Use WD hitch or not?
I have an 18' TT with dry weight of 3700 lbs and tongue weight of 500 lbs, and a 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 to tow it with (120" wheelbase). I did get an e2 WD hitch with the trailer but wonder if I really n...
Forum Discussion
Paulx wrote:
I finally managed to get access to the roadside scales. These give weights in multiples of 50 lbs. I used the WD hitch (no motorcycle in the back). First I took the bars off and got these weights:
2400 lbs front truck axle
2850 lbs rear truck axle
3950 lbs both trailer axles
Then I put the bars back on and got these weights:
2550 lbs front truck axle
2600 lbs rear truck axle
4000 lbs both trailer axles
I drove to the coast and back with the WD hitch. I'm still not happy with it. Even a minor swoop in the road, that would not be noticeable in a car, would cause a porpoising motion down the road. And it seems very sensitive to crosswinds. On the other hand, I noticed no swerving at all when 18-wheelers passed.
I also got less than 12mpg in a truck rated for 25mpg on the highway. The transmission stayed mostly in 5th gear on level ground, in an 8-speed transmission. I was being gentle with the gas pedal too.
What we don't know is what the unloaded weight of the steer axle is. That is first step in set up, so that you know what the "target weight" is for that axle when all hitched up with WD.
Three passes over the cat scale.
