My trailer has not changed, but the tow vehicle has changed. My 1996 Suburban 3/4 ton 4x4 is dead and I now have a 2001 Suburban 3/4 ton 4x4.
So today I went to get the trailer out of storage and setup the weight distribution (WD) for the new truck. As a bonus, since there is a landfill facility about a half mile from storage I figured I'd get some weights and see what input you all can offer. When I asked about the weights the operator asked if I needed certified weights to which I answered no. When I was done weighing and looking at the numbers I can see some discrepancies which makes me wonder if the lady wrote the numbers down wrong, or if their scale is really that off. In the end though I don't think the differences in weights are enough to worry about. At least not at this point in setting up the hitch.
Here are the numbers. The truck and trailer look level and pulled fine although there was definitely more porpoising than with the older Suburban. I'm thinking I need more front axle weight although I'm surprised how close the initial numbers seem to be. Any suggestions if it was yours or would you leave it alone?
Weights labeled "Whole truck is front and rear wheels on the scale"
Rear axle calculated is because there was no way to get rear alone with a trailer hooked up so I subtracted the front axle from the whole truck number.
Had to edit this post as I realized that it wasn't clear that the trailer weight was with the trailer still hooked to the hitch.
So today I went to get the trailer out of storage and setup the weight distribution (WD) for the new truck. As a bonus, since there is a landfill facility about a half mile from storage I figured I'd get some weights and see what input you all can offer. When I asked about the weights the operator asked if I needed certified weights to which I answered no. When I was done weighing and looking at the numbers I can see some discrepancies which makes me wonder if the lady wrote the numbers down wrong, or if their scale is really that off. In the end though I don't think the differences in weights are enough to worry about. At least not at this point in setting up the hitch.
Here are the numbers. The truck and trailer look level and pulled fine although there was definitely more porpoising than with the older Suburban. I'm thinking I need more front axle weight although I'm surprised how close the initial numbers seem to be. Any suggestions if it was yours or would you leave it alone?
Weights labeled "Whole truck is front and rear wheels on the scale"
Rear axle calculated is because there was no way to get rear alone with a trailer hooked up so I subtracted the front axle from the whole truck number.
Had to edit this post as I realized that it wasn't clear that the trailer weight was with the trailer still hooked to the hitch.
Agreed, and camping I went, but I also stopped at the same scales on the way out of town just to see where I was.
The trailer pulled fine, no real wiggle or sway. In fact it pulled smoother than my old Suburban. I always suspected I was a bit tongue heavy, and now I guess I have proof. The Suburban was basically empty with just me in it. The trailer had 40 gallons of water a few days food, some firewood and my generator.
Here are the numbers. The first column of weights is where I am currently after adding one washer. The second column is where I was last Monday. At this point I think I'm done making adjustments. I will try to move some weight off the tongue at some point since 1,000 lbs is a bit excessive. I wasn't able to restore all the weight to the front axle. But I'm thinking that is more a weakness of the stock hitch and more washers won't help.
Had to edit this post as I realized that it wasn't clear that the trailer weight was with the trailer still hooked to the hitch.
The trailer pulled fine, no real wiggle or sway. In fact it pulled smoother than my old Suburban. I always suspected I was a bit tongue heavy, and now I guess I have proof. The Suburban was basically empty with just me in it. The trailer had 40 gallons of water a few days food, some firewood and my generator.
Here are the numbers. The first column of weights is where I am currently after adding one washer. The second column is where I was last Monday. At this point I think I'm done making adjustments. I will try to move some weight off the tongue at some point since 1,000 lbs is a bit excessive. I wasn't able to restore all the weight to the front axle. But I'm thinking that is more a weakness of the stock hitch and more washers won't help.
Had to edit this post as I realized that it wasn't clear that the trailer weight was with the trailer still hooked to the hitch.
Thanks for the input. I hope to load up and hit the scales tomorrow. But as requested I took some time to take some measurements. I will admit I deviated from the owners manual a bit but I think the readings still tell enough.
The manual says to drive 2 miles with the weight distribution (WD) unhooked. Then do the WD adjustments. Well I did not drive the 2 miles, I just left the key off so the autolevel would not function.
Measuring from a fender to the ground can be fraught with errors as the tape can land in different places on the truck as well as the ground. So I took some masking tape and tried to ensure consistency.
To keep it straight the tape measure goes between the lines.
And here's the street.
I added one spacer washer that seemed the same thickness as the others and it put too much back on the front. So I went back to the garage and found a thinner washer. It looks like I still added a bit too much to the front by 1/8", but I'm not sure if I can get it better than that. I guess I could try replacing an Equal-i-zer washer with another thinner washer. But that will only change the thickness by .39 mm. The washer thicknesses are at the bottom of the spreadsheet below. I now have 5 equal-i-zer washers, the one thinner washer, and one washer that I did not measure.
And the bars are parallel.
Edit: After looking at the numbers again I think replacing an Equal-i-zer washer with a second thin washer will put me right back at original height. Now let's see what the scale shows.
The manual says to drive 2 miles with the weight distribution (WD) unhooked. Then do the WD adjustments. Well I did not drive the 2 miles, I just left the key off so the autolevel would not function.
Measuring from a fender to the ground can be fraught with errors as the tape can land in different places on the truck as well as the ground. So I took some masking tape and tried to ensure consistency.
To keep it straight the tape measure goes between the lines.
And here's the street.
I added one spacer washer that seemed the same thickness as the others and it put too much back on the front. So I went back to the garage and found a thinner washer. It looks like I still added a bit too much to the front by 1/8", but I'm not sure if I can get it better than that. I guess I could try replacing an Equal-i-zer washer with another thinner washer. But that will only change the thickness by .39 mm. The washer thicknesses are at the bottom of the spreadsheet below. I now have 5 equal-i-zer washers, the one thinner washer, and one washer that I did not measure.
And the bars are parallel.
Edit: After looking at the numbers again I think replacing an Equal-i-zer washer with a second thin washer will put me right back at original height. Now let's see what the scale shows.
Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum recommended limit of 640px maximum width.
