Jul-27-2013 08:18 AM
Aug-03-2013 06:27 PM
fickman wrote:Desert Captain wrote:
Given your limited payload you need a smaller/lighter trailer. Good luck! :C
I agree. Your truck has posted weight ratings, I recommend you stay within them.
Remember, at the scales, the truck is stationary and everything is in balance. On the road you'll go over humps, hills, bumps, drips, and everything else. At times the hitch weight (and burden on your tires, axle, and frame) will be less. At times it could be higher.
If you're already over the posted weight ratings, you risk damage or catastrophe during these moments when the load is momentarily increased at a given point due to real world conditions. Nobody from here stating, "You should be fine" is likely to be there to help you deal with the fallout. (May it never come!)
Let us know what you decide. Many of us have been in your shoes and ended up with a different tow vehicle (or trailer) as a result.
Aug-03-2013 06:22 PM
Aug-03-2013 03:01 PM
Aug-03-2013 07:05 AM
I wrote:The above numbers assume proper weight distribution. It's not just about getting all the weight you can off the truck, it's about proper load balancing. If the (weight-distributed) tongue weight is too light, the trailer will sway.For proper balancing, you need 12-15% of the trailer's total weight on the tongue. So assuming the trailer will weigh 6500# when loaded, you'll have 780-975# of tongue weight. Let's call it 900#. Figure another 100# for the hitch itself. That leaves you with about #150 for people and gear.
This is less than ideal. If you have only one passenger, you might be OK, but move everything you can out of the truck and into the trailer.
Jul-31-2013 03:04 PM
Jul-31-2013 01:53 PM
Jul-29-2013 05:21 PM
Jul-29-2013 02:13 PM
Jul-29-2013 02:03 PM
Desert Captain wrote:
Given your limited payload you need a smaller/lighter trailer. Good luck! :C
Jul-29-2013 12:16 PM
Jul-29-2013 07:19 AM
AndrewM wrote:
Terry, let me make sure I understand GVWR correctly. GVWR is maximum total weight of vehicle, cargo, people, fuel, and other fluids together. Correct? So if I take my truck to the scale, I'll get a weight of each axle. As long as those axle weights do not exceed their ratings and the combined weights don't exceed the GVWR, I'm ok.
If I weight the truck with the WDH disconnected, I'll see a very large increase in rear axle weight, and a decrease in front axle weight. With the WDH connected, a much lower weight will be added to the rear axle and weight will now be added to the front axle as well. The combined axle weights with the WDH connected will be less that with the hitch disconnected. That difference is what gets distributed to the trailer. Why should that weight still be factored into the GVW calculation? It is not on the truck anymore.
Jul-29-2013 06:46 AM
Jul-28-2013 06:08 PM
Jul-28-2013 05:57 PM
rightyouareken wrote:AndrewM wrote:
What percentage of the tongue weight does a properly adjusted WDH put back onto the trailer axles?
I believe in my case it was about 20%. I don't have my figures handy, but that is in the ballpark. It is probably more or less offset by the weight of the hitch itself though.