Tear drop suspension

[madlabs]

Hi All,

New trailer owners here with some questions. We recently purchased a Hunter Fat Shadow tear drop trailer. On our first real trip it was obvious the contents of the galley had a rough ride. This was especially concerning because we were on much better roads than we often will be. While we can do better in terms of stowing and securing, it would be nice to try to improve the ride back there.

The trailer has a torsion bar type suspension. There doesn't appear to be enough room for any kind of shock absorber. Is there any other way to smooth out the ride? Would a little more weight over the axle help or hurt?

Thanks!

[rightlaneonly]

My Aliner had the same issues and I deflated the tires from 50psi to 35psi. It helped a lot but I still see it bouncing on rough roads.

[mobeewan]

There is a place here in town that sells sand, stone, pavers and other paving material retail and comercially. I stopped by and asked if they would weigh my truck and they said yes and I got it weighed. They also let me bring a trailer in to weigh. I pulled onto the scales with the truck first hitched to the trailer. Then I pulled the trailer onto the scale by itself while hitched. I offered to pay but they didn't charge me. I also have a sureline gauge that I bought to weigh the tongue independently.

[madlabs]

Thanks everybody! I will figure out a way to get weighed. The gravel yard 20 miles away is my only option so hopefully they won't mind. I looked up the T@B and T@G site, I have no idea what that stands for but it seems to be for a specific brand of trailers. I'll join and ask anyway. I'll try dropping a little tire pressure and see if that helps.

And I am located about 5 miles outside the teaming metropolis of Albion, CA, population 299. 🙂 Nearest official weigh scale of any type will be at least 50-75 miles away over hill and dale.

Thanks again for all the replies, this seems like a friendly place.

[drsteve]

Are you in Albion, MI? If so, there's a CAT scale 15 minutes up the road from you in Parma, and also one in Marshall at Love's.

[All_I_could_aff]

Also consider an Auto Wrecker/ junkyard that cars get towed into for scrap. Most pay by the pound, and weigh the tow trucks on the way in and again on the way out, to calculate the scrap weight. I use the one by me about once a year. They stamp the front axle weight, then I pull forward til the tears of my truck are also on, stamp again, then pull up so trailer is also on scale. Then I walk inside and the scale man hands me a piece of scrap paper with the three separate weights on it. They have never asked for any money but I always offer

[bobndot]

Doing the following may or may not matter but IMO, its worth trying, its free.
If you have been running your tires at max PSI , then I would air down the tires 5 lbs below max and try it.

Airing down 5 lbs is not going to hurt you or make the tire blow up, whether its a 50# or 65# rated tire.
I'm not overloaded , I run all my trailers 5 lbs below , been doing that for , I can't remember because it's been so long, ..... since 1969 .

Weigh your trailer, its sounds like you might have too much axle below it, making the ride stiff. Google torsion axles, many 'youtube videos', some can be adjusted but I don't know anything about that.
Google CAT scale locations near you or try sanitation centers, gravel yards and logging stations. Your state P.D. or DOT might help you as well. If so , bring enough coffee for everyone.

[bgum]

You would do better asking this question on a teardrop site. Try the tab site or tag site by little guy.

http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com

[madlabs]

Thanks folks! I think the trailer was a little light in the rear. I am going to have to get a scale to weigh the tongue. Where do y'all get your entire trailer weighed? I live out in the sticks. There is a gravel company that has truck scales, maybe they would weigh me.

However, it sounds like better stowing is in order. Do most tear drop folks keep the cooler in the back? We had some ginger ales in bottle leak and spew into the cooler.

Thanks again. We are really excited with our little tear drop and the upcoming adventures.

[beemerphile1]

Rubber torsion is the best you can get. Unfortunately it is a design/style issue. In trailers everything behind the axle has a much rougher ride.

[hilandfrog]

Keeping in mind I'm a not a doctor..... My trucks suspension works better with more weight, were you "underloaded"?
Finding a place where things like to live is a constant adjustment in my little world. One trip the pans ride just fine, the next trip I need an HRT team to secure the little pricks from moving all over the place.
Have fun and let us know if'N you come up with solves to the mysteries of the universe 🙂

-Repo

[All_I_could_aff]

I would recommend that you start by weighing the trailer as it is loaded for a trip. Then you can compare how much weight is actually on the axle relative to the axle weight capacity as well as the tires capacity. Single axle trailers tend to disturb the contents of the cupboard more than tandem axle trailers.