tv and tt weight distribution

[SKEETER]

TT is 1993 Excella 1000 Clasic
TV is 2004 Chevy 2500 HD Diesel
GCWR is 22,000 lbs per Chevy owner manual
Max trailer weight is 12,000 per Chevy owenr manual

CAT scale weight is:
steer axle 3880 lbs
drive axle 4100 lbs
trailer 6420 lbs
gross weight 14400

All weights are pretty near trip weight, maybe 100 more lbs in trailer and maybe 70 more lbs in TV.

Does weight distribution look okay?

Am I okay?

[slowmover]

Sure is sweet to have a big truck and a big trailer and to have such a LOW overall weight compared to the toyhaulers, fifth wheels, and other boxy SOBs.

The other weight numbers being looked for are:

1] Weight of truck, solo (but loaded with fuel/pax/travel gear); each axle
2] Tongue weight

I ran mine across the scales last time to nail down some of this (still working on weight transfer with the WDH); nothing like a complete set of numbers for the advice to be dead-on.


2Air has a great thread here to help walk you through his experience (and others, like me, still trying to get there),
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f238...ers-17984.html

[AlbertF]

Weight distribution looks very good. Having 220 lbs more on the rear axle of a "one ton" TV is negligible. I suspect most owners don't have anywhere near that much weight transfer to the front axle.

[2airishuman]

hi skeeter...

i agree with what is in the 1st 2 replies.

IF you weigh the truck dry and then packed but unconnected to the trailer...

that measurement will provide the ft/rear axle loads and % of loads on ft/rr axles.

one of the goals of weight redistribution is restoring the unhitched steering axle load.

imo opinion the starting amount of spring bar tension should restore the front axle load to the unhitched ft axle load...

for example YOUR measurements look fine, but IF the trucks front axle load unhitched is (made up by me) 4400 lbs...

the 3880 measurement is TOO low and the steering will feel light...

so then play with the ft/rr numbers to tune ride, steering feel and trailer shake by adding more/less spring bar tension....

and that all assumes a LEVEL trailer is established early too, with the correct drop bar...

i've make several changes in the tv and trailer since my original cat scale thread....

and towed 1000s of miles with different bar tensions and ft/rr %s to make book on the rig.

now i adjust the bars for different (known) road conditions and regions...

based on a cache of previous measurements...

haven't posted that stuff yet but will sometime.

cheers
2air'

[bryanl]

haven't posted that stuff yet but will sometime.

This will be interesting, especially if you have some qualitative evaluations of steering and what parameters you used to determine optimum settings.

[SKEETER]

I presume that I should do my weighing with myself and wife in the cab?

[SKEETER]

Thank you 2air'. I am almost thru reading the thread you had in August 2005. I have been searching for exactly the kind of information you posted. After I have done several more re-weighs from also weighed the separate vehicle components as recommended and made the appropriate adjustments, I will have a much higher confidence in traveling.

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by SKEETER

...I have been searching for exactly the kind of information you posted...

u r welcome skeeter, and the info posted by everyone else in that thread has helped me too...

the review by others and council from all the wise folks here can be very reassuring OR

distressing enough to prompt changes, which is a good thing

IF you wanna post your data there or ask questions there go for it...

since more people are subscribed to that thread, it's likely more will see your data and questions there.

but someone will see it where ever u put the info...

Originally Posted by SKEETER

I presume that I should do my weighing with myself and wife in the cab?

YES it helps to have the occupants IN the tv during weights....

because 200-400 lbs between the tv axles matters...

i just did a fresh batch of weights 4 days ago, with several reweighs,

and the scale operator recorded some with me in and some with me out...

the 240 lbs of variance drives me wacky and but the scale operator was careless and they are IN CHARGE...

along with people/dogs on board, i've been told to do the measurement with the engine running, so i do....

and some scales require u to drive on/drive off to reset the platform,

the last one i used did not, which made reweighs much quicker and easier...

so ask about this up front along with the reweigh fees (usually a buck, but) the last stop was 3$ per...

cheers
2air'