If you are anything like us, there’s never enough space in our vehicles to carry all that we want. We all know if we overload our vehicles with too much weight we run the risk of damaging the suspension and worse. But there’s hope yet in the form of the travel trailer hitch.
This is a hitch configuration which combines the ease of a hitch with the stability of sway control bars. This creates a weight distribution between the vehicle and trailer, giving better stability when traveling.
This review article will help you pick out the best weight distribution travel trailer hitch. In this article, we’ll review the top weight distribution hitches and tell you what their advantages, as well as their disadvantages, are.
Why trust us? We review thousands of products each year to bring our loyal readers the best and most unbiased reviews we can. Be sure to read this review through to the end.
COMPARISON CHART
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1. Blue Ox BXW1500 SWAYPRO
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2. EAZ LIFT 48056 600 lbs Elite Kit
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3. Blue Ox BXW1000 SWAYPRO
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4. EAZ LIFT 48703
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5. Fastway e2 2-Point Sway Control
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Specification
| WEIGHT / TONGUE WEIGHT | 90 LBS / 1500 LB TONGUE WEIGHT |
| VEHICLE SERVICE TYPE | TRAILER |
| MATERIAL | STEEL |
| Can Use In Reverse? | YES |
The steel construction of the hitch means that it is nearly indestructible. What we like best about the BXW1500 is its easy installation. Blue Ox makes one of the best installation manuals we’ve ever seen. It comes with pictures and everything!
We had no problems adding the hitch to our test vehicle at all. We were also pleasantly surprised at how quiet the hitch is while operating. There was no scraping or creaking whatsoever. Sway prevention was excellent.
There was also no problem backing up with the SWAYPRO. We were able to reverse at any angle without any complaints from the hitch. All in all the Blue Ox BXW1500 was more than impressive.
WHAT WE LIKE
The Blue Ox BXW1500 SWAYPRO is all about making your towing life easier. This hitch weighs around 90 pounds, but can still support a 1500 pound tongue weight. That roughly translates to the SWAYPRO being able to distribute and control up to a 15,000-pound load.
PROS
- Simple installation
- Top notch installation manual
- Excellent sway control
- Very solidly constructed unit
CONS
- Some customers have mentioned that the sway control doesn’t go far enough but we found no issues
Specification
| WEIGHT / TONGUE WEIGHT | 80 LBS / 600 LB TONGUE WEIGHT |
| VEHICLE SERVICE TYPE | TRAILER |
| MATERIAL | STEEL |
| Can Use In Reverse? | YES |
This review focuses on the 600 pound tongue weight model, although there are models that go up to 1200 pounds of tongue weight. As far as weight distribution hitches go, this one is pretty straightforward.
The Eaz LIFT 48056 hitch comes with the standard weight distribution system that comes with nearly every hitch. The hitch comes with the hitch ball and sway control ball already installed.
This makes it so you can use it to tow a car or a truck, or even a small boat or trailer very quickly. You could probably even go over a wheel chock if you wanted to with no problems.
WHAT WE LIKE
We loved the installed hitch ball the best because it’s not only adjustable by height, but also by tilt. This allows maximum angling to whatever you are towing.
PROS
- Height adjustable hitch ball is very nice
- Extremely helpful customer support
CONS
- Quality control issues concerning the included hardware is rare, but does happen from time to time.
- Some extra drilling may be required.
Specification
| WEIGHT / TONGUE WEIGHT | 80 LBS / 1000 LB TONGUE WEIGHT |
| VEHICLE SERVICE TYPE | TRAILER |
| MATERIAL | STEEL |
| Can Use In Reverse? | YES |
If you need a travel trailer hitch, you shouldn’t have to sacrifice form over function to do it. The Blue Ox BXW1000 SWAYPRO is a hitch weight distribution trailer that lets you tow your trailer up to a maximum of 10,000 lbs, all while providing you with the comforts of a weight distributing hitch.
The BXW1000 works very similarly to its sister model, the heavier duty BXW1500. It’s one tough beast if a trailer hitch.
WHAT WE LIKE
The 80 pound BXW1000 is a heavy-duty trailer hitch that can be mounted on any vehicle. Designed with a heavy-duty steel frame with welded construction, the hitch can be adjusted for multiple applications and is designed for use with vehicles up to a 1000 pound tongue weight.
PROS
- Virtually noise free
- Easy install
- Prevents sway with ease
CONS
- Somewhat mixed reviews about the sway control. We had no problems, so we are uncertain if this might not be due to operator error.
Specification
| WEIGHT / TONGUE WEIGHT | 110 LBS / 1000 LB TONGUE WEIGHT |
| VEHICLE SERVICE TYPE | TRUCK AND TRAILER |
| MATERIAL | STEEL |
| Can Use In Reverse? | YES |
When you need to tow a trailer, nothing is worse than the scraping and banging that accompanies a poorly-designed or poorly-installed trailer hitch. With the Eaz LIFT 48703 , the horrors of trailer towing are a thing of the past.
This hitch uses what’s known as Adaptive Sway Technology. In other words the sway control will activate only when needed. It will automatically disengage when not needed according to the manufacturer. This is a very interesting approach to sway control.
WHAT WE LIKE
The EAZ LIFT 48703 trailer hitch comes complete with everything you need to mount it to your vehicle. It is a simple to install device that is straightforward in operation. The hitch is sturdy and well-designed and is very easy to move the weight of your trailer.
PROS
- Effective sway control
- Works quietly, no clanking noises
- Very solid construction
CONS
- Will not work for bottom mounted couplers
Specification
| WEIGHT / TONGUE WEIGHT | 89 LBS / 1000 LB TONGUE WEIGHT |
| VEHICLE SERVICE TYPE | TRAILER |
| MATERIAL | STEEL |
| Can Use In Reverse? | YES |
The Fastway E2 2-Point Sway Control Trailer Hitch is a unique model from Fastway that allows you to adjust how you connect your trailer hitch to your vehicle. The manufacturer claims that you won’t need additional add ons to make this hitch function properly.
The unit certainly has no problems handling up to 10,000-pound trailers, and backing up is just as easy. The only thing out of the ordinary that we noticed were some welds on the head unit that didn’t seem to be aligned properly.
A quick call with customer service confirmed that we might need a new head unit and one was promptly sent out. Other than that, the hitch worked flawlessly. The sway control works as advertised.
WHAT WE LIKE
The Fastway E2 2-Point Sway Control Trailer Hitch is a unique model from Fastway that allows you to adjust how you connect your trailer hitch to your vehicle.
PROS
- Very easy installation
- You can easily back up without disconnecting the trailer
- User manual is very easy to understand
CONS
- Be sure to check the weld areas on the unit
- Although many customers have mentioned noise while operating the unit, we experienced none.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Does Weight Distribution Really Work?
This is how weight distribution really works. Many new trailers have a hitch system with a bracket that slots under your hitch, which hooks into your vehicle’s frame.
Without distribution, the tongue, or hitch would take all of the weight of the tow. The weight doesn’t get concentrated directly where the vehicle meets the trailer (tongue).
The hitch is designed to spread the weight evenly over the axles of both vehicle and trailer instead. This relieves a massive amount of stress on the hitch connection.
This allows the suspension system of the vehicle to remain flexible and allow smooth road travel, even when carrying loads.
What Are The Main Problems With Towing A Trailer Without A Weight Distribution Hitch?
The main problems that occur when you tow a trailer without a weight distribution hitch:
Vehicle suspension and hitch connection – Your vehicle suspension will suffer because it’ll be taking on the entire stress of the weight of what you are towing. This eventually leads to premature wear and tear on your vehicle’s underside, and tongue connection.
Uneven weight – If weight is unevenly distributed in your trailer, your vehicle could end up riding too high in the rear, or bottoming out at the hitch section. This wears out tires and leads to unstable traveling loads.
Using a weight distributing hitch helps to keep the stress off of the tongue of the vehicle to balance the load better.
Sway Control – This function will either make or break your travel experience. Traveling down the road with a trailer when it’s windy is bad enough. When you don’t have proper sway control, you and your trailer could end up all over the place. Sway control works equally with weight distribution to keep you and your load safe in windy conditions.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our article about the best weight distribution travel trailer hitch. There can only be one winner, and the champion of this review goes to the Blue Ox BXW1500 SWAYPRO. With superior tongue weight capacity, sway control, and weight distribution abilities, you can’t go wrong with this hitch.
