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Sounds like you would be a candidate for weight distribution.  It acts as a fulcrum to redestribute some of the weight back to the front wheels of the TV and the axle of the trailer.

Sway control, while it may be integrated into the WDS, is actually to keep the trailer in a mostly straight line behind the TV and to keep it from swaying side to side.

I have a RAV and had the same issue.  I considered a WD system but there are a couple of things that stopped me from it. 

First the hitch receiver is very low on the RAV so I think there will be an issue with the shank/head being too close to the ground.

Second the RAV is unibody vs. frame and I have read that WD systems put too much twist on the body.  On some of the forums people have said there were warnings in the past from Toyota saying not to use WD with the RAV.  I called the dealer and they searched and didn't find any warnings.  On the other hand many trucks will have a different tongue limit with and without WD and there is no mention of that with the RAV OEM hitch receiver.  If you don't have the OEM hitch receiver I would be particularly concerned since the OEM one has many more connection points and stiffeners than what I've seen with aftermarket hitchs.

In the end I went with an air bag spring helper, the only one I could find was from Firestone.  It helps tremendously.  But you have to be aware that the hitch weight limit is 350lbs and is easily exceeded with a propane tank, battery, etc.  So I would start with weighing the trailer hitch, mine was over 400lbs.

Sorry for the long winded response but hopefully it helps.  If you need any more details I'll be happy to provide.

We have the 2010 14RK and had a little sag with our 2004 GMC Safari.  We replaced the shocks with Gabriel air adjustable shocks from Autozone for $64.  No need for WDH unless there is an overload on the rear axle.  No sway control either. 

HTH;

John

To put in my two cents…I tow my 14RB with a 2010 RAV4 with an aftermarket hitch from Curt (installed at the Toyota dealership), and a WD hitch from Valley.  The tongue weight with two group 24 batteries and a full propane tank is 380# (fresh/gray/black tanks empty). 

I think even if it was just for the ride and not the weight issue, the WD hitch really does help — the car doesn't feel nearly as much as a "wet noddle" going over bumps.  I think distributing the weight more towards the front of the car is also helpful for control purposes.  I chose a "trunnion" style hitch that doesn't hinder the ground clearance at the receiver.  As far as I know, I've never bottomed out, and I do have to go over a pseudo-curb at the driveway to my house.  I completely agree with smilinjohn about the sway control – it's not needed for such a small trailer with a significant amount of tongue weight.  About the unibody issue – Toyota has been asked, and no restriction is listed on any official paperwork anywhere.  To me that seems like a rumor for for Snopes to decipher.

However, even with the WD hitch, the car isn't quite level, so I got an inner-spring airbag system like DougB mentioned (link here) to supplement.  I haven't installed it yet, but really hope to before the first camping trip of the season.  It's probably not that necessary, but would help to keep the headlights a little more level.

Post edited 3:30 pm – February 27, 2012 by Mike J

pfidahospud said:

To put in my two cents…I tow my 14RB with a 2010 RAV4 with an aftermarket hitch from Curt (installed at the Toyota dealership), and a WD hitch from Valley.  The tongue weight with two group 24 batteries and a full propane tank is 380# (fresh/gray/black tanks empty). 

I saw your photos of this in the "modifications" forum. Curious, what is the weight rating of your Curtis hitch? Mine is:

4,000 lbs, 400 lbs

3,500 lbs, 350 lbs

Mike

Post edited 4:24 pm – March 2, 2012 by pfidahospud

Mike & Diana – You're right that the WD hitch should make the vehicle horizontal, and have got me thinking.  Right now I've got the chain links as short as the directions suggest to avoid binding, and I was thinking that's all it could do.  Maybe I need to adjust the number of washers on the head assembly portion to change the tilt angle?  The hitch is rated for more than 100# over what the actual weight is, so I should try that I think.  Thanks for the suggestion.

MikeJ – The receiver on my RAV is a Curt model #13509, which lists a gross trailer weight limit of 3500# and 350# tongue weight without WD, and 4000#/400# with WD.  I would not necessarily argue that just because the hitch is rated for 400# that the vehicle's limit is thus raised to 400# (but I don't think it hurts).

DougB – I completely agree that the 350# hitch weight limit for the RAV should not be exceeded, with or without a WD hitch.  Showing the novice that I am, I trusted the sticker on the door of the trailer, and thought I was purchasing something within the limits of the vehicle (I further made things worse in this respect by adding a second battery).  We accomodate by putting heavy items toward the back of the trailer (which does help with the hitch weight) and use the WD hitch.  I guess the 30# difference is just my personal liability.  I don't have any experience at all comparing hitch frames other than the dealership said there was no real difference between OEM and the aftermarket hitches they sold (I thought they said they even bolted the frame the same way at the same locations?).  I'm sure your advice is very appropriate, especially for new people looking into the options, and recognizing there may be differences.

I am towing a 2011 19SBT with a toyota tacoma V6 ( 5000lb tow capacity).  I've towed the trailer a few times short distances ( under a 100 miles ) and the truck seems to handle the trailer well.  When I picked the trailer up new I had to pull it home about 70 miles in a very strong headwind ( 45 ml/hr) and the truck worked hard but did fine. My question is that I have towed without a WD hitch up to this point and would like to use one along with sway control.  The problem is that my pickup sits quite high and the trailer sits quite low so when I have put on WD hitches the bars are maybe 4-5 inches off the ground and I'm sure they will scrape often.  I've read about flipping the axles and am not really that interested in doing it.  I'm just wondering if I even need a WD hitch or if a weight bearing hitch will do fine?  When towing without WD I do notice the noodle effect @ times but mainly just driving around the city on bumpy roads, but I have never bottomed out.  Also I haven't noticed any sway issues.  The dealership (RV)  says I should just try without the WD hitch and see how it goes?  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

When I talk about clearance issues I guess what I mean is that I need a shank with a very large drop which seems to put the shank quite low to the ground and the bars are below that level….they just seem to have very little clearance?  

camphappy said:When I talk about clearance issues I guess what I mean is that I need a shank with a very large drop which seems to put the shank quite low to the ground and the bars are below that level….they just seem to have very little clearance?  

I've only got about a foot clearance from the bottom of my hitch assembly.

Haven't had any problems….YET!

Thanks for the input on the matter.  I think I will definitely go with the WD hitch and sway control.  Better to be safe than sorry.