damdifino wrote:
---if I air up the bags so the TV is at its normal height after dropping the hitch on the ball but before I add the weight distribution, the rear of the TV will end up higher than its nominal height. Conversely, if I hitch up and add WD before I air up the bags, then the geometry--hence, physics--of the setup is again altered. Either way, the forces applied by the WDH change in the act of airing up the bags. Am I thinking right?
Campin LI wrote:
Yes. Because the airbags will raise the back of the truck, you will need more downward tilt (away from the truck) on the WDH to get the same or similar weight distributed to the front.
The OP didn't ask about tilt -- he asked about force. If he is transferring the same "weight" to the front, the WDH will be generating the same amount of force. You will need to adjust the tilt and/or chains -- but the force produced by the WDH will be the same.
But, if you tilt the head downward (away from the truck), you may cause too much weight to be distributed to the front of the truck.
That is true regardless of whether air bags are involved.
Most WDH's only have a few useful adjustments to transfer weight to give acceptable weight distribution.---
That, of course, depends on how you define "acceptable".
This post by nvreloader presents data from a very interesting experiment in which he varied number of washers from 3 to 5 and number of links under tension from 6 to 9 -- giving 11 different adjustment combinations.
Using a Husky WDW with 1700# bars gave 11 values of load transfer ranging from zero with 3 washers and 9 links to 1020# with 5 washers and 7 links. The average load transfer increment was about 100#. For less stiff bars rated for, say, 800#, one might expect an average load transfer increment of about 50#.
If I was trying to do this, I would start at the 1/2 way point and see what happens. If your sag is 2 inches, use the airbags to raise the truck 1 inch. Apply WDH and see how much the front lowers, then take it from there. Your goal is to get the front fender height back to where it was before you hooked up, but not lower.
I agree with your approach. But, in general, the "goal" varies depending on user preference and TV or WDH manufacturers' instructions.
Ron
