beemerphile1 wrote:
gmw photos wrote:
Not to pick a fight here, but saying choose the bars based on "15% of the GVWR" is a bit too hard and fast for me.
Example: my trailer has a 6000 pound GVWR, and yet in reality, it only weighs 4000 pounds ready to camp, as I pack it ( verified on the CAT scale ). So, in my mind, it's better to choose the bar rating based on what the trailer really weighs, and what the tongue weight really is, "for that user".
My funfinder weighs 4000, the tongue is just under 600, and I use 550 pound bars. Am able to restore the steer axle to 100%, and I still have a nice compliant ride over dips and undulations, so I feel these are the correct bars for my setup. Blue Ox agreed that 550 bars were what I needed when I asked them.
How does a buyer know the loaded weight of a trailer that hasn't been built yet? Fifteen percent of GVWR is a safe estimate.
My trailer loaded is 6500 lbs. 12% to 15% tongue would be 780 lbs to 975 lbs. The Reese Strait Line trunnion system goes from 800 lbs (which I have from my last smaller trailer) to the next size up, being 1200 lbs. Since my true tongue weight is most likely well over 800 lbs, the 1200 lbs spring bars were needed.
Truck rides great with 1200 lbs bars.
