Yabbut
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Re: Sway Control and WD Hitches
The most important choice with the Blue Ox is the bar choice, and it sounds like you have the correct bars. We have the 1500 lb bars for our 10,000 lb GVW trailer. It's handled some pretty vicious winds from all directions, as well as mountain curves and roads covered with slush and icy snow. It just works, quietly. I think you'll be happy with the Blue Ox.596Views0likes0CommentsRe: Cordless drill for scissor jacks
I use a 12V cordless 1/4" driver. I like the speed. I keep the driver in my toolbox anyway, so I don't see any reason not to use it. I don't really think hand-cranking four scissor jacks is enough exercise to justify the extra time and inconvenience (however minimal the difference may be). To each his own.849Views0likes0CommentsRe: The China-Bomb debate Put to rest
Irelands child wrote: I don't believe that I have ever seen more truths, half truths and downright incorrect information in any thread on any forum as these 10 pages. Run what makes you all warm and fuzzy. I like LTs, the guy or two above STs. If your choice is one or the other and that's what you believe, do it but beating this subject day after day with little or no real valid information but hearsay, gut feel or ?? is just a waste of time I agree, this thread (like its predecessors) is full of wild opinions and theories, so it's a waste of time for people who are looking for hard facts and data. But... There might be just enough food for thought here to get newbies and "ST-bomb" victims to seriously think about LT vs ST for their applications. For many newbies, and people who believe marketing BS without question, it's not apparent that there are any reasonable alternatives to STs. In my case, ****-laden tire threads (just like this one) gave me enough to chew on that I gathered enough information to make the move to LTs, probably forever. Something made you choose LTs despite the "STs are for trailers, LTs are for trucks" mantra. So... who knows? This thread might ultimately help someone.396Views0likes0CommentsRe: The China-Bomb debate Put to rest
rbpru wrote: While the manufactures do not object to the use of LTs for TT service. I have yet to see a manufacturer's advertisement suggesting they are a better choice than STs. In fact I have never seen an add even recommending them for TT use. But let me guess, it is part of the great tire conspiracy. I don't think it's a conspiracy -- it's just business. My theory is that STs have a higher profit margin than LTs, so it would not be sound business practice to drive customers to less profitable products. I believe that ST tires are more likely to fail in "normal" service than the LT equivalent, which increases replacement sales. As long as they can continue to convince customers that ST failures were really the customers' fault, and that ST tires are better suited for trailer use (than LTs), they can continue to maximize profits. I could be wrong, but I will continue to feel more comfortable towing LT-equipped trailers.322Views0likes0CommentsRe: Question about WD Hitch
MudChucker wrote: Funny...so let's firs think about this. You hook up your trailer your front wheels are in the air, 4x4FF and I hook some pipes to the rear bumper and we lift as hard as we can to level the truck back out. Westend wants to drive away, 4x4FF and I would rather drink beer than ru n with these pipes in our hands so we chain them to the A frame of the trailer That's your WD bars I action. So...if all your doing is lifting the back end to level out the trailer, corecting the geometry and redistributing the load on the tow vehicle... What will the bars do the the air bags won't ? Exactly nothing. Sorry, but that's not correct. Air bags and WD bars do very different things. Air bags alone do not change the amount of weight on the front or rear tires. They act as a second spring in parallel with the metal spring, between the frame and the axle. Since the metal springs (with the bags) are now carrying less weight, they flex less, so the rear of the truck rides higher. But the rear tires still see the same total load. WD bars also take weight off the rear metal springs, but unlike the air bags, the WD bars will also take that weight off the rear tires and transfer that weight to the front springs and tires. In other words, air bags change rear ride height and rear spring rate, but not tire loads. Only WD bars change front or rear tire loads.621Views0likes0CommentsRe: The China-Bomb debate Put to rest
dclark1946 wrote: That is the kind of tire you get when lowest price (and consequently lowest quality) tire is not top priority with the trailer manufacturer. I believe that Chinese factories are capable of making decent tires. But they are also the go-to source for the cheapest possible (LT, ST, or P) tires that will allow a vehicle to be sold legally. I will never use ST tires as long as I have a trailer that can fit a suitable LT replacement. It has nothing to do with China , and everything to do with the combination of the bare-minimum ST standard and the inevitable results of churning out barely capable tires from the lowest-cost suppliers. I want the best, safest tires for my truck and trailer, so I also prefer to use good LT tires, not just any random no-brand minimum-cost LT tire, regardless of where they're assembled.249Views0likes0CommentsRe: Trailer lug torquing
gmw photos wrote: If one were inclined to go by FAA requirements for aircraft maintenance they state "all torque values for fasteners are stated as dry unless otherwise noted". In my pocket ref manual ( Thomas Glover ) the max dry torque value for a 1/2" grade 8 fastener ( which is what the lug stud/nut is on two of my trailers ) is 119 ft/lbs, which happens to match what the dexter axle manual that came with my newest trailer states for the lug nuts. Works for me, because I figure the folks who wrote those manuals know more about bolt science than I do. I agree. If lug nuts/studs were supposed to be lubricated, newly assembled vehicles (cars, trucks, trailers, etc) would have lubricated wheel fasteners. But they don't.459Views0likes0Comments
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Prefer to camp in a travel trailer? You're not alone.Jan 13, 202544,029 Posts
