However, there is no point in continuing the analysis of your example because you have changed the support conditions. In addition to the TV's front and rear axles and the TT's axles, you have introduced the scales and post as an additional support. This changes the reactions which would occur when the WD bars are tensioned. I could attempt to explain what the new support loads would be under this unrealistic scenario, but I am afraid that would only further confuse the issue.
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So now your going to pull the ole no point in continuing because......and do not want further confuse the issue routine.
Ron, I respect and value what you are doing here - it seems I may be the only one who does since no one else is responding. I think that it is important to understand this concept and I am learning much from you as we correspond. Unfortunately you are not answering a valid question/example. What's wrong with introducing a scale and means to transmit weight to the scale directly underneath the very thing we are talking about -THE TONGUE. We only need the post to transmit to the earth. If the post bothers you then build up the ground so that the scale will be directly under tongue/ball.
Your drawing and figures are superb and I agree with you on the applied forces, however I continue to disagree regarding tongue weight. I still say it DOES get distributed when a WD hitch is engaged. And it don't really matter if it is distributed in exact thirds or some other percentages. Your position is that tongue weight is still right there where it always was, yet you cannot comment on what the scale in my previous example would read after a WD hitch was engaged.
