mrw8i wrote:
For a Bumper Pull you want between 12% and 15% of total current weight of trailer on the tongue.
I went to the AMPED website. 28FS.
Dry Weight - 8692
Hitch Weight - 1318
That stated hitch weight is 15% of the total dry weight.
Payload Capacity (I'm assuming this includes Fresh Water and Fuel) - 4208
GVWR - 12,900 (4208+8692=12900)
Assuming you are at GVWR when loaded, 15% of GVWR means the tongue weight should be 1935 lbs when loaded. I'll bet you will find it is much lighter than 1935 lbs when you check your actual weights when fully loaded and hooked up.
One of the keys is it towed fine empty. So the toys in the rear might be lightening the load on the tongue. Empty or full tanks have an influence on tongue weight.
Move weight forward (toys). Front of trailer should be slightly lower than rear. Air up your TV tires. Might need to take some air out of the air bags. Might need to loosen up the Blue Ox bars. You are probably fighting the inherent instability of a lifted truck as well.
He might be on to something here with the light tongue. Generally speaking a trailer will sway more when not balanced correctly i.e. 15% tongue weight etc...
It seems yours might have been designed to have 15% tongue weight dry from the factory. In comparison I think most bumper pull toy haulers are designed from the factory to have much more weight upfront (again dry). I think mine was more like 19-20%
Most bumper pull toy haulers are built heavy on the tongue from the factory on purpose to help offset the weight of the "toys" that will be added behind the rear axle. If your trailer was built with only 15% tongue weight (when dry) then it could be an issue that you don't have enough weight upfront to help offset the massive weight of toys behind the rear axle. You might put a 1000lbs of water up front but it is offset by the heavier weight of atvs and motorcycles behind the axle!
Get to a scale and get weighed fully loaded as you would go out camping.
I know what you mean about the bumper pull toy haulers being a pain in the ass. I've experienced this first hand and sometimes wish I had a 5th wheel toy hauler instead - however I wouldn't be able to get the 5th wheel to some of the spots I go in the mountains that I can with my bumper pull. (cab hitting bed rails etc..) Even as big as my trailer is I can still traverse some serious terrain! So in one and out the other ...
Get some weights from a scale and then we can reanalyze.
ALSO - one thing I noticed when I got my TH is that the reciever on my original truck (2012 ram) was only rated at 1200lbs or so. The new trucks have a class V receiver 2.5" that are rated for 1800lbs or more. I haven't seen receiver yet that was rated for 2k that wasn't a "double shank" type.
