1kristarose
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Re: New trailer, what do these weights mean?
Thanks everyone, I'm trying to learn as much as I can. As far as rear axle over loaded, I think we figured that one out. Turns out our driveway has a very slight downgrade to it which caused the trailer hitch to be slightly lower than the truck normally would be, so we weren't getting full use from the WDH. We figured out we need to hitch up and connect everything, then pull out into the street where it is completely flat and re-adjust the WDH to ease the load on the rear axle. Now I'm trying to figure out what the best hitch, WDH, sway control bar etc I should be using. I feel the dealer just gave us run of the mill ones although I have no idea. I really want the best I can get since my 3 young kids will generally be in the car with us while towing. We're going to fill it up with water, re-adjust our WDH and go back to the scales with all the kids in the car (we have a CAT scale about 2 easy miles from our house) to get a better idea of what everything weighs with water on board, just in case.765Views0likes0CommentsRe: New trailer, what do these weights mean?
Thank you all so much for the quick replies!! I am feeling a bit better about things. Husband says he will heed the advice and adjust the WDH hitch. Also all our coolers were in the trunk of the car, we can move those around too to ease up some weight on the rear axle. We just drove from Portland OR to the coast, 80 miles over a mild mountain pass, everything went very well. Husband said he wasn't worried at all. I was the one sitting in sheer terror! I'm feeling a bit better about all of this. It seems that we may actually be within our limits, even if we are getting kinda close. I don't plan on pushing things! No steep mountain passes and hairpin turns for us. I think for now we'll settle in to our first vacation weekend, doing some crabbing and figuring out how the freezer works! =) =) PS - do new trailers typically groan and make so much noise??765Views0likes0CommentsNew trailer, what do these weights mean?
Hi, we are brand new to travel trailers and I'm trying to get a grasp on what all of these weights mean to figure out if we're even towing safely. I have been trying to read all I can, but it's just confusing me further. I do have all our specs, I think: Trailer: 2017 Kodiak Ultimate 240BHSL Dry weight, from manufacturer: 5312 Dry hitch weight: 620 Cargo capacity: 1286 Length: 27’6 Tow Vehicle (info from manual) 2008 Escalade ESV 6.2L Tow limit from manual: 7800lbs GVWR: 7400lbs GAWR Front: 3600lbs GAWR BacK: 4200 lbs GCWR: 14,000 The sign on the tire sticker in the door: “Combined weight of occupants and cargo should not exceed 1433lbs” We loaded the trailer and car with all our gear (not much) and took it through the scales, here was the result: Steer axle: 2760 Drive axle: 4240 Trailer: 5020 Gross weight: 12020 Are we within our TV capacity? In the cab of the car would be myself, husband, and 3 kids with a total weight of 465lbs, plus some coolers and such. Escalade has new brakes, new tires, and brake controller installed. Dealer installed Eaz-lift WDH and sway bar. Main questions: 1. It seems our rear axels are over their capacity by 40lbs. Does the WDH help with this? Do we need to readjust this? 2. How do we figure out our tongue weight? 3. Are there liability issues we need to be aware of? We fully insured the trailer and got Good Sam roadside assistance, but I want to make sure we're within legal boundaries to tow the trailer 4. Anything else we can do to ensure a safe tow? We are thinking maybe invest in ProPride 3P hitch, but also worried that maybe the extra weight of a heavier hitch will put us even closer to a dangerous zone. Husband drove tanks in the army so he is used to big vehicles, but NOT towing at all. I'm pretty terrified! All our towing will be dry towing without water since we will use sites with full hookups. We will likely never tow more than 100 miles from home with this set up.4.4KViews0likes13Comments
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