Pulling 2000 34' home from Mississippi

FireFighter · 05-24-2004, 12:16 PM

hey everyone do you think that it will be ok to haul the 2000 34' triple axle trailer i just bought off of ebay with a 2000 F-250 superduty 7.3L diesel with out weight distribution? will have brakes but not weight distribution.
the trailer is about 7,00 lb with tongue weight of ~ 800 lbs.

j54mark · 05-24-2004, 01:25 PM

I'm guessing that means no anti-sway control either? A further guess: you aren't going to unload the front wheels much unless there is a significant amount of other weight in the truck bed. Even so, I'd suggest keeping the speed dooowwwwn. I know it will make for a long trip, but you don't want to roll it on its side again, do you?

Mark

**jcanavera** · 05-24-2004, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireFighter

hey everyone do you think that it will be ok to haul the 2000 34' triple axle trailer i just bought off of ebay with a 2000 F-250 superduty 7.3L diesel with out weight distribution? will have brakes but not weight distribution.
the trailer is about 7,00 lb with tongue weight of ~ 800 lbs.

Be sure to verify that your hitch and receiver can handle ~800 lbs. of hitch weight. A lot of hitch receivers say 1000 lb hitch weight on them, but that is when you use a weight distributing hitch. If not you will see the dead load limit at 500 lbs. Most hitches have a label which gives you both ratings. Use caution here. My gut feeling is you won't be able to tow due to the dead weight restriction (normally 50% of the distributed hitch weight rating).

Jack

FireFighter · 05-24-2004, 02:32 PM

because this is most likely just a Class Iv hitch with 2.5 " shank. what do you guys suggest. should i purchase a new setup and have the guy who is picking it up set it up before leaving?

now for a lesson on Weight distributing hitches. are there different weight ratings for theses

**overlander63** · 05-24-2004, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireFighter

hey everyone do you think that it will be ok to haul the 2000 34' triple axle trailer i just bought off of ebay with a 2000 F-250 superduty 7.3L diesel with out weight distribution? will have brakes but not weight distribution.
the trailer is about 7,00 lb with tongue weight of ~ 800 lbs.

The PO flipped it once, why tempt fate and try something risky? Get a WD setup, and sway control, before trying this one. It is a BIG unit, if it gets away from you, the sun will set on your empire very quickly.
Terry

Silvertwinkie · 05-24-2004, 02:47 PM

I have a Reese Dual Cam setup. It is a Class 4/5. I think 4 is w/o weight distribution and 5 is with weight distribution, but don't quote me on that.

I know my hitch can handle up to 1000lbs of hitch weight. I also bought a hitch scale and found that the Safari loaded without water has about a 675lb hitch weight.

If you had a 3500 (1 ton) truck, I'd say you'd be fine without weight bars as I've seen them first hand take 700lbs and not move an inch. The 3/4 and 1/2 ton trucks I'd have to agree, I might want weight bars if for nothing else, some piece of mind since it is a very large coach. I've heard that the tri axles really tow nicely though.

My vote would be to spend the money now since you are going to spend it anyway. Life is worth spending the money now and doing the right way from the start. Just my opinion.

Eric

05-24-2004, 02:52 PM

Dumb question: what is a hitch scale , what does it look like and how exactly does it work? I need to be edjumacated.
JACK

**jcanavera** · 05-24-2004, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireFighter

because this is most likely just a Class Iv hitch with 2.5 " shank. what do you guys suggest. should i purchase a new setup and have the guy who is picking it up set it up before leaving?

now for a lesson on Weight distributing hitches. are there different weight ratings for theses

Yes there are different weight ratings for hitch receivers, and hitches. I had to upgrade to a class V hitch when I bought my Classic S.O. since its hitch weight was over 1,100 lbs. I bought a "Hidden Hitch" brand receiver which gives me a 1,400 lb. rating. I chose it since it uses a 2" box and my hitch of choice "Equal-i-zer" builds a 1,400 hitch with a 2" shank. My other choice would have been a Reese Titan class V but it uses a 2 1/2" box, which would have required a sleave to reduce it to 2" if I wanted the Equal-i-zer.

Jack

Silvertwinkie · 05-24-2004, 03:15 PM

Here is hitch weight scale I bought. I got the idea from this forum.

http://www.sherline.com/lm.htm

**Pick** · 05-24-2004, 05:05 PM

Make sure you fill the fresh water tank up. That will keep your center of gravity down and improve stability.

FireFighter · 05-24-2004, 06:48 PM

ok I am familiar with the class IV and V i had the Reese one with the 3" receiver on my last tow vehicle had a boat that pushed just over 12,000 when loaded with fuel on the trailer. all the weight, ie engines are at the back so weight distribution is handled.

my question was is there different weight classes for the bars themselves but after reading this information you all provided me i feel stupid for asking.

here are pictures of the tongue of the trailer, this looks like a reese dual cam setup right? the one side is bent pretty good, guess this happens when a trailer plays possum. where should i look for a new weight distribution setup i will need to have it right away as the person picking this up for me is leaving michigan on wednesday? any recommendations are greatly appreciated.
every thing i have ever purchased already had the WD with it this is new new to me.

thanks

jimmickle · 05-24-2004, 06:55 PM

Be sure that your weight distributing hitch is properly adjusted. I see many that aren't. If you go to www.reeseprod.com, you can download the instructions for proper hitch adjustment. It's not difficult if you can measure. Many dealers don't seem to be able to do it correctly, so it is best that you know what they should be doing, even if you have someone else do the work.

jimmickle · 05-24-2004, 07:06 PM

What you have on the trailer is a Reese dual cam set-up. New parts should be available at your local RV dealer. With the weight of a 34ft, you will need 1000# bars. Unfortunately, while I have everything that you need, and would be glad to sell it, it is in Florida and I am here in Michigan.

85MH325 · 05-24-2004, 07:12 PM

Firefighter,

Get the hitch, and save the worry. There are lots of reasons to us a WD and sway control hitch, and they've all been covered in other threads. Trust me when I tell you that with 34' of tail waggin' the dog, they're worth their weight in gold. They're easy to adjust when you get there. Use the dual-cam setup. Make sure the truck's tires are aired up to near max (I carry 70psi in my "E" range 80psi max tires), and make sure that the trailer tires are all aired up to max. With the dual-cam setup and the tires properly aired up you shouldn't have any problems.

Roger