4DR HTRD wrote:
At the end of last year we purchased a 2013 Crossroads Zinger 27RLS. I noticed this weekend that my current weight distribution bars are rated 600 to 800 lbs. Out of curiosity I checked the hitch weight on the Zinger and it is listed as 850. Do I need to upgrade my bars? Can I do bars only and use the same hitch? Thanks for any help.
In the past couple years, some tow vehicle manufacturers and WDH manufacturers have changed their recommendations for how much load needs to be transferred via a WDH. Some now are specifying it only is necessary to transfer back to the front axle a load which is equal to 1/2 of the load which was removed.
A so-called Front Axle Load Restoration (FALR) of 50% means that the load transfer for a given tongue weight now would be equal to only 50% of what we previously would transfer in order to restore the front axle to the unhitched value.
As always, the first step in determining WD bar rating is to make your best estimate of what the TT's loaded tongue weight will be.
For example, if you expect your new TT to weigh 7500# when loaded for camping, a good estimate of loaded tongue weight will be 13% of that value -- 7500*.13 = 975#.
Now, the second step is to decide what value of FALR you want to use for your TV.
For example, if you decide to use FALR = 50% and your estimated tongue weight is 975#, the amount of load you need to transfer to the front axle would be equivalent to FALR = 100% for a tongue weight of 500#.
Another way to look at it is to compare your estimated loaded tongue weight (let's say it is 975#) to the rating of your existing bars.
With a tongue weight of 975# and bars rated for 800#, you should be able to transfer enough load to achieve a FALR of 800/975 = 82%.
So, depending on what your TV manufacturer specifies for Front Axle Load Restoration, your 800# bars might be more than adequate.
Ron
