JBarca wrote:
dragr1 wrote:
Truck handled it w/o a sweat, camper pulled great. Got a little push from wind gusts on the way back,
but nothing bad, averaged 9.5 mpg for the trip.
I also weighed it on the way home, but the weights aren't comparable to the weights earlier b/c so much was different. I also didn't have time to unhook and weigh the truck by itself or unhook the WDH bars and weigh b/c of trucks in line at the scales. So all I got was what it weighed as I was towing it down the road with the WDH bars hooked up, camper fully loaded including clothes and food.
Front 4480
Rear 4740
Trailer 8760
Total 17980
Before Weights
Empty:
Front axle: 4660
Rear axle: 2880
Total 7540
Loaded:
Front axle: 4280
Rear axle: 4420
Camper axles: 7940
Total 16640
This much you know.
GCW now: 17,980
GCW before: 16,640
Total rig gained: 1,340# some where.
TT axles now: 8,760
TT axles before: 7,970
TT axles gained: 790#
Truck GVW hitched now: 9,220
Truck GVW hitched before: 8,700
Truck gained 520#
TT axles gain 790 + Truck gained 520 = 1,310#
There is scale error of 30# which is normal.
If you really have 300# of firewood in the truck, that means only 220# was everything else. OK, so it was a high fire wood estimate and you will not know until you weigh the rig with the 3 scale trips.
Now expand on the "got a little push from wind gusts on the way back". Tell us what you felt in the truck and did you have to do a steering correction because of it? Tell us if it felt like the front or the back of the truck shifted.
What speed were you traveling when this happened?
You may be fighting a little low tongue weight. The truck did not gain much weight from the TT if you had a lot of gear in the truck. Yet the TT axles gained 790#, some which is WD transfer.
Remember I stated that your TT started at 11% dry tongue weight and you need to try and get it up higher when loading. Ideally 150 to 200# more loaded tongue weight should of been on the truck which should of risen your truck GVW even higher.
The scales will sort this out. The higher the TW, the more stable the TT (up to a point) and the higher anti sway control friction is created in the WD hitch.
Also what was the front and rear truck tire pressures and TT tire pressures?
You may be suffering from a little low TW and non optimized WD hitch setup and maybe a tire stiffness issue. Need to sort out the TW first, then the WD hitch and tires.
Hope this helps and good luck.
The difference in the truck by itself from last time-my wife was not in the truck this time, so subtract 120 pounds, but then add 90 pounds of side steps, about 100 pounds of tools, maybe 30 pounds for air compressor, maybe another 25 pounds for a bicycle, the new receiver hitch which is heavier than the stock one, and then the firewood estimate and new spray in bedliner since last weigh
Oh and there was also more fuel in the truck this time-about 1/4 tank more, so call it 9 gallons or so
As for the push in wind gusts, never felt out of control at all, I can kind of describe it as tail wagging the dog type of sway from back when I had a motorhome. But it was only for a second and then went away, it never swayed back and forth. Trailer tires were aired at the max 65psi cold, truck tires were at the factory rating of 60psi front and 75psi rear. From back in my motorhome days, I always check air pressure before every trip. Speed was around 65mph
You thinking that I should raise the L bracket a hole or two? Remember I also changed the number of spacer washers to 7-last time it was 4.
