HELP, please! Did this CAT Scale make my rig look fat?

[Hareynolds]

We're A/S newbies with a 2016 RAM 1500 EcoDiesel 4x4 crew (3.92 rear) pulling a 2016 23D with an "Equalizer" 10K hitch with 1000# bars installed by the A/S dealer.

We've done five long ("retirement practice") weekends along the Texas coast so far; total about 2500 miles. The rig tows pretty well, with great fuel mileage, but I've had suspicions about the hitch set-up, as the dealer appeared to just "eyeball" it.

On the way back from South Padre this afternoon, I decided on a lark to go to a CAT scale along I-10. Never done that before, so it was about 5 minutes of good fun for $11. The numbers reflect full camping load with human and dog passengers and five days of dirty laundry. 23D is always loaded judiciously, at or aft of the axles, but we travel fairly light (no cast iron fire pit, generator, or unnecessary gee-gaws)

Results:
Truck Front Axle: 3320#
Truck Rear Axle: 3520#
Trailer: 4760#
Gross: 11,600#

At home, the Sherline gage says 740# tongue weight, trailer alone, chocked and level.

RAM specs say that the nominal weights are 3377# Front and 2311# Rear.

The rig LOOKS pretty level, and handles well, although in 20-30 mph cross-winds this past weekend, I noticed that the front did feel SLIGHTLY light.

The hitch instructions call for measuring fender heights, which I haven't done.
I watched the dealer set-up the hitch, and never saw a tape measure anywhere, let alone a set of load cells.

We still have -960 lbs of cushion against the 3900# axle ratings, but less than 400 lbs cushion on the rear axle.

I'm thinking that the WD hitch needs a little more UMPH. What say y'all?
Do I need to go back to the scales and re-weigh, or is there enough data here?

PS The Equalizer hitch manual says that the A-frame brackets should be 32 inches from the ball; they are about 28-1/2". Hmmm.

[Al and Missy]

To know anything about your load, you need three weighs (or three measurements) with TV and TT in camping mode.

1. TV and TT with WD on
2. TV and TT with WD off (just unload the WD bars but leave them attached)
3. TV only with WD hitch and bars attached

3 will tell you, among other things, the normal TV front axle weight.
2 will tell you what the TT adds to the rear acle and takes away from the front.
1 will tell you how well you have your WD dialed in. Common knowledge is that the front axle weight should be at least halfway back from 2 to 3. Some vehicle manufacturers have different suggestions.

You can get really close by some measurements in your driveway. For each of the three conditions above, measure and record the height of the wheel well arch directly above the axle for all four wheels on the TV. Same process as when weighing, but using the increase in height from 3 to 2 and 3 to 1. This will tell you how your WD is set up, but doens't tell you anything about GVWR compliance. I have set up the equalizer on my 25 and my 30 with measurements. I haven't checked the 30 yet with scales, but the scales confirmed the setup on my 25.

In either case, scales or driveway, order of measurement is not important. This order works for me at my moving company scales. BTW, their scales are inspected by the state and should be as accurate as a CAT scale. My moving company scales are about 5 miles from my house and the nearest CAT scales are 40.

Al

[dkottum]

I've seen a lot worse weight distribution, I would add 100 lbs to the front axle because our EcoD feels more stable when the axles are near evenly loaded.

We had an Equal-I-Zer brand hitch. Two Airstream shop owners on this forum, Andrew T. and Inland Andy, claim the square w.d. bars are too rigid, could damage the Airstream A-frame in some conditions, not ideal for an Airstream. Being they installed them less than the 32" distance to ball makes them even more rigid. I was not satisfied with their sway resistance in gusting crosswinds and semi bow wave when being passed, tiring at the end of the day.

Do yourself a favor and get a Hensley/ProPride design hitch for your new truck and trailer. Easy to use, easy to adjust perfect w.d. anytime after installation, and absolutely effortless towing. I like the ProPride better, ordered directly from the company and Owner/engineer Sean W. will recommend the correct size w.d. bar for your combination. You will never have concerns about towing instability or weight distribution again.

[Alluminati]

You are on the right track! Follow your instincts!

Doing the tape measure thing is the RIGHT way to set up your WD hitch. The process can be frustrating and amusing at the same time. But keep working it until the numbers align. CAT scales should confirm your setup is correctly calibrated after the fact.

The numbers I wanted to see was your truck's FGAWR and RGAWR to compare to the CAT results.

PS. No, it wasn't the CAT scales that made your rig look fat. It was the cast iron fire pit and dirty laundry.

[dkottum]

There is really no point for the o.p. to do any more measurements, CAT scale or tape measure methods. His axles are loaded fairly evenly and below 3900 GAWR each, the total truck axle weight is below the 6950 GVWR. The combination is below the truck's GCWR. The trailer is level and not overloaded.

The numbers don't get much better for this truck (we own one). He could move the w.d. bar brackets, should be moved back to 32". The complaint is the steering axle feels light in crosswinds. Our considerable experience with Equal-I-Zer confirms that is part of the experience; the resistance to trailer yaw available with the friction points on the hitch is "not much".

After many years, we got tired of the crosswind and semi's pushing us around and got the ProPride. There are many other advantages, do the research. I wish we had done it at the outset.

[rostam]

These threads quickly turn into hitch advertisement threads.

In order to see if WD is setup correctly, as Al and Missy said, you need 3 weights at a CAT scale: 1) TV alone, 2) TV and trailer, with WD bars disengaged, and 3) TV and trailer, with WD bars engaged. You would want the front axle weight in step 3 to be as close to front axle weight in step 1 (refer to your manual for specifics). You can increase the tension on WD bars to move more weight to front axle, and weigh your setup again to see if you have reached the front axle weight in step 1. You also want to make sure the rear axle is not overloaded (you don't seem to have a problem as your trailer has a lighter tongue weight).

Every hitch, including PPP hitches, should be setup correctly or they will not function properly. It is not uncommon to reach the correct setup incrementally, over time. IMO, the minor issue you have experienced could be fixed with fine tuning of your existing hitch. While I have no personal experience with Equalizer, I know of dozens of members happily using Equalizer hitch in this forum.

[GeeSag]

You might consider getting a weight of each individual wheel.
There is a location in Livingston Tx that might be an easy distance.

https://www.escapees.com/knowledge/smartweigh

[Hareynolds]

Good stuff, folks. I appreciate the help.

Coincidentally enough, after Retirement Practice Trip #2, I contacted Equal-I-Zer to ask it they had TAPERED bars to replace the blacksmithed square bars, as the ride was noticeably harsh. I think it was particularly noticeable on the 1500 due to the rear coil springs. They told me to sit down and shut-up. OK, paraphrasing a little.

My near-term plan (this weekend): do the fender measurements and consider (a) moving the brackets back to 32 inches, and (b) maybe grabbing another notch on the bracket, provided the bars are still close to level. Otherwise, we're playing with WASHERS.

Since this is the Crew Cab with 6'4" bed (145 inch WB IIRC), there likely won't be much fender movement, but at least the harshness should be mitigated a little, and I might get closer to balance fore-and-aft.

Long-term (beyond this weekend), I think a Pro-Pride is a good idea.
Initially, I had balked at ~$2500 for a hitch, but the more we do this A/S business, the more I recall the admonition "keep the shiny side up" from my ice-racing days back in the Paleozoic. (Parenthetically, our daughter is an ER Resident; my goal is to avoid visiting her at her Level 1 Trauma Center place of employment. Particularly by helicopter.)

In the extra-long term (post-retirement, the date of which is likely not up to me as I am in the Oil Bidness), I am eyeing a 27FB.

At the risk of high-jacking my own thread, starting a conflagration, and/or rolling a hand grenade under the tent, will the little Eco-Diesel handle that? Otherwise, we're talking Cummins.

27FB Tongue weight as-delivered is LOWER than the 25 FB (axle location?) and that's before I swap batteries for AGMs under the couch and pack judiciously.
27FB Gross weight is under the Eco-diesel's rating.
There's always the GDE tune for the Eco Diesel, with Turbo-brake; lots cheaper than a new truck.

Talk amongst yourselves. Discuss.

[DaveMc]

Keep your eye out on Craigslist, etc, for ProPride or Hensley hitches as well. I recently bought one off of Craigslist for over $1,200 off a new one. Barely used, looked new. I bought it off an out-of-work oil engineer in the northern suburbs, not sure I'd have the same level of confidence buying from a shady warehouse on the south side of Houston.

I'll be mounting mine in the next month or so after some other repairs. If you'd like to see it in person, you're welcome to. I'm on the west side of Lake Conroe / hour north of downtown.

[Alluminati]

A note of caution: When loading the trailer, place the weight at or fore of the axles. Don't load down the back of the trailer.

[Leslieotr]

We also just got a 25 FB and ProPride hitch. So far so good, but going to SmartWeight to get it dialed in. Had a horrible time hitching up the first time- got Sean on the phone and he helped. We are just north of Houston if you want to see ours. Will be driving from Florida back to houston in a few days so more then.

[dkottum]

You're immediate and long-term plan sounds very good, and I think the EcoDiesel will match very well. It will work fine moving the brackets back to 32" and resetting the w.d. using fender measurements, that's how we set up our Equal-I-Zer for years. When done take the whole rig to the CAT scale and see what the truck and Airstream axles are carrying.

I can tell you from experience the EcoD will ride, handle and brake most comfortably with a near equal load on the axles. I even added 120 lbs more to the steering axle than the drive axle to see if there were any drivability, especially oversteer, issues and there were none with our combination on a cross-country drive.

I suspect if you take some of the advice in here to only return your steering axle to it's unloaded weight, your are likely to have an overloaded rear axle. That's the way it is with our two Rams well-loaded, and many others most likely.

Just as a reference, our fully loaded and fueled (and us) EcoD with no trailer attached came in at 3580 steer and 2780 drive axles. We have 140" wheelbase.

I would not hesitate to take the Airstream 27 throughout the country. Barely different than what we now have, the GVWR is 300 lbs more than ours, same wheels, brakes, and frontal air resistance. Don't count on the hitch weight being lighter, FB models load heavier in front than RB models because that is where the storage is. We installed two Lifeline AGM XT-31 batteries in our original battery box this summer, don't notice the difference on CAT scale or driving.

Yes the GDE Hot Tune enhances the turbo exhaust braking among other things. I recently talked to dealer service about it's effect on warranty. They said the warranty is fine unless it was the Tune that caused a particular part to fail. However, do your own dealership inquires on this, answers are never universal.

There is always someone inexperienced on these threads weighing in on things. The Hensley/ProPride is an excellent design, relieves one of the most troublesome parts of bumper-pull travel trailers. There are quite a few on them on the used market, and as Dave says it may be near new for half price. You've got time on your side to find one if the new price is too much.

[guskmg]

If you buy a used hitch, Hensley has a second owner warranty available for a reasonable price. Because of their free part replacement policy I would highly recommend it. I would bet ProPride has the same warranty, but you would have to ask.
guskmg

[m.hony]

The quickest way to transfer more weight to the truck's front axle and trailer's axles is to add washers in your hitch head to get more rearward tilt.
The more the weight bars point down to the ground unhitched the more lift you will get when the weight bars are in the L-brackets.
If adding washers doesn't give you enough weight distribution, then raise the L-brackets 1 notch.
You will no when sway control is working well when thevtruck 'n' trailer want to continue in the turn after the turn and you have to actually hold it straight for a few yards.
It only took me 2 years to dial mine in and get it as good as it gets... 4+ years and 40,000+ miles later all is well.

[SpletKay06]

Im not going to comment on which hitch we'll work best for you or how to adjust it. But yes you're ecodiesel it well tow a 27ft just fine. Long term I would recommend a ecm tune that includes turbo braking and a remote mount oil cooler kit. Mine works extremely well and I'm not running a Hensley or a Pro pride

[VernDiesel]

Great thread. I to make due with a lesser WDH but would love to try one when I have a heavy 30' Classic to deliver. But just the fact that you are weighing your axles & making an effort to optimize your hitch puts you far ahead & your family much safer than most.

I also have 3.92s & GDE tune with brake. Installed mine at 33k & am still happy with it at 257k. SpletKay is right the factory oil cooler/heat transfer unit is a little small for heavy towing but will do heavier trailers up longer grades if you hold sustained climb rpms to 3,000 or less.

[dkottum]

I have considered the GDE tune, if just for the turbine/exhaust braking feature. The warranty issue bothers me, even though my dealer said the tune itself does not void the warranty, but if it was determined to be the cause of an engine problem was the GDE tune, the warranty would not cover it. That's a gray area to say the least.

On the other hand, we have not needed more turbine/engine/exhaust braking than what the engine/transmission gives us now on most grades, and additional use of manual trailer braking and truck/trailer braking on the steepest grades.

Our Ecodiesel loaded under axle limits and our Airstream loaded under it's weight limit still comes under the GCWR of the truck, which tells me our EcoD is working well even without the turbine brake enhancement. However, with a larger Airstream such as a 30 I would reconsider it, maybe more importantly install disc brakes on the Airstream as a safety measure in case of brake fade on a long, steep descent.

[Hareynolds]

FIAT apparently took a page out of VWs PlayBook:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/exclusive...--finance.html

There's a separate thread started under Tow Vehicles.

This is gonna get real interesting, real quick.
(Please accept my grammatical apologies, but as y'all know, ADVERBS are illegal in the Great State of Texas. As well as the use of turn signals.)

IF this ends-up like the VW business, I guess the decision will be between keeping a detuned Eco-Diesel and some sort of trade (say for a 2500 Cummins.

At very least, the GDE tune is on hold for the moment.

[dkottum]

Hardly breaking news, the EPA has been after all the diesels for months if not longer. Only 2016 EcoD's have been available at the Ram/Jeep dealers, and I think other brands have been held up.

Funny, we own a VW diesel (prior model to emission issues) and a Ram EcoDiesel and absolutely love them both, probably best vehicles we have ever owned. A perfect tow vehicle for our Airstream. They won't be going anywhere from our garage anytime soon.

[VernDiesel]

Doug fwiw GDE has stated on the EcoD forum that it keeps all factory safeguards in place in its tune. This might make it very difficult to suggest that the tune caused some type of failure. For many stoping the recirculation of soot through the engine is a selling point for longevity or minimizing of repairs / maintenance.