[Yellow Buddy]

Can a weight distribution hitch be used with the Kia EV9? I am looking at buying a trailer with a dry weight of 2800 and hitch weight of 330. I will also be installing a brake controller. I have the factory installed hitch and wiring.

It’s all about the weight in determining if you need one. Your goal should to be having appropriate distribution (12-15%) if you can achieve appropriate tongue weight without a WDH, then you really don’t need one.

Now, Sway control is a different story. Not all WDH include Sway control and you can have sway control without a WDH and theoretically if you have appropriate distribution, you shouldn’t need sway control.

Also take into account construction. WDH works as a lever. Weight down from the trailer puts pressure on the vehicle frame to lift it. The vehicle pressure against it in turn works to lift the tongue thus distributing the weight. Whether or not you use it then becomes a matter of - how strong do you think our frames are?

Generally speaking, I personally do not use a WDH under 500lbs of tongue weight and similarly, I won’t tow my 6500lb camper with my F150 without one.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

You have a 6500 pound trailer. Have you ever used your EV9 to tow it?

The answer is no, when it comes to towing large trailers I don’t like being over spec nor would I personally use a WDH on the frame of the EV9.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

In the early days of WDH Drawtite did an ad using a front drive Toronado. With the hitch installed they took the rear wheels off showing the frame connection and drove around. Sometimes, necessity is the mother of invention. I have overloaded my Envoy with load leveling rear air bags a few times to move a trailer a few miles. Lower gear, slow and careful with no problems. I have a situation where I just need to move a couple miles from the campground to storage. A friend bought a pre Tundra era Toyota truck and pre lawyers everywhere that had an advertised towing spec that couldn’t come close to highway speeds. Not everyone follows all the rules. I was just gathering info if anyone was in that category.

Anything is doable…

IIRC SAE builds in a 15% buffer for stupidity.

I’ve definitely used that stupidity when I towed an excavator on a trailer with my Tesla Model X. But doing that locally is very different than towing a 30’ RV at high way speeds with the family in the car. Not that it can’t be done, it’s not advised and personally I have no reason to ever want to overload the EV9 when I have a Lightning available.