JaxDad wrote:
I think your math is a little of friend..
According to the Forest River website, that unit (never mind tongue weight) has a payload of 2,508 pounds. Considering the engineering that goes into it almost anything these days, I bet 1,200 pounds of cargo will have that safely under both the GVWR and axle weights.
Don't forget, a tandem axle setup has an equalizer in between the axles, and as the name suggests, it spreads the load between the axles, whether the trailer is level or not.
This is dead wrong and an assumption many make about the purpose of a suspension equalizer.
First suspension design parameters assume that the trailer frame will be level or parallel to the ground. This puts the equalizer in a neutral position - parallel to the ground. This allows each wheel position to operate in an arc as the tires step into and over roadway obstacles. Without the equalizer or with the equalizer out of the neutral position the axle and suspension will physically bind up and something reactionary happens -maybe just an excessive sway or porpoising action or a spring hanger is ripped out....
Suspension engineering also assumes that payload distribution is in the proper percentages and evenly distributed. RV's are notorious for ignoring proper fixed payload distribution to get that perfect floor plan -especially in slide out models.
