New truck, New trailer, TONS of sway!

LarryJM wrote:

ROBERTSUNRUS wrote:

RinconVTR wrote:

ROBERTSUNRUS wrote:

camp-n-family wrote:
The Hensley and Pro-prides are excellent hitches, but they are not fixes for under sized trucks.

:) Hi, and the weight of these hitches will take up more of your payload.

Not exactly.

On a scale with a trailer...what does the payload rating mean to you?

Correct answer = NOTHING.

When towing, you are "combined" and weights on the scale are what matter. Axle weights and gross combined what you need to focus on. Not payload. A TT with WDH this becomes more useful info than a 5th wheel, however the same basic statement remains true.

:) Hi, and your answer is just a play on words. Mentioning payload is simpler for some people to understand. Yes, the extra 150 lbs of a Hensley type hitch can put some people over their payload, GVWR, GAWR, or GVWR. You/I don't want to go over any of your vehicle ratings. Payload is just one of them and one not to be ignored.

I agree and IMO it was RinconVTR's "broad statement" about payload that was bad advice and quite a few posters have correctly pointed out and I agree with. Payload is a very important number for planning purposes to try and ensure you don't bust any of the more specific numbers such as AWRs when you finally get to a set of scales.

Larry

Yeah, payload is for planning. Yes, exactly. My point is, that is NOT the be all end all. The scale is. And on the scale..the payload rating does NOT matter and its not even utilized because its a derived number from other weights.

This is the wrong thread to get into this...but I cant resist.

Let's say you hook up your TT without WDH on the scale and you find your truck is 200lbs over GVWR.

Notice I didn't say payload, because you are not measuring payload right now, are you? No. You are weighing the numbers that payload is derived from.

A play on words? I dont care how you see it, this is fact.

Now get this. You attach your WDH, take another weight of the truck, and suddenly your within the trucks GVWR and GCWR. And now you've got a scale slip to prove it. ?LEGAL? You tow "combined" and you have a legal scale weight to prove your weight. You decide. But this is why I stated a WDH can have a critical impact on your weights.

And look! Still no "payload" weight!

Do you need to know your actual "payload" at this point? NO. And that is my whole point. Not that its a useless number, that its useless when you are ON A SCALE.


If for some reason you are dead set to know your actual payload when combined, well then you need ANOTHER pass on the scale with the truck all by itself, for your current "curb weight". FINALLY, simple subtraction will get you your beloved "payload" number.