Match the receiver opening before reading a single capacity

Six of the seven products use a 2-inch shank or receiver. The Andersen 3394 is the exception: its shank is 2-1/2 inches, and it needs a receiver opening of that size. Rhino USA sells a separate 2.5-inch version of its adjustable hitch, and Equal-i-zer offers a 12-inch shank length as an option on the 90-00-1000, but the standard shank on every product except the Andersen is 2 inches.

Weight-carrying and weight-distributing are two ratings, not one

Both receiver hitches publish a second, higher set of figures that applies only with a weight-distribution hitch installed. The CURT 13182 moves from 6,000 lb GTW / 600 lb TW to 7,500 lb GTW / 750 lb weight-distribution tongue weight (WDTW). The Reese 37042 moves from 5,000 / 500 to 6,000 / 600. The uplift is not something you get for buying the hitch; it exists only once a compatible weight-distribution system is bolted on and engaged. Until then, the lower number is the rating.

The two weight-distribution systems are rated the other way around. Equal-i-zer’s 10,000 lb / 1,000 lb figure and Andersen’s 16,000 lb figure already assume the spring bars or tension chains are installed and loaded; neither manufacturer page publishes a separate weight-carrying figure. That matters when you combine them. Bolt the 10,000 lb Equal-i-zer into the CURT 13182 and the setup is rated to the CURT’s 7,500 lb weight-distributing ceiling, not the Equal-i-zer’s 10,000 lb.

No weight-distribution figure could be confirmed for the B&W Tow & Stow, Weigh Safe WS8-2 or Rhino USA mount in the documents retrieved.

Where the tongue weight comes from

The figure comes from a scale reading of the loaded trailer’s tongue, or the trailer’s documented tongue-weight rating. Among these products, only the Weigh Safe WS8-2 measures it: a hydraulic scale built into the ball mount reads tongue weight at the hitch before the trailer moves.

A receiver hitch rating is not the rating of the whole connection. The ball mount sitting in it carries its own GTW and TW, and the B&W Tow & Stow shows that the ball itself can change the number. Retailer listings for the TS10048B give 3,500 lb GTW with the 1-7/8-inch ball, 7,500 lb with the 2-inch ball, and 10,000 lb with the 2-5/16 ball. Fit the 2-inch ball to a trailer with a 2-inch coupler and the mount is a 7,500 lb product, regardless of what the receiver hitch behind it is rated for.

When a plain ball mount covers it, and when it does not

If the trailer’s loaded weight and measured tongue weight both sit under the weight-carrying ratings of the receiver hitch, the ball mount and the ball, and under the vehicle’s own rating, nothing in the retrieved documents requires a weight-distribution system to meet the rating.

The case changes in the band between a receiver hitch’s two ratings. A loaded trailer that sits above the CURT 13182’s weight-carrying figure but under its weight-distributing figure can reach that upper rating only with a weight-distribution hitch; a plain ball mount cannot get there. The Reese 37042 has the same kind of band between its two figures.

What the sway-control systems actually describe

Equal-i-zer’s mechanism is friction at four points. The hitch head pinches the spring-arm sockets (points one and two), and trailer-mounted brackets create further friction under load (points three and four). It engages whenever the weight-distribution bars are loaded, with no add-on devices or electronic sensors. Andersen’s No-Sway uses a friction-cone ball housing combined with a tension-chain system that dampens bounce; it is grease-free, self-adjusting to the load, and uses no leverage bars.

Nothing else here describes sway resistance. The Weigh Safe scale is a loading aid that reports tongue weight; it is not a sway mechanism. The Rhino USA’s two keyed-alike locking pins are anti-theft hardware. The B&W, CURT and Reese publish no sway-related feature.

Fitment details that undo an otherwise correct purchase

The CURT 13182 is engineered for the 2011-2027 Dodge Durango excluding SRT, the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee WK, and the 2012-2021 Grand Cherokee excluding SRT, SRT8 and Trackhawk. A different vehicle or an excluded trim needs a different CURT part number.

The Reese 37042 is a multi-fit hitch spanning trucks and SUVs from 1971 to 2009 across Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Isuzu, Jeep, Mazda, Nissan and Plymouth, and most listed applications require drilling.

The weight-distribution systems are universal on the vehicle side but specific on the trailer side.

Drop and rise need to match the tow vehicle’s receiver height to the trailer’s coupler. Equal-i-zer states 7 inches maximum rise and 3 inches maximum drop measured from the top of the receiver opening.

Where the documentation stops

No manufacturer page retrieved states a material for the Andersen 3394, the Rhino USA mount or the Weigh Safe WS8-2; the Weigh Safe’s aluminum appears only in retailer and Amazon listing titles. B&W’s manufacturer page could not be checked and Weigh Safe’s was not among the documents retrieved, so their figures come from retailer listings rather than a spec sheet from the brand.