Well, I'll again add my vote for no WDH needed for an MPG. A sway bar would do the trick. Look at your numbers, you're fine. I'd like to see proof of this myth that manufacturers intend for you to use a WDH and therefore give you a higher tow rating assuming you will use one.
The concept of a WDH is to equalize the weight by distributing some of it further back onto the trailer away from the hitch connection. A heavy trailer will make the rear of you vehicle sag down and effectively "lift" the front end affecting handling. If you can picture the vehicle and trailer hooked up to each other, they should be at a level line instead of the connection point being lower to the ground (vehicle and trailer line creating a "v" shape.) This is the purpose for a WDH. If you have a tow vehicle with 600 lbs tongue weight capacity, and a trailer with 300 lbs tongue weight I doubt very much that your tow vehicle will sag.
This is partially correct. A weight distributing hitch takes the weight from the tongue and transfers it to the front axle of the tow vehicle AND the trailer axles! The distance from the hitch to the axles determines exactly how much is transfered. The biggest advantage to you in your situation with your intended tow vehicle would not be so much the weight transfer, but the bobbing you will get going down the road with your short wheel base. Think of your rear axle as the pivot point on a teeter totter. The more weight you haul in the back of your tow vehicle in addition to your tongue weight will cause you to be tail heavy and make your front end bounce as you go down the road making the steering feel light and sluggish. Which will also increase the amount of sway you will get from the trailer. Sway control alone is not the answer and will only mask what is really going on. Take measurements of your tow vehicles bumper heights with out being loaded or hooked to your trailer. Put masking tape on your bumpers on the furthest point forward and rearward, measure your heights on a level surface. Next hook up your rig, load the trailer as if you are going on a week long trip, fuel, water, groceries, clothes, etc.. Also load your tow vehicle as you will for a trip. Drive around the block or so to let the suspensions settle, bring it back to the spot you took your earlier measurements. Now measure your bumper heights again. If your front bumper is any higher than the first measurement, any higher, fraction of an inch, any. You have unloaded your front suspension!! If you still have doubts, go to the scale, and weigh your set up. Any weight lose on your steer axle, any, indicates the necessity for a weight distributing hitch!!
Now, some people are telling you to get a WDH citing possible sway as a reason. You can get a sway control bar to address sway concerns, and this would be a much less expensive option. No need to get a WDH to get only one of its benefits (and not the main one.) Don't get me wrong, I'm not telling you not to get a WDH to be cheap. If you needed one then cost would be the least of your concerns. I have an Edge M18 and a tow vehicle with a 5,000lbs limit. I have no problems towing it and my vehicle does not sag at all. The test is simple, hook it up and if your tow vehicle doesnt sag then you're fine.
A properly loaded vehicle will have very little sway when towing small trailers. If your front axle is not firmly on the ground, the tail will wag the dog regardless. A sway control device is only a crutch for a Poorly setup or loaded tow rig.
A weight distributing hitch not only deals with tongue weight, it also helps when you load the back of you tow vehicle.
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