

Need Unloaded, Loaded, and Loaded with WDH. The manual calls for 50% front axle restoration. It looks like you have too much weight going to the front axle. But if your rear axle is over the limit that means your tongue is likely too high and you need more weight on the trailer axle. That would explain why the trailer handled well...plenty of weight on the tongue.

I suggest loading up the trailer as you would for a trip, and heading back to the scales. I had to adjust my WDH several times, because we kept adding things to the trailer over time. Mattress, chairs, folding table, tools, etc. It all adds up.

I also suggest checking your tire ratings. The max load is at max pressure. You're probably nowhere near max load, but better safe than sorry. Higher pressure will also stiffen the rear and reduce the wiggling.

 

[CaptOchs]

I would take it back to the RV dealer with those numbers and see what they say. They might need to readjust the WD for you. It could have slipped slightly coming unaligned. I had to take mine back. Maybe they can adjust the tilt on the shank. I think the WD is capable enough.

 

[UTEngineer]

I own a 2015 Expedition EL Limited. I picked up a new travel trailer.

Here are the numbers I am seeing.

Ford Weight: 6103 stock according to Ford Fleet guide (FFG). Weighed mine at Cat Scale this morning before getting the rv. Myself, Wife, some tools and equipment in back, 6780. The FFG Gross Vehicle Weight Rating is 7,760.

We are under the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

Unloaded Trailer Weight (of travel trailer): 6,428. We towed her home empty weight plus battery and propane, a little bit of shopping for equipment and gear.

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of travel trailer is 7,837.

FFG Combined Gross Vehicle Weight: 15,300

Ours combines to 14,617 (theoretically)

According to CAT scales we weigh in at 13,540

FFG max tongue weight: 920 lbs
Ours is unknown right now, but I think the answer is here somewhere.

We are using a Reese Pro Series weight distribution hitch. Model 49913 installed by the rv dealer. According to the Reese website it has a Gross Trailer Weight of 11,500 and Tongue Weight Rating of 1,150. The tongue weight of the rv is stated as 837 max. We should have been quite a bit under this since we had minimal gear loaded.
We should be well under tongue weight rating.

Tire Capacity 2,833/ tire, 5,666/axle.

Axle Capacities FFG: front 3,700 we weighed in at 3,380 this morning and 3,160 with travel trailer and Reese WDH. Front fender measurement rose 1/2” with trailer.

Rear axle rating FFG 4,300. This morning no trailer 3,400, with trailer 4,500!

So to sum it up, we are under in GVWR both truck and trailer. We are under in tongue weight (right?).

We raised the tire pressure from 35 to 41 cold ( XL rated tire 50 max psi).

Front axle weight went down with trailer but rear axle weight is over by 200 lbs according to the scales.

Do we need a more stout WDH, to transfer more weight? All of the numbers are under except rear axle weight. What next?

First ... good job on taking your vehicle and travel trailer to the CAT scale ... most don't do that very important step ... and they should.

My combination is a 2017 Expedition EL Limited 4x4 with the 3.5L Twin-Turbo Ecoboost and of course the heavy duty towing package w/ 3.73 gears.

Expedition Curb Weight = 6,091 lbs. + 500 lbs. passengers + 100 lbs. misc. gear = 6,691 lbs. ; Max Towing Capacity = 9,200 lbs. (per Ford trailer towing selector website)

Travel Trailer = 7,077 lbs. dry weight + 1,723 lbs. fully loaded = 8,800 lbs.

As you can see I am near the max towing capacity ... so to improve the towing attributes of our Expedition EL ... I made the following modifications.

8-Ply Tires (60 psi max) ; Hellwig Front & Rear Sway Bars (reduced body roll in corners) ; Sumo Springs (spacers placed in-between rear coil springs for increased tongue weight capacity) ; Hypertech Hand-Held Programmer - Tow Tune and Shift Strategy

Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution Hitch and Anti-Sway Hitch - Max # of washers to transfer maximum weight distribution to front axle of Expedition

This year will be the first time I tow the travel trailer with the wife's Expedition ... I usually tow it with my 1-ton pickup ... but this will be a secondary option.

Therefore I will take this setup to the CAT scales next month (April) when we pull the trailer out for the year ... will forward my weight results.

I previously owned a 2017 F-150 crew cab 4x4 short box w/ Ecoboost and towed this combination for two seasons ... so I am fairly confident in the Expedition setup.

Hope this helps ...

 

[JasonH]

I would take it back to the RV dealer with those numbers and see what they say. They might need to readjust the WD for you. It could have slipped slightly coming unaligned. I had to take mine back. Maybe they can adjust the tilt on the shank. I think the WD is capable enough.

I recommend anyone towing do this job themselves. Too many horror stories about dealer setups and white knuckle rides, followed by do I need a bigger truck? At a minimum, the person driving needs to know how the WDH works and be capable of making needed adjustments.

 

[MO311FAN]

First ... good job on taking your vehicle and travel trailer to the CAT scale ... most don't do that very important step ... and they should.

My combination is a 2017 Expedition EL Limited 4x4 with the 3.5L Twin-Turbo Ecoboost and of course the heavy duty towing package w/ 3.73 gears.

Expedition Curb Weight = 6,091 lbs. + 500 lbs. passengers + 100 lbs. misc. gear = 6,691 lbs. ; Max Towing Capacity = 9,200 lbs. (per Ford trailer towing selector website)

Travel Trailer = 7,077 lbs. dry weight + 1,723 lbs. fully loaded = 8,800 lbs.

As you can see I am near the max towing capacity ... so to improve the towing attributes of our Expedition EL ... I made the following modifications.

8-Ply Tires (60 psi max) ; Hellwig Front & Rear Sway Bars (reduced body roll in corners) ; Sumo Springs (spacers placed in-between rear coil springs for increased tongue weight capacity) ; Hypertech Hand-Held Programmer - Tow Tune and Shift Strategy

Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution Hitch and Anti-Sway Hitch - Max # of washers to transfer maximum weight distribution to front axle of Expedition

This year will be the first time I tow the travel trailer with the wife's Expedition ... I usually tow it with my 1-ton pickup ... but this will be a secondary option.

Therefore I will take this setup to the CAT scales next month (April) when we pull the trailer out for the year ... will forward my weight results.

I previously owned a 2017 F-150 crew cab 4x4 short box w/ Ecoboost and towed this combination for two seasons ... so I am fairly confident in the Expedition setup.

Hope this helps ...

My trailer weighs 6,400 dry weight with propane and battery. I had the rear axle loaded too high. The towing capacity isn’t the problem, it’s the cargo rating of the Expedition and the rear axle weight rating.

Update; adjusted the Reese by adding three more spacer washers (the max allowed). I’m not sure why/how it works, but it worked. I measured the front wheel well unhooked at 35 3/8. Before with four spacer washers (rv dealer installed) trailer hooked up front measured 35 3/4. Now with three more spacer washers 35 1/8. That’s telling me the weight distribution hitch is working properly now. Tomorrow we will load it with gear, hook up and I will measure again. Hoping to hit Cat scales this weekend.

 

[WreckItRalph]

First ... good job on taking your vehicle and travel trailer to the CAT scale ... most don't do that very important step ... and they should.

My combination is a 2017 Expedition EL Limited 4x4 with the 3.5L Twin-Turbo Ecoboost and of course the heavy duty towing package w/ 3.73 gears.

Expedition Curb Weight = 6,091 lbs. + 500 lbs. passengers + 100 lbs. misc. gear = 6,691 lbs. ; Max Towing Capacity = 9,200 lbs. (per Ford trailer towing selector website)

Travel Trailer = 7,077 lbs. dry weight + 1,723 lbs. fully loaded = 8,800 lbs.

As you can see I am near the max towing capacity ... so to improve the towing attributes of our Expedition EL ... I made the following modifications.

8-Ply Tires (60 psi max) ; Hellwig Front & Rear Sway Bars (reduced body roll in corners) ; Sumo Springs (spacers placed in-between rear coil springs for increased tongue weight capacity) ; Hypertech Hand-Held Programmer - Tow Tune and Shift Strategy

Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution Hitch and Anti-Sway Hitch - Max # of washers to transfer maximum weight distribution to front axle of Expedition

This year will be the first time I tow the travel trailer with the wife's Expedition ... I usually tow it with my 1-ton pickup ... but this will be a secondary option.

Therefore I will take this setup to the CAT scales next month (April) when we pull the trailer out for the year ... will forward my weight results.

I previously owned a 2017 F-150 crew cab 4x4 short box w/ Ecoboost and towed this combination for two seasons ... so I am fairly confident in the Expedition setup.

Hope this helps ...

UTEngineer, do you have a pic of your WDH setup? I have almost the exact same setup as you only I’m using a Curt TruTrack which I believe is a copy of the Equal-I-ze?? Do your spring bars have a bow to them on your current setup?

Thanks,

Ralph

 

[MO311FAN]

UTEngineer, do you have a pic of your WDH setup? I have almost the exact same setup as you only I’m using a Curt TruTrack which I believe is a copy of the Equal-I-ze?? Do your spring bars have a bow to them on your current setup?

Thanks,

Ralph

i am using the Reese Pro Series Round Bar 49913. I will get a pic tomorrow and post it for you.

 

[JasonH]

Update; adjusted the Reese by adding three more spacer washers (the max allowed). I’m not sure why/how it works, but it worked. I measured the front wheel well unhooked at 35 3/8. Before with four spacer washers (rv dealer installed) trailer hooked up front measured 35 3/4. Now with three more spacer washers 35 1/8. That’s telling me the weight distribution hitch is working properly now. Tomorrow we will load it with gear, hook up and I will measure again. Hoping to hit Cat scales this weekend.

Adding washers tilts the head of the hitch down further, so the bars are at a higher angle relative to horizontal. When you hook up, more weight gets shifted to the front axle. I had to make the same adjustment on my Husky after I began adding gear to my trailer.

 

[Bigfishfin]

Ditto what others are offering...And I would check the hitch manufacturers set up specs...While there may well be dealers who demand excellence from their staff, the stories otherwise are rampant. Don't ever assume ANYTHING done or claimed by an RV dealer is gospel!...

 

[UTEngineer]

UTEngineer, do you have a pic of your WDH setup? I have almost the exact same setup as you only I’m using a Curt TruTrack which I believe is a copy of the Equal-I-ze?? Do your spring bars have a bow to them on your current setup?

Thanks,

Ralph

My apologies on the delayed response. Been out-of-town for work every week over the last month.

Unfortunately I do not have a picture of my setup ... but I am heading to Moab over Memorial and will take some pics and post them for your review.

Yes sir ... my bars definitely bend ... I am running 6 washers if I remember correctly (7 is the max I believe) ... which puts as much weight distribution to the front wheels as possible.

 

[Knut]

What trailer did you pick up? I bring this up because it may have been great bringing it home empty but then the way you loaded it may have actually increased the tongue dramatically. We tow a 2800 bh with a camping weight of nearly 7700 lbs. typically and I am right at rear axle limit and normally 3250 or so on the front axle. I do have to be careful how I load the trailer. That front compartment can hold a lot but ultimately that translates to the tongue quickly. So I off set with my rear compartment to be a net gain to keep about 11% tongue.


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Which WD System do you have?
I have a Blue Ox and seems to struggle with getting enough weight back to the front axle.