Tongue weight is too much
Weighed the awesome PUP the other day and boy was I in for a suprise. The PUP was loaded for camping and the gross weight was only 2720 lbs which is well in the rating for the Awesome Minivan... ...
Forum Discussion
Okay, did some fiddling today with the pup.
I don't have a Sherline scale so I tried the bathroom scale technique. You can find info on this technique Here
I drained the water heater (6 gallons of water, in front of the axle)
This technique gives a 4-1 aspect ratio...sooooo....what I found was that my ltrailers weight on the scale is now 90 lbs...90x4= 360 lbs... Which is under my WC receiver hitch rating.
360/2700 lbs gives me 13.3% tongue weight...Schew! There is hope!
This was also without my 100 lbs of cargo loaded behind the pups axle.
As to my vans Axle ratings I am way under them, I am also way under my tire ratings..
I double checked my vans rear end drop and it's about 1.5 inches at the rear fender wells ... The front end rise is still only .5 inches as is... But these figures are with the van unloaded. By the time my boys are in the back there is a bit more drop, maybe another 1/2 inch...probably another .5 inch rise on the front once they are in.
With the camper level and un-hitched the measurement from the ground to the tongue is about 18 1/4 inches, when I am hitched up the tongue is sitting 16 inches off the ground. I think this nose down attitude of 16 inches increases the tongue weight.
I'm currently running a 4 inch rise draw bar, I could add a 6 inch rise draw bar and the trailer would ride more level once loaded...since I can manage the tongue weight to under 400 lbs I may do that. However, the 4 inch rise draw bar is level with the camper when un-hitched.
The Reese Mini 350 or the Reese Mini 400 are not enough for my rig, I think I am going to have to go with either an Andersen No Sway weight distribution hitch, or a 550 lb traditional weight distribution hitch.
Thanks!
Jeremiah
I don't have a Sherline scale so I tried the bathroom scale technique. You can find info on this technique Here
I drained the water heater (6 gallons of water, in front of the axle)
This technique gives a 4-1 aspect ratio...sooooo....what I found was that my ltrailers weight on the scale is now 90 lbs...90x4= 360 lbs... Which is under my WC receiver hitch rating.
360/2700 lbs gives me 13.3% tongue weight...Schew! There is hope!
This was also without my 100 lbs of cargo loaded behind the pups axle.
As to my vans Axle ratings I am way under them, I am also way under my tire ratings..
I double checked my vans rear end drop and it's about 1.5 inches at the rear fender wells ... The front end rise is still only .5 inches as is... But these figures are with the van unloaded. By the time my boys are in the back there is a bit more drop, maybe another 1/2 inch...probably another .5 inch rise on the front once they are in.
With the camper level and un-hitched the measurement from the ground to the tongue is about 18 1/4 inches, when I am hitched up the tongue is sitting 16 inches off the ground. I think this nose down attitude of 16 inches increases the tongue weight.
I'm currently running a 4 inch rise draw bar, I could add a 6 inch rise draw bar and the trailer would ride more level once loaded...since I can manage the tongue weight to under 400 lbs I may do that. However, the 4 inch rise draw bar is level with the camper when un-hitched.
The Reese Mini 350 or the Reese Mini 400 are not enough for my rig, I think I am going to have to go with either an Andersen No Sway weight distribution hitch, or a 550 lb traditional weight distribution hitch.
Thanks!
Jeremiah
