Weight distribution - I still don't get it

[Action]

Originally Posted by Ganaraska

Now suppose you have totally rigid spring bars. Something has to give and it's usually the frame of the trailer.

On an Airstream the body is the support. Similar to a Unibody car. The frame will not take all the stress the body and rivits will take that.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

[Mikethefixit]

Vinny
I still say that's a nice looking outfit. I don't care if the truck is 14. We also Use the 600lb bars on our F350 SW 7.3 and get the soft ride U spoke of. I call it Lincoln Towncar Ride.The PO gave us a hitch and it had 1200 bars,I thought it was gonna throw us out of the cab on the trip home. We have a cap and carry a host of lumber for levelin (2x8's mostly) and everything U could almost imagine.The F350 is barebones stock from the factory supension.Ours Grosses out at app 14000 lbs., all axles are within 500 lbs or so of each other. I have had it across the scales several times and have the wieght correct. As I always Say "THE TALE IS IN THE SCALE.
Roger

[Airslide]

Hello Roger,

Thanks. Thats what is left on my list of things to do. I have to plan to get to the scales. Now that the ride is correct and everything is level i think it is what it is but it will be interesting to see what the numbers say. I guess you could say that im backing into the therory. I will post the numbers once i get it weighed.

Glad to hear yours is perfect. Im a bit jealous you have it all handled.

Thanks Vinnie

[Cracker]

This topic has been dormant for awhile but I just wanted to bring it back to life and report that I'm yet another convert to the "light" (600 lb) equalizer bars! Like others, I had already modified the dually by switching to an alternate set of rear springs - basically eliminating the overload springs - but I was still stubborn enough to keep the 1,000 lb bars. When the opportunity came to purchase a set of 600 lb bars, at a reasonable cost, I decided to give the idea a try. I only had to make a slight adjustment to the Reese head after my first road test and the "softer" ride became immediately apparent! The adjustment accomplished two things; it aligned the bars parallel to the trailer tongue and it reduced the stress on the bars a bit. Initially, it was somewhat obvious that the bars were overstressed. The difference in hooking up between the old 1,000 lb bars and the new 600 lb bars is that I now find it necessary to use the tongue jack when hooking up due to the additional flex of the 600 lb bars - whereas with the 1,000 lb bars they flexed so little that they could easily be stressed within the operating range of the chain support mechanism - while the full weight of the trailer was resting on the hitch. I hope that explanation makes sense! For the record, the last time I weighed the tongue load with my Sherline scale it was right at 940 lbs. Transferring weight back to the front axle of the dually has never been a factor - as it hardly "unloads" when hitched up. The task has always been to provide a more comfortable ride for the trailer while assisting the load-carrying capabilities of the TV hitch somewhat.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Another soft ride owner conversion, who is happier.

Must be a lot of truth to those Physics.

Hopefully, others will also listen and make the "switch."

Airstream's love and must have a soft ride, if not, early expensive repairs for some "strange" reason, appears?????

Soft rides contribute to safety as well.

Andy

[Ganaraska]

Originally Posted by Action

On an Airstream the body is the support. Similar to a Unibody car. The frame will not take all the stress the body and rivits will take that.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>Action

You take me too literally. Naturally if the frame is stressed the body will be stressed, as the body supports the frame and vice versa.

I was trying to paint a word picture that would help visualize what happens when a trailer is towed over bumps, up and down hills, or in any situation where vertical bending movement occurs at the hitch ball. There must be some "give" at this point or the trailer will be stressed.

[Inland RV Center, In]

The following takes place, when a load equalizing hitch is used to tow an Airstream.

The tow vehicle must provide a reasonable soft ride.

The hitch bar rating must be correct for the job intended.

Depending on the tow vehicle, hitch bar ratings must decease as the tow vehicle rigidity increase.

Of course everything must be installed and adjusted correctly.

When hitting bumps, some of that shock from the tow vehicle is transfered to the A-frame, through the ball and hitch bars.

In turn, as the A-frame flexes, the shell will also flex which in turn causes the frame to flex with it.

Additional flexing problems are caused when the running gear is not properly balanced, as well as having bad axles.

When everything is at it's best, the shell does an outstanding job, controlling what the frame does.

The key is to learn your limits and those of the Airstream. You must build in safety margins for both.

Andy

Andy