Low trailer weight???

[Shazam]

I think this is a big problem and looking for guidance of where to proceed

.I have an Equalizer 14k WD hitch on our 25FC. The hitch was set up by our dealer, so I assume, perhaps wrongly, that it was done correctly. TV is a Yukon XL.
Placing the WD bars has been quite difficult and I think I should feel more stability, so made our first trip to the Cat scale

Front 2980
Drive axle 7560 ———This exceeds the rating for this axle by 3000 lbs----
Trailer 2780
Gross 13320

We have not changed anything since taking delivery with the exception of some belongings and 75% full fresh water tank.


TV alone with me alone. The above readings are with the Mrs and 2 children
Front 3120
Rear 3160
Trailer zero
Gross 6280.

[ITSNO60]

Something is not right with those weights/math. If you really had over two extra tons on the rear axle of a Yukon the nose would be pointed up like it was ready for takeoff and you would be close to grading the road with the back end, and it would be very hard to control and stop.

[SteveSueMac]

Hmm - smarter folks will chime in - but how confident are you that you were set up correctly on the scales? A 25 Cloud has got to weigh closer to 5000# or more...

There are lots of threads here on how to do the 3 pass process at the scales to really see what’s going on. They include:

1) Truck by itself (steer and drive axles)

2) Truck with trailer, no WD applied - this should lift some weight off your steer axle and put some pounds (but surely not 3000!) on your drive axle

3) truck with trailer and WD applied - this should restore to your steer axle what was lifted off from weight #2 and also move some weight to your trailer axles - lightening the load on your drive axle

Those should all be done on the same day - loaded for camping. It sounds to me like you may have had some sort of error on the scales.

Hope that’s of some help for now.

[Shazam]

User error seems the most likely answer. I'm just not sure where in the process I erred. The bars require significant effort to put in place and seem to be under more tension than they should.

[SteveSueMac]

As for tension on the bars - when you hitch up and are ready to apply the WD mechanism, do you raise the trailer tongue with the jack first? You can raise it several inches. That will make the job of applying WD easier to do.

They should be under tension when applied - they should even have a little bend in them.

[azflycaster]

The more tension you put on the bars, the less the drive axle weighs. The bars will distribute the weight from the drive axle to the steering axle and to the trailer. The tighter the bars, more weight is distributed.

I do not see any way you got the numbers that you reported. I would head back to the scales and do it again.

[DKB_SATX]

Without having seen you weigh it, my first guess would be that you were a little too far forward and trailer's axles were split between 2 pads, so you saw the trailer's rear axle weight recorded as "trailer weight" and the trailer's front axle weight plus the truck's drive axle weight all recorded as truck drive axle. Big bar tension should result in big weight transfer off the drive axle onto the steer and trailer axles unless there's something grossly wrong with the adjustment of the hitch head, and even then I can't see how you'd get close to the numbers you saw.

[wulfraat]

On another note a 14k equalizer hitch is too aggressive for that trailer and tow vehicle in my opinion. Your likely gonna have a rough ride and popped rivets - 1,400lb equalizer bars are very very stiff.

10k equalizer will behave better. Equalizer bars are very stiff to begin with...

[r carl]

Seems the front weight got included in the drive axle weight.

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by Shazam

User error seems the most likely answer. I'm just not sure where in the process I erred. The bars require significant effort to put in place and seem to be under more tension than they should.

The user error was most likely the placement of the wheels on the three scale pads. Where the vehicle sets on the scale is critical for proper results.

My guess is the front axle of the trailer was setting on the middle scale pad.

instructions here>
https://catscale.com/how-to-weigh/

When I weigh my 25', the truck sets behind the speaker call button so that I have to get out of the truck and walk forward to communicate with the scale master.

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by Shazam

<<snip>>

Front 2980
Drive axle 7560 ———This exceeds the rating for this axle by 3000 lbs----
Trailer 2780
Gross 13320

We have not changed anything since taking delivery with the exception of some belongings and 75% full fresh water tank.


TV alone with me alone. The above readings are with the Mrs and 2 children
Front 3120
Rear 3160
Trailer zero
Gross 6280.

13,320
-6,280
7,040 is the gross weight of the trailer

140 lbs difference in the front axle weighs. To restore the load on the front axle you need to transfer about 140 lbs more.
Either tension the bars more, or raise the hitch ball height ~1". Do whichever is needed to get the trailer to set as close as possible to level.

What is the top of ball height on the tow vehicle, when the trailer is not connected?
What is the hitch coupling height of the trailer (setting level on level/flat ground) when the tow vehicle is not connected?
The ball should be an inch, or slightly more, higher than the hitch before connecting.

ps:
If the trailer is level, the loads I see do not indicate a large error that would make towing feel unstable. Could it be that the tires on the tow vehicle are under inflated? Inflate to just under the max inflation listed on the tire sidewall then try towing again.