Need to get shot

[4x4ord]

So I towed the trailer into the mountains last weekend with the bike on the lift. The wind was blowing and the trailer towed terrible. Especially going down hill the trailer would push the truck around making for a very stressful drive. Anyway we got out there and it was really nice to have the bike along. My intentions were to have my wife tow the trailer home and I was going to ride the bike to avoid another stressful drive going back home, but .... I wore the back tire off the bike and decided I would feel more comfortable driving an unstable truck back then riding a motorcycle back with a tire that looked like it could pop any second.

Well the drive back was very nice. Little wind and the truck felt much more stable. I got thinking about why there was such a profound difference between the way the 5ver towed going out vs coming back. I think the wind was responsible for some of the unstableness but what may have made the biggest difference is the fact that we used about 40 gallons of water over the weekend. That 40 gallons was moved as we used it from the fresh tank to the black and grey tanks. The fresh tank is over the front trailer axle the black and grey water is stored about 4 feet ahead of the fresh water. I think moving that 40 gallons forward 4 feet shifted about 100 lbs from the trailer axles to the trailer pin.

So in the future i would like to have a few sacks of shot positioned in the bedroom or poured into the kingpin hitch on the trailer to add some ballast to the pin weight.

I weighed the truck and trailer on the way home:

front truck axle .......4960 lbs
rear truck axle ........5440 lbs
trailer axles ..........14440 lbs

Tare weight of truck rear axle is 3480 lbs.

Any ideas on where to get a cheap couple hundred pounds of shot.

[Farmboy666]

fj12ryder wrote:

Farmboy666 wrote:
Well nobody else asked so I will. You had a stressful drive up and trailer handled badly so you are riding the bike back and throw it in your wifes lap to drive the poorly handling trailer back.

Actually he changed his mind, and drove the truck and trailer back himself with the bike on the back.

Yea I know what he did but that's after he road the bike to much. Not his first plan.

[bpounds]

4x4ord wrote:
Any ideas on where to get a cheap couple hundred pounds of shot.

Any gun shop, but if you have a trap/skeet range near you, they often have reclaimed shot available.

[turbojimmy]

BurbMan wrote:
I would have a concern about bending the frame on the 5er with 800 lbs hanging off the back like that.

He's over 1,000 lbs. including the lift he built.I respect the ingenuity but it doesn't seem like an ideal setup.

[BurbMan]

I would have a concern about bending the frame on the 5er with 800 lbs hanging off the back like that. Plus if I had a sweet looking bike like that I sure as shot wouldn't trust it mounted on the back of the trailer. Trading the 5er in for a toy hauler would be a better solution, plus lets the bike ride inside out of the elements.

[mountainkowboy]

SidecarFlip wrote:
Least it's not a Hardley....

There's always one......

[attuco]

I ran into a similar situation with a 500 pound motorcycle on a Arctic Fox 24-5.
I mounted a truck sidebox on the pinbox and added 4, 6 volt batteries. They were cheaper than lead.

[fj12ryder]

Farmboy666 wrote:
Well nobody else asked so I will. You had a stressful drive up and trailer handled badly so you are riding the bike back and throw it in your wifes lap to drive the poorly handling trailer back.

Actually he changed his mind, and drove the truck and trailer back himself with the bike on the back.

[Me_Again]

Sounds like two 8K axles mounted around 24 inches back would be the best solution long term.

Chris

[4x4ord]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"I don't need to be in the 20-25% range although adding a third axle will put me in that range when the bike is not loaded."

I really don't see how that would happen. Every triple axle has a lower pid that I have seen. Sounds like your axles need to be moved back to get you to 20% or more pin. More would be better then it would come down some with the bike on board.

As to the random "at least it's not a Harley" comment. I went from a 1100 V Star Yami to a 09 HD UltraGlide, no comparison in so many ways.

Moving the axles back does the same thing as adding a third axle behind the tandems. Both place the center of the axles further back from the center of the load.

[Cummins12V98]

"I don't need to be in the 20-25% range although adding a third axle will put me in that range when the bike is not loaded."

I really don't see how that would happen. Every triple axle has a lower pid that I have seen. Sounds like your axles need to be moved back to get you to 20% or more pin. More would be better then it would come down some with the bike on board.

As to the random "at least it's not a Harley" comment. I went from a 1100 V Star Yami to a 09 HD UltraGlide, no comparison in so many ways.

[rbcamping]

6.2Superduty wrote:

SidecarFlip wrote:

kerrlakeRoo wrote:
3 maybe 4 cases of beer in the forward storage compartment.
Done.

Capital idea. That way you have your 'beverage' with you.

That will only work on the way out. How about the return trip?

Thats,easy, the person who drank all the beer must ride in the front of the trailer on the way back...lol!

[6_2Superduty]

SidecarFlip wrote:

kerrlakeRoo wrote:
3 maybe 4 cases of beer in the forward storage compartment.
Done.

Capital idea. That way you have your 'beverage' with you.

That will only work on the way out. How about the return trip?

[rbcamping]

What axles are on your trailer?

[Farmboy666]

Well nobody else asked so I will. You had a stressful drive up and trailer handled badly so you are riding the bike back and throw it in your wifes lap to drive the poorly handling trailer back.

[fj12ryder]

I've towed our 40' toyhauler in very strong gusty winds and felt no deleterious effects. I believe your problems with the wind causing bad handling is because you have such a low pin weight. As was mentioned even 17 percent is a low pin weight.

I can understand not wanting to double tow, or being unable to double tow, but it does appear that your solution is not a good solution. We bought our toyhauler because trying to take our bikes with us without one just wasn't working out. Sometimes you just have to look for a better alternative. It may be preferable to possible serious issues in the future. Ending up in the ditch is not to be desired.