down home wrote:
Find your balance point empty. Usually between the two axles. Move 225 lbs or so, weight of water and tank and hose etc back and forward and observe measurements to bottom of frame of RV on a hard level surface, on both ends. Probably the existing tank is near center. Maybe replace it with one larger one with plenty of baffling. check it with weight of your toys too. May want to think about weight distribution of load of toys and where weight, of extra water and existing water etc sits. Don't want the tongue diving or rising on the towing vehicle. Should sit level.
The existing 40 gal tank is all the way forward just behind the hitch which exacerbates the very high tongue weight on the TV, a Tahoe which obviously is not as forgiving to a very heavy tongue as a 3/4 or full ton would be.
My toys right now consist of kayaks, bicycles and a beer cooler. This is no where near enough to offset the weight of 40 gal of water which is halfway between the trailer axles and the ball. 40 x 8.35 x 50% = 170 lbs of water on the tongue. If I remove that plus the 25 gal that are about 50% of the distance of the trailer axles (fulcrum) to the ball behind the axle then 25 x 8.35 = 210 lbs on the trailer axle and because it's behind the trailer axle it should remove another 100 lbs+ from the hitch. All said and done it will take 270 lbs off my overloaded RAW.
Also the places we go very rarely have hookups so we need to bring our water with us. We end up with less water overall but I can make a few trips with jugs.
When we do get some heavier toys, ATVs, etc I can adjust the weight and balance as needed and can possibly find a place close to the CG to fill everything up for extended stays but for now I need to get some weight off the ball.
A heavier TV is on my also on my list but not in the cards for the next year or two.
