ccpanel
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Post by ccpanel on May 11, 2014 23:18:20 GMT -8
Long story short-my "wag the dog" MUST be modified. I am doing a simple survey. please give me the following 5 specifications(or as many as you know) A-distance from ball to center of axle(or center between tandems if you have tandem) B-distance from CL axle to rear of trailer body C-distance CL axle to front of trailer body D-overall working wieght E-tongue wieght link to how to use bathroom scale to wiegh tongue. hildstrom.com/projects/tonguescale/index.htmlI havnt wieghed my whole trailer yet but willing that wet its still under 2,000# you can reply to thread(most helpful for future) or email me directly. I have to change my ratio and am unwilling to add lead to tongue to get proper. and yes-my trailer is flat/level when towing. I dont have sway bars(complicated -possible but not probable) my tow rig is good(a little light but i towed >8,000 couple times last months...) and regularly tow >5,000 with ease and no wag. |
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Post by bigbill on May 12, 2014 5:12:30 GMT -8
Every trailer is different The problem you have is most likely tongue weight. You need 10% of your total loaded trailer weight on the tongue. I doubt that you need to add lead to do this. Most likely you need to take a look at how and what you are loading where. Most of the things you are considering are used on a truck so that it will be in balance when hauling cargo. The only thing you need is total loaded weight then load trailer so the 10% or more as mentioned above is on the tongue, a friend of mine had a trailer that towed perfect when empty but he loaded it to go to the lake and it was untowable, he had loaded everything in the back of the trailer removing the tongue weight. We moved most of the loaded items forward and it towed great. We tend to fail you realize what suitcases, soft drinks , beer, lawn chairs and everything else we take with us camping can weigh in a pile. Also spare tires and bicycles hung on the back bumper of the trailer.
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Post by bigbill on May 12, 2014 5:14:12 GMT -8
Another thing that could be part of your problem is tires and/or air pressure.
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chametzoo
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Post by chametzoo on May 12, 2014 5:52:28 GMT -8
I have to change my ratio and am unwilling to add lead to tongue to get proper. and yes-my trailer is flat/level when towing. Hi… everything Bigbill wrote above is true. Why don't you measure the tongue weight and that will tell you where you're at with balance. You say that the trailer/tow vehicle are level when coupled. It doesn't sound like it is. How are you measuring that? Has your trailer been modified in some way? For instance does it have larger or added fresh water or waste tanks? I ask because you quote your guessed weight of the trailer as "wet". We know little about your trailer or tow vehicle. From what I can gather from your post, your trailer is relatively light and your tow vehicle sounds as if it can pull quite a bit, but that doesn't guarantee a wag free ride. It really does sound like your trailer is back heavy and pulling up at the coupling. Measure your tongue weight and reconsider and redistribute your load in the trailer if possible. Or just do the latter and take it for a series of test drives to see what helps. If the trailer is just inherently unbalanced, consider a weight distributing and anti sway hitch. I use the Andersen, which is of a very unique design and easy to use. It's awesome for dampening sway and will definitely redistribute some of the weight issues you're having. Let us know what you find from your weighing and testing. |
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Post by kto17 on May 12, 2014 6:00:23 GMT -8
I would say tongue weight and tires are the two biggest problems that cause sway. A very heavy tow vehicle can help reduce how much the driver feels it but the problem still exists. Small trailers are typically worse about sway, so even though you have towed bigger they all have different "personalities" when towing.
I have found I have to consciously load everything but blankets in front of the axle on our 19' Shasta Deluxe or it will have a little sway. My truck weighs over 8,000 pounds so I don't feel it, but I can see it and if anything, like a passing semi, caused it to exaggerate it could be really bad. That's with trailer rated tires and proper inflation.
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