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Old 01-05-2009, 11:01 AM   #1
Rivet Master
 
1992 34' Limited
Falls Church , Virginia
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 945
Trailer is a bit nose high....

All -

Would like to get everyone's opinion about a situation I have with my trailer. First, the set-up:

'01 Suburban 2500 4x4 with 6L w/ aftermarket trans cooler & w/ aftermarket Class V hitch - '92 34' Limited with all the OEM toys - 12000lb Equal-I-Zer hitch.

Have towed MANY miles quite happily with this set-up. All is stable.

Noticed on the last tow, with the trailer fairly lightly loaded, that the front end was nose high by about 2 or 3 inches. By that I mean, if the nose of the trailer was dropped 2 or 3 inches, it would be level. TV is level.

Can I get a larger drop receiver to rectify the issue? Will the larger drop affect the weight that I can pull or add additional stresses I would need to consider? Or is it not anything to be concerned about? I really don't want the 3rd axle to get more stress than the other 2, possibly causing a tire issue.

What say the towing gurus????

SilverToy
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Old 01-05-2009, 11:24 AM   #2
"Cloudsplitter"

 
2003 25' Classic
Houstatlantavegas , Malebolgia
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Thumbs up Level please..


A level coach is very important. It doesn't sound like much but even two or three inches high will transfer quite a bit of weight to the rear trailer axle. If you can't level by re-distributing the load, or changing the weight bar setting, a new drop bar is necessary and readily available.
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Old 01-05-2009, 11:32 AM   #3
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1992 34' Limited
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Weight issues???

Thanks for the reply Bob!

Will there be any weight issues with a larger drop? I seem to remember that there was some talk awhile back about 'moment arm' and all that sorta stuff - would that come into play with this scenario?? Don't want to get things squirrley when they are currently fine, then again, don't want tire issues either....

Anyone else with thoughts?

Thanks!!

SilverToy
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Old 01-05-2009, 11:43 AM   #4
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Silver,
In my experience you should not have any problems with a new drop bar.

I had to change from a 4 to a 6 inch when I got the 06 'Burb. I did use the 4 for about 1000k and noticed the difference at the scales after weighing with the 6 installed.

Have you been to the scales? It's really important to get the set-up right with a level trailer.
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Old 01-05-2009, 11:57 AM   #5
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1977 27' Overlander
Trotwood , Ohio
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Silver TOY
I have a 1 ton as u can see by the lower left of the screen. Ball height was 22 inches or so unloaded and the trailer was not level. Level is very important that gives each axle approximately the same amount of weight.
I at first Used a BLUE OX drop of 4 inches that I got from PEOPLES in Texas.
Now I'm not suggesting U have a problem but when I changed axles last August I gained approximately 4 to 5 inches in rear Height which translated to not needing the 4" drop anymore. IT's just layin on the shop floor taking up space. IF ya need this drop SilverTOY PM me. We can work out sumpin. This drop only made 3 short trips of about 80 miles each so its like new.
Roger
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Old 01-05-2009, 12:39 PM   #6
"Cloudsplitter"

 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mikethefixit View Post
Silver TOY
IT's just layin on the shop floor taking up space. IF ya need this drop SilverTOY PM me. We can work out sumpin. This drop only made 3 short trips of about 80 miles each so its like new.
Roger
Silver,
See I told you it was readily available.
Roger...you 'da Man!!!

Ain't the Forum GREAT!!
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Old 01-05-2009, 01:35 PM   #7
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1991 34' Excella
Princeton , New Jersey
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Here is a Reese drop shank #54917 that has a 12,000 lb. rating. pulling a 34fter. Please note I have cut 2 ins. off the bottom of the shank to allow for proper chain slack.

While my TV is a Ford Excursion now I used the shank on a Sub. for years.
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Old 01-05-2009, 01:37 PM   #8
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2005 28' International CCD
Willoughby , Ohio
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Silvertoy -

If I understand correctly, the TV setup has not changed but you have noticed that the TT nose is riding higher than it has in the past.
Assuming that nothing else has changed (your load in the TT and TV is essentially the same weight and location), you may want to crawl under your TV to see if anything has broken.
You didn't change the orientation of the spring bar supports on the TT?
I would expect a LOWER nose if shocks/springs are worn/broken, not a higher one.
I believe that the Equalizer hitch can be adjusted a few inches in either direction to compensate (check your owners manual or their website), but I'd really look for the cause of the problem before applying a solution.

Best of luck and let us know what you find!
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Old 01-05-2009, 03:49 PM   #9
Rivet Master
 
2017 27' Flying Cloud
2016 Interstate Grand Tour Ext
Altoona , Florida
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Exclamation

I seem to remember that Chevy had a problem with the factory installed receivers failing - This is a very serious problem and you should not pull your trailer until this issue is fixed. Good luck
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Old 01-05-2009, 04:06 PM   #10
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Corona , California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverToy View Post
All -

Would like to get everyone's opinion about a situation I have with my trailer. First, the set-up:

'01 Suburban 2500 4x4 with 6L w/ aftermarket trans cooler & w/ aftermarket Class V hitch - '92 34' Limited with all the OEM toys - 12000lb Equal-I-Zer hitch.

Have towed MANY miles quite happily with this set-up. All is stable.

Noticed on the last tow, with the trailer fairly lightly loaded, that the front end was nose high by about 2 or 3 inches. By that I mean, if the nose of the trailer was dropped 2 or 3 inches, it would be level. TV is level.

Can I get a larger drop receiver to rectify the issue? Will the larger drop affect the weight that I can pull or add additional stresses I would need to consider? Or is it not anything to be concerned about? I really don't want the 3rd axle to get more stress than the other 2, possibly causing a tire issue.

What say the towing gurus????

SilverToy
Your Airstream must be as level as possible, for proper towing and weight distribution.

There are 2 possibilities.

The drop shank is not low enough, making the ball too high.

The axles could be bad.

The following article will help you check out the axles.

Dura Torque Axle

Andy
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