From this… I’m planning on really cranking up on the spring arms… the ‘L’ brackets are set about mid-way…
Concerned about approaching the 5500# max rear axle rating…
Gonna load it for a weekend trip… re-weigh…
Wonder if I should leave the current setup, so I can get a baseline?
Hi finalcutjoe -- You didn't say what your WD setup was. I think you'd also get some informed comments if you post the pound rating of your current WD bars. A discussion of some of the points is at http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...5-a-33454.html.
Here's a good aid to check how well your WD is working. Write down the height to the top of all four wheel enclosures on your tow vehicle (or some easy to measure point on the body near each wheel). Now hitch up, engage the WD gear the way you have been and remeasure to the same points. All four should decrease by close to the same amount. If you're down by the rear axle something does have to be reworked. Please post more info and we'll see who can offer advice.
From this… I’m planning on really cranking up on the spring arms… the ‘L’ brackets are set about mid-way…
Concerned about approaching the 5500# max rear axle rating…
Gonna load it for a weekend trip… re-weigh…
Wonder if I should leave the current setup, so I can get a baseline?
Your tow vehicle weighs 8160.
You must not have more than 10 percent difference between the rear and front axles, in your case 816 pounds.
2160 pound difference will get you in trouble very quickly.
Your hitch rating should be dropped to no more than 750 pounds. If you stay with what you have, you will beat the trailer to death, and cause all kinds of problems to the trailer. This has been discussed many times before on this Forums.
Also you should use a hitch like Reese's full sway control, that has variable torsion, and sway control.
In spite of my 41 plus years with the Airstream products, Equalizer hitches, to me, are cheap and useless as a "total performance" load equalizing hitch. It does not have a brain that knows when your in a turn or not. The Reese products, do.
Your rigging "positively" fits in the category of "an accident" looking for a place to happen, not by a little, but big time. Your rig, by your weights, is more than 2 1/2 times out of safe parameters.
That statement is based on examining and documenting over 1000 cases of "loss of control" accidents involving Airstream products, for the old insurance division of Airstream that was called "Caravanner Insurance Company."
Adjusting the torsion arms to move more weight forward, is what you should do. However, because of the hitch rating you have, you will find that the front of the trailer and rear end of your tow vehicle, will no longer be level, but instead will be high. Not a good thing.
You must not have more than 10 percent difference between the rear and front axles, in your case 816 pounds.
2160 pound difference will get you in trouble very quickly.
Your hitch rating should be dropped to no more than 750 pounds. If you stay with what you have, you will beat the trailer to death,and cause all kinds of problems to the trailer. This has been discussed many times before on this Forums.
Also you should use a hitch like Reese's full sway control, that has variable torsion, and sway control.
In spite of my 41 plus years with the Airstream products, Equalizer hitches, to me, are cheap and useless as a "total performance" load equalizing hitch. It does not have a brain that knows when your in a turn or not. The Reese products, do.
Your rigging "positively" fits in the category of "an accident" looking for a place to happen, not by a little, but big time. Your rig, by your weights, is more than 2 1/2 times out of safe parameters.
That statement is based on examining and documenting over 1000 cases of "loss of control" accidents involving Airstream products, for the old insurance division of Airstream that was called "Caravanner Insurance Company."
Adjusting the torsion arms to move more weight forward, is what you should do. However, because of the hitch rating you have, you will find that the front of the trailer and rear end of your tow vehicle, will no longer be level, but instead will be high. Not a good thing.
Andy
so much for keeping a baseline... yikes!
as far as over-rating the hitch, and beating up the coach... maybe some centramatics will do the trick
... another reason to go to reese i suppose?....
i'm not worried about getting a high TV rear end, and high trailer front end when reefing up the spring bars... i think i can adjust the ball angle (or ball height if necessary) to compensate for the extra load leveling...
not knowing the tongue weight or actual curb weight of the burb.... working with the scaled 8160lb TV (assumed 5796lb curb weight) essentially, I need to transfer about 1000lbs to the steer axle, and the remaining 1400lbs over the drive...
You are going to find that as you increase the tension on the WD arms, some of the weight will be transfered back to the trailer as well. Spend some time on the scales and make your adjustment and weigh the setup again. When you get the weight evenly distributed on your TV it should be level.
I have a simple question:
Where do you find a public scale these days (in California) that will allow you to weigh the tow vehicle and Airstream, then disconnect and weigh just one or the other?
I have a simple question:
Where do you find a public scale these days (in California) that will allow you to weigh the tow vehicle and Airstream, then disconnect and weigh just one or the other?
Flying J Truck stops are a good place for scales.
Check with the manager tell him what you plan to do and have him suggest a time. I think it costs around $10 for the first weight and additional ones are a buck or two.
as far as over-rating the hitch, and beating up the coach... maybe some centramatics will do the trick
... another reason to go to reese i suppose?....
i'm not worried about getting a high TV rear end, and high trailer front end when reefing up the spring bars... i think i can adjust the ball angle (or ball height if necessary) to compensate for the extra load leveling...
thanks for your input!
Adjusting the ball angle, in your case, will accomplish nothing more than a waste of your time.
OK... I cranked the "L" brackets from their half-way location, to the second hole from maximum...
full gas tank, full LP's, full fresh water and loaded with cargo for weekend jaunt...
got a re-weigh
i have to say, i was disappointed:
3640 steer axle
5000 drive axle
7980 trailer axle
16620 gross
i would have expected much more transfer to the steer...
basically, there's a 480lb increase in the TV... but there were 6 more passengers, a 12ton bottle jack, pair of 8 ton jack stands, tool box, and a few other campsite accessories
so i have to assume, increasing the leverage on the spring bars did just about nothing.
It would be interesting, and I believe more meaningful, if you had the axle weights of the tow vehicle before the trailer is hooked up so you would know for sure how much you are loading each axle.
OK... I cranked the "L" brackets from their half-way location, to the second hole from maximum...
full gas tank, full LP's, full fresh water and loaded with cargo for weekend jaunt...
got a re-weigh
i have to say, i was disappointed:
3640 steer axle
5000 drive axle
7980 trailer axle
16620 gross
i would have expected much more transfer to the steer...
basically, there's a 480lb increase in the TV... but there were 6 more passengers, a 12ton bottle jack, pair of 8 ton jack stands, tool box, and a few other campsite accessories
so i have to assume, increasing the leverage on the spring bars did just about nothing.
Adjusting the torsion bars, "is" how you move weight.
But again, when you have a "super heavy duty" tow vehicle, you make that task very difficult, if not impossible.
To help you understand, adjust the bars as high as you can, even if the front of the trailer is high and the rear of the tow vehicle is high. Then get some new weights.
You should see a change for the better. The the new problem becomes the hitch rating, and, the overload springs. Reducing the amount of overload springs will help tremendously.
Reducing the rating of the bars, will move weight, without having the rigidity.
But the first major step, is to do something about your tow vehicle.
Not, You're forgetting the tongue weight of the trailer. It is part of the rear axle weight. Might be over 800lbs in the case of a 30ft trailer. Probably more.
But again, when you have a "super heavy duty" tow vehicle, you make that task very difficult, if not impossible.
Reducing the amount of overload springs will help tremendously.
A 2005 Suburban 2500 does not have Overload springs, and it is not a super heavy duty tow vehicle.
It is rather soft when compared to a Ford F250, or a Silverado 2500 etc.
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