YOke

Ok....let the can of worms open......
...take my tone as good spirited, im arguing for the sake of it now...

As defined by Jeep Owners Manual:
Tongue Weight (TW)
The downward force exerted on the hitch ball by the
trailer. In most cases it should not be less than 10% or
more than 15% of the trailer load. You must consider this
as part of the load on your vehicle.


Here is the net result from the example in your link:
In it, the person asks about his TT with a tongue weight of #650 and the WDH with a weight of #150...what happens to that #800? Here is the quoted answer:
"After the WD bars are tensioned, the 650# tongue weight does not change. Neither does the 150# hitch weight. However, the WD tensioners create an additional 1700# (using my example values) DOWN force on the ball and an additional 2000# UP force on the hitch head. The net result is a decrease of 300# in the hitch load."

Ok, here is my opinion now, and it seems to be semantics...(thats not orange juice...its juice of an orange...)
If using a WDH INCREASES the DOWN force on the ball by #1700, and Jeep defines Tongue weight as DOWNWARD force on the ball....then by all accounts...I have just exceeded my tongue limit by A LOT!!!!!; Furthermore,
he goes on to say that the WDH also creates an UPward force of #2000 on the hitch head...cancelling all of the #1700 of downforce plus #300lbs.

So the net decrease, as stated above is 300lbs in the hitch load......hitch load....tongue weight....orange juice...juice of an orange....

....for my brain....the weight at the tongue has decreased by 300.

He goes on to say that tongue weight isn't the same as hitch load and gives an additional link to define it......???really???

I guess, I can try to simplify his semantics.....If I have a 30lb dumbbell (tonge weight) and put it on a bathroom scale...it weighs 30lbs....but if I then tie on helium balloons that have an upward force of 5lbs (the WDH)...the scale will read 25 lbs....Does the dumbbell weigh 25lbs? NO, it is a 30lb dumbbell. But the net force it is exerting on my jeep at the ball is only 25 lbs...so...no tongue weight doesn't change, but the net downward force exerted on my hitch does decreaes.

Ok...I'm off my soapbox, and still pose the question to anyone out there who has ACTUALLY went to a scale with a WDH and seen a decrease in their TT published tongue weight. I promise, if I get this TT, I will be going to a scale, and I will post my results...but I'm at least 4 months away from delivery...

Yoke

ColdBrew

I think what you want an answer too, and what i have been saying aren't exactly the same. The tongue weight will never change, the WD hitch just re established the loading of the trailer to level both the tow vehicle and the trailer. Once a WD hitch is in place I am not sure how you would measure the tongue weight since the suspension of your tow vehicle is absorbing most of it.

However, with a properly set up WD hitch, I do not beleive 400 lb tongue weight on your jeep that is rated at 350 lb, is that big of a deal. By the standards listed yes you are overloading the hitch, but like I said in my first post, I have done worse myself with no issue.

Once the WD is set up so that both trailer and tow vehicle are completely level, the tongue weight becomes less relevent than the loaded trailer weight and the GVWR. It has been in my experience, that as long as you are not blowing the tongue weight completely out of the water and your trailer and tow vehicle (loaded with occupants) is under the GVWR than there isnt a big issue.

ColdBrew

Yoke,

how about this, do you have an idea of what brand/model travel trailer your looking into getting. If I can get some better idea of the specs of what you are looking to be pulling, I can actually do some calculations on what you will end up with as a hitch load.

drschem

I think the best answer is, if you are towing near the 3500# maximum, using a load leveling hitch is a good idea. You can always lighten your tongue weight by adding weight to the rear of the trailer (or by moving the load towards the rear if you can) but you hit a bump in the road and the added weight suddenly causes the trailer to surge and your front tires pop off of the ground - now that's scary and often devastating. That's where the load leveling hitch comes in, it uses it's lever effect to keep downward force on the front axle and thus you maintain steering control.

YOke

The safety benifits of the WDH make it a no brainer. I'm getting one...also sway control and brake control (must have's)

basketmaker

One thing to seriously take into consideration is the trailer gross weight. I have an '08 Sahara Unlimited w/6-speed. I can tell you that it is way under powered for any heavy towing.

I was looking at a pop-up with a GVW of about 3200#. Instead of selling me that more expensive trailer my dealer warned me that it would be too heavy for the JK to pull in this area. That is the Rocky Mountains. I bought a much smaller one (less expensive too) that has a GVW of 1895#.

On flat terrain it pulls fine and moves right down the road at legal and better speed. But hills and mountains are a different story. Running I-70 over the Continental Divide requires a lot of downshifting to try and keep up with traffic flow. The worst is east from west approaching the Eisenhower Tunnel (highest point on I-70) was down to 2nd gear and creeping along at about 25 mph. Bad when big heavy tractor-trailers are blowing your doors off (yeah it's a Jeep and the are supposed to come off).

I would see if your dealer will allow a test drive behind your JK and if so find some steep hills or climbs that you can see how it does. If you don't plan on any mountainous runs or are okay with running slow then fine. If not you may want to plan something lighter.

I do not use an equalizer and there is no droop in the tail. Also since the trailer is not that heavy I do not run brakes and have had no problems with stopping even coming down steep grades.

goldtr8

I tow my TT with a Reese WDH with the cam sway control, it was worth the money.

Also get a pendulum type brake controller and also the mopar 7 pin wire harness its a nice set up.

CIJeep

You can and should distribute the weigt in the trailer to adjust the tongue weight. A dry/unloaded trailer will have one tongue weight while loaded or partially loaded will have another.

Check with the trailer manufacturer about weight shifting and unloading the hitch weight.

Josephus

I hope this helps.
I have minimal towing experience, but I have discussed this with my camper buddies with over 15 years towing experience.
It seems like the one thing that has been missed is that a WDH doesn't make pounds disappear. The weight distribution is across the tow vehicle axles evenly by leveling the tensioner rods it puts the tongue wieght evenly on the front and rear axle of the Jeep ( and trailer too somewhat).
Without WDH all that tongue is sitting directly on the rear axle only, acting as a cantilever for the front wheels actually reducing steer-a-bility making the front end lighter.
I've been in overloaded tow-trucks hauling broken-down utility trucks to the yard for repairs and trust me - no steering = Dat's a real bad ting. :(

It also helps greatly with handling in windy conditions, bumps, and braking.
As mentioned by others - if your towing at or near the limit of any vehicle tow rating a WDH is a very good idea.

mostlystock

Does using a weight distribution hitch effectively reduce the tongue weight? Rephrased, does it allow for a heavier tongue weight on the hitch?

Technically speaking, the tongue weight is the tongue weight and it doesn't change. But with a WD hitch, you effectively remove some of that from the ball and redistribute it elsewhere (front axles).

Fact: I have a hitch on my Jeep that says 3500 lbs gross trailer weight max, and 350 lbs. tongue weight max, when used with weight-carrying (non weight distribution) load on the ball. It also says that when used with a weight-distribution setup, those ratings are CHANGED to 4000 lbs max gross trailer weight and 400 lbs. max tongue weight.

So as far as the hitch receiver's capacity is concerned, then yes, apparently when using a weight distribution setup, you "buy" some capacity on the ALLOWED tongue weight.

As an aside, if you're wondering about whether or not to get a weight-distribution hitch when approaching the rated limits, YES get one. My trailer is 3,261 lbs. and it's an absolute MUST. Just installed mine, and I would never do without it. I don't necessarily feel/notice all the difference (because I didn't tow for very long just "on the ball"), but I have no doubt at all that it's a safer setup that's also better for the vehicle and backing me farther away from the critical limits on the components. Absolute no-brainer as someone said... just do it. If you're towing a 1,000 to 2,000 lbs. trailer with a 4-door rated at 3,500 then okay, maybe not needed (I don't know but I wouldn't be that concerned).