Trying to understand payload
We are getting ready to upsize our current truck and camper and hit the road full-time. We have been having trouble finding a truck that can handle the payload of most small to medium 5th wheels. Mo...
Forum Discussion
karmi wrote:
I have one more probably crazy question. Would packing your 5th wheel more heavily behind the wheels lessen your hitch weight?
Yes. A trailer is like a see-saw (or teeter-totter depending on where you live) that pivots on it's axles. Actual weight (called the "moment force") is the weight multiplied by the distance from the fulcrum or pivot point.
So picture the fulcrum, or pivot point, is a point exactly between the 5er's axles from front to rear. For purposes of this example, say the distance from this point to the hitch pin is 20'. From the pivot to the back of the 5er is 10'. If you want to lessen your pin weight by 100 lbs, you would need to add 200 lbs at the back of the 5er. Why? Because the distance from the pivot is only half as much.
If you ever played on a see-saw when you were a kid, the fat kids had to skootch up closer to the pivot and the skinny kids had to sit waay at the end....because the balance weight is the weight of the kid times his/her distance to the pivot. A fat kid and a skinny kid sitting the same distance from the pivot on opposite sides couldn't play...because the balance weights weren't equal.
You would need to take these measurements on your 5er and also assess your storage capabilities rear of the axles to see if you could realistically add enough weight in the back to have a meaningful effect on pin weight.
