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Originally Posted by Scottie
so what is the nose weight of your van is that what you mean when you say tongue.???
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Yes, the "tongue" weight is the weight bearing on the hitch ball. Using "weight distribution" spring bars, which torque the hitch receiver (and thus the tow vehicle) and trailer such that a portion of the weight on the hitch ball is effectively transfered to the front axle of the tow vehicle AND the axles of the trailer. If the spring bars are adjusted correctly a 900 pound tongue weight would have 300 pounds "torqued" to the tow vehicle front axle and 300 pounds "torqued" to the trailer axles, leaving only 300 pounds on the tongue.
It's important that the hitch be able to handle the torque without damaging it's attachment to the tow vehicle, and that's where the BMW OEM hitch is an important installation since its engineered to the vehicle.
Incidently, I now have over 28,000 miles on the assembly with 78,000+ miles on the X5.