2800lbs dry / 3600 sopping wet Travel Trailer....Weight Distribution necessary????
1997 F250 PSD 4x4, SC, LB, 4" lift. Just purchased 98 Tahoe Lite by Thor (2800lbs dry, 3600lbs sopping wet, tongue weight 300lbs) travel trailer. Original owner towed it with a 4.0l ranger 2x4, and used the reese W/D system tortion bar setup. I've heard numerous people tell me to not even waste the money on having his ball-mount modified to a drop for my truck because the W/D wouldnt do anything for such a light trailer on my heavy duty truck. Others have told me that the W/D system pays for itself on making the entire rig tow more smooth and straight over bumpy highway. I've already got the right size drop hitch with the side sway ball mount on it, and don't feel like forking over several hundred for the drop tortion bar ball mount. Any oppinions???
Joe
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1997 F250 HD 7.3L PSD E40D 4X4 ; 4" Superlift Suspension, ProComp ES9000 Shocks, Skyjacker Steering Stab.,Energy Suspension Poly Shackle Bushings, DIY Baldwin open element intake, 285/75 R16 AT Liberators,15w40 Rotella T, Valvoline Maxlife Mercron ATF, Power Services Diesel Kleen (cetane +6), Midland 77-120 CB w/ Firestik FL2 4' Antenna. 1900RPM @ 70MPH. 135,000 miles on stock powertrain.
Truck Birth-Month : October, 1997
New Additions: Graco "toddler" car seat (Because she loves riding in daddy's pickup truck!)
FUTURE ADD-ONS: Chrome wheels, Trans Temp Gauge (someday)
FC1, USN TRUCK PICS
Don't waist your money. I tow a tandem axle car hauler that weighs about 4000 Lbs loaded without a weight distribution hitch. I have no problems with any sway. The truck is long enough and heavy enough that it makes a weight distribution hitch unneccissary with that little of weight. Just my $.02.
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'96 F250 Ext Cab XLT, 4X4, 5spd, 3" Down Pipe, 4" Exhaust, Tymar Intake, Single Mass Flywheel, Bully Dog Programmer, Boost and Pyro gauges. 81,000 miles.
A weight-distributing hitch is not necessary for any trailer with a GVWR of less than 5,000 pounds.
But distributing the weight in the trailer is definitely required.
After the trailer is loaded to the gills, determine the tongue weight (hitch weight) and the trailer's gross loaded weight.
The surest way to get the weights is to load the truck with a full tank of diesel and whatever else you'll have in the truck on the road. Then load the trailer to the gills with the most weight you might have on the road - water, holding tanks, whatever. Then go to a truckstop with a CAT scale and weigh the rig two times.
1) With the trailer hooked up, the weight ticket will show front truck axle, rear truck axle, and trailer axles.
2) Dump the trailer in the parking lot and weigh the wet and loaded truck without the trailer - front and rear truck axles.
(Note: Most CAT scales will not charge you for the re-weigh within a few minutes of the original weighing.)
Compute the hitch weight. (Combined weight of the two truck axles with the trailer minus combined weight of the two truck axles without the trailer.)
Add hitch weight to the weight on the trailer axles to get trailer gross weight.
Divide hitch weight by trailer gross weight. If the answer is less than 10 percent, then you must shift trailer contents toward the front of the trailer. If the answer is more than 12 percent, you should shift trailer contents toward the rear of the trailer. Eleven to twelve hitch weight percent is ideal.
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My Sierra Blanca is a '99.5 PSD CrewCab hot-rod Towing Machine! BTS tranny; TurboRamAir intake and 4" stainless turbo-back exhaust; DP-Tuner tunes flashed into an Edge Evolution tuner; ISSPRO EV gauges and TTM; AIC; SP-Diesel exhaust brake and torque converter controller. I special-ordered it new and plan to drive it until it quits.
If the trailer only has 1 axle then I would get one relitively soon.
If it didn't I might start looking for a drop hitch to fit the wd bars you have but be in no hurry. I like a WD hitch on a travel trailer, they just tow better.
Either way I would get a sway controller. (friction style)
I have a 5000 pound aljo that I have a wd hitch on and the truck doesnt bounce over bumps or do I get any sway when the Truckers go screaming by. A travel trailer will tow much different than a car trailer alot more air resistance and more for the winds to influence.
Just my .02 and it may only be worth .01
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IFLYLTA... Who apparently has wealthy relatives dropping like flys in Nigeria
Divide hitch weight by trailer gross weight. If the answer is less than 10 percent, then you must shift trailer contents toward the rear of the trailer. If the answer is more than 12 percent, you should shift trailer contents toward the front of the trailer. Eleven to twelve hitch weight percent is ideal.
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Smokey,
You must be tired, the advice is exactly backward. Shift stuff forward to add tongue weight and backward to reduce tongue weight... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]
350 miles? I'm just getting comfortable about then and ready to ride for awhile. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] For some of us that's just a hop, skip and a jump.....well maybe just a hop and a skip, too short to include the jump.
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"Early" '99, 4-98, F350 2WD CC DRW Lariat, Diablo tuner, Swamps 20* HPOP, 4" turbo back straight pipe & a 5" tip, S&B 12" open element air filter, CCV mod, EBV gutted, Vedder's built 4R100 with triple disk convertor, 6.0 trans cooler, Dfuser T/C lockup mod, DieselSite coolant filter, DieselSite TurboMaster, ITP reg fuel return, 4:10 gear w/lmtd slip,Centramatics, Western Diesel gauges, AIC, Ride Rite air bags & onboard compressor kit, Super-Vu convex mirrors, R.D.S. 91 gal. diamond plate aux fuel tank & toolbox combo, B&W gooseneck & 18K companion 5th wheel setup, Rhino lined, Drawtite 1,000lb leveler bars, Drawtite Activator II, Brown's Welding shop (New Braunfels,Tx)full grill/bumper/headlight guard, TurboNet V-Gate.
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If the trailer only has 1 axle then I would get one relitively soon.
If it didn't I might start looking for a drop hitch to fit the wd bars you have but be in no hurry. I like a WD hitch on a travel trailer, they just tow better.
Either way I would get a sway controller. (friction style)
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Well, it's a Dual Axle trailer. With our standard camping load-up it's an average of 3000 pounds (including food, fluid, supplies, etc...). Also, I already do have the friction sway control installed. That said, do you guys REALLY feel that this will be worthy of the W/D system?(i.e., will I notice a difference that will please me?) Here's a picture of the rig: trailer pics
Please let me know...
Joe
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1997 F250 HD 7.3L PSD E40D 4X4 ; 4" Superlift Suspension, ProComp ES9000 Shocks, Skyjacker Steering Stab.,Energy Suspension Poly Shackle Bushings, DIY Baldwin open element intake, 285/75 R16 AT Liberators,15w40 Rotella T, Valvoline Maxlife Mercron ATF, Power Services Diesel Kleen (cetane +6), Midland 77-120 CB w/ Firestik FL2 4' Antenna. 1900RPM @ 70MPH. 135,000 miles on stock powertrain.
Truck Birth-Month : October, 1997
New Additions: Graco "toddler" car seat (Because she loves riding in daddy's pickup truck!)
FUTURE ADD-ONS: Chrome wheels, Trans Temp Gauge (someday)
FC1, USN TRUCK PICS
I haven't towed a trailer quite like that, i have a 4000 boat, and an 8000 lb fifth wheel, it handles them both beautifully. I can't imagine any trouble with a trailer of that size. A long wheelbase, 7000 lb truck... you will hardly even notice it there. IMHO. BP
Maybe you could try using one of those wd setups that just has one bar. I think they are mainly for small suvs. Other than that just make sure you have the correct tongue weight of even a bit more than the correct tongue weight, and you should be ok.
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1996 F250 4x4 ext. cab, long bed 5 spd. 3.55ls, Tymar Intake, Tymar 4" downpipe and 4" exhaust. AIC, B&W turnoverball, EBPV brake, tranny temp gauge, boost gauge, and egt gauge. 235k miles and thousands of $$$$ in maintenance and repairs.
I pull an open car hauler that weighs 4k fully loaded without a WD hitch and it has worked out fine for me. As SmokeyWren detailed, just make sure your tongue weight is correct and it will tow fine.
I also tow a 6k (loaded) horse trailer and the WD hitch is useful in that application.
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That said, do you guys REALLY feel that this will be worthy of the W/D system?(i.e., will I notice a difference that will please me?) Here's a picture of the rig: trailer pics
Please let me know...
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No.
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99.5 F-250 CC LB 4x4 7.3 Red, Trail Boss Replacement Bumpers, Tool Box, Headache Rack, Full Length Running Boards, Bilstien Shocks, Isspro A-Pillar Gauges, Isspro TTM, Ford AIS, BFG AT/KO 285/75x16, Magnaflow 3.5" DP - 4" Exhaust, 2003 Cup Holder, X-Springs, Rear 4" F350 Blocks, ATS Housing, Edge Evolution (Rev. 19), Banks Big Head, DS Boost Relief, Weather Tech Rain Vents / Hood Guard, B&W GN Hitch, Sonnax/Tricum
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