Dialing in my equalizer 4 point and have a simple question... my truck with no trailer front axle weight is 3500 pounds on a scale with a full tank and loaded ready to go...I ran across the scales on our last trip and the steer axle was 3405 Pounds with the trailer and truck loaded ready to go. I'm not over any ratings but I am close to them (250 pounds below the closest axle rating)...I added 1 more washer to my hitch to try to gain a little more steering control and am curious if there are any reservations to putting slightly more weight back to the front with the WDH.... meaning like 3550 vs the no trailer 3500...The extra washer made a dramatic difference going from storage to our home but I wanted a sanity check to make sure I wasn't creating an unsafe condition.Thanks for the help

A 300 pound guy in the passenger seat would add more than 50 lb to the front axle. I wouldn't worry about it, especially since the truck handles better.

I wouldn't worry about it. Better to have 50 - 100 lbs more than less as your experience in handling shows.

In this Equalizer video they talk about starting with 5 washers and later adding additional ones. Adding Washers

OP, I would never do this and here is why:Trucks are notoriously unbalanced. That is why you see people putting sand bags or heavy plates in their beds. It's to get a better weight bias. The closer you get to 50/50 the better a vehicle will handle the better is will brake............the better it will do everything. The new trucks are better. That's why you see the engines of new trucks stuffed up under the dash. OEM is trying to get close to a 50/50 weight bias.Also; when you panic brake all the energy (weight) will try to go to the front bumper of the TV. When this happens it will squash the front suspension of the TV. The back of the TV will unload and try to lift the tongue of the trailer. The higher the front of the trailer and tongue the more successful it will be. This is a bad thing. Your trailer will then try to jack knife. For the best handling TV and braking combo you need to have your trailer an inch or two lower in the front and have a 50/50 weight bias on your TV when loaded.The goal is when under panic braking is to get the hitch to line up with the tongue of the trailer. Not lift the back of the TV or squash it. With this you will get the best handling and braking TV/trailer combo.

On my setup I have increased the weight on my front axle by about 75 lbs more than unloaded. This gives me the best towing performance. I think the key here is if you do this is to not unload the rear axle, and have the rear axle still loaded by at least (if not more) the same amount as the front. In my case I have about 200 lbs on the rear, 75 on the front.

Risk of Putting Slightly More Weight Back To Front Axle

15 Replies

four22
Explorer
May 27, 2017
Drive report:

80 miles to where we're staying as I type. The extra washer made it a 65mph, 1 handed driving experience. Set the cruise and just drove nice and easy. Now when we hit the storm 60 miles in I could feel the wind but never was scary honestly.

Laying in bed as I listen to the rain fall is one of the most relaxing times in the world!
Hannibal
Explorer
May 26, 2017
What is the rear axle weight rating on your F150? 4300 lbs seems a bit high off the top of my grape. Do you really have 1500~ lbs of tongue weight even with WD? Considering that, I'd say you definitely did the right thing. If it tows better, you can't argue with success.
PDX_Zs
Explorer
May 26, 2017
Huntindog wrote:
PDX.Zs wrote:
No horse in this race, but I am impressed that you can measure with this level of resolution a system with relatively coarse adjustment.

My only commentary is that I must be overly simplifying this because I just do the old add weight distribution until the front return to almosts unloaded ride height thing and go thing.

The adjustment can be as coarse or fine as you want.
Washers can be had in different thicknesses. I have mixed and matched some to get it exactly how I want it.

Either way, I am impressed.

:-)
Huntindog
Explorer
May 26, 2017
PDX.Zs wrote:
No horse in this race, but I am impressed that you can measure with this level of resolution a system with relatively coarse adjustment.

My only commentary is that I must be overly simplifying this because I just do the old add weight distribution until the front return to almosts unloaded ride height thing and go thing.

The adjustment can be as coarse or fine as you want.
Washers can be had in different thicknesses. I have mixed and matched some to get it exactly how I want it.
K3WE
Explorer
May 25, 2017
Grit dog wrote:
PDX.Zs wrote:
No horse in this race, but I am impressed that you can measure with this level of resolution a system with relatively coarse adjustment.

My only commentary is that I must be overly simplifying this because I just do the old add weight distribution until the front return to almosts unloaded ride height thing and go thing.

No you're just not obsessing about a negligible amount of weight transfer.
You're doing it right and the OP will be fine either way too.....

Apologies- I take slight issue with 'fine either way' . And it should be about HANDLING as much as the exact weight, or appearance...and maybe... ideally ADDING some proportional weight to the front more than aiming for neutral.

/nit picking.
Grit_dog
Navigator
May 25, 2017
PDX.Zs wrote:
No horse in this race, but I am impressed that you can measure with this level of resolution a system with relatively coarse adjustment.

My only commentary is that I must be overly simplifying this because I just do the old add weight distribution until the front return to almosts unloaded ride height thing and go thing.

No you're just not obsessing about a negligible amount of weight transfer.
You're doing it right and the OP will be fine either way too.....
four22
Explorer
May 25, 2017
Thanks for the help. I wanted to make sure I wasn't creating an unsafe condition. We'll see in about 5 hours how well it does out on the highway!!

Happy camping and thanks to those that served our country.
eHoefler
Explorer II
May 25, 2017
You never want to have any weight removed from the steer axle when towing anything, adding weight to the steer is ideal. That is why they invented the equlizing hitch, to transfer weight to the steer. You have found out the reason for doing this. Better control and stabiity.
four22
Explorer
May 25, 2017
I'll need to verify at a scale after adding a washer but my weights from the last trip were:

No trailer:
Steer axle 3450
Drive axle: 2850

With trailer last trip:
Steer axle: 3405
Drive axle: 4300

This is all hypothetical but.... If I were to take 150 pounds off the rear axle, put 100 up front and 50 back to the trailer my numbers would be:

Hypothetical:
Steer axle: 3500
Drive axle: 4150

Still heavier loaded on the back and closer to a 50/50.

The main reason for me asking was to make sure I wasnt doing something stupid and would cause an unsafe condition (aka jack knifing or something of that nature) but it sounds like I'm no where near that dramatic of a set up yet.
PDX_Zs
Explorer
May 25, 2017
No horse in this race, but I am impressed that you can measure with this level of resolution a system with relatively coarse adjustment.

My only commentary is that I must be overly simplifying this because I just do the old add weight distribution until the front return to almosts unloaded ride height thing and go thing.