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Old 03-11-2019, 03:52 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS View Post
And you do have weight tickets substantiate your 'unbalance'?

A 2500 TV being thrown out of 'balance' by an AS with a WD hitch, properly set up is a bit hard to imagine.

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I have not yet been to a scale, but RAM publishes the axle base weights specific to each truck configuration (wheel base, box size, cab configuration and engine/transmission type). Of course it does not take into account every single option that you may have, but it's very close. I have not seen these figures published for Ford or GM. As for the effect of tongue weight you have to measure the distance of the hitch ball to the rear axle. The rest is a simple calculation of a beam with 3 loads and two supports.
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Old 03-11-2019, 04:56 PM   #22
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Simply put, the TV front axle should be able to carry its weight. It is very hard to increase the front axle loading with a trailer. I think you are just looking at the situation wrong.
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Old 03-11-2019, 05:11 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by Bill M. View Post
Simply put, the TV front axle should be able to carry its weight. It is very hard to increase the front axle loading with a trailer. I think you are just looking at the situation wrong.
You should always be within the axle rating. But you should also strive for a 50/50 axle distribution.
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Old 03-11-2019, 05:21 PM   #24
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A combination will tow better with a bit more weight on the rear tires then on the front. The front to rear tire pressure differential on class 2b and higher trucks maintains a positive understeer gradient with higher rear axle loads. If you take notice there are no current class 2a (1/2 ton) trucks that run a front to rear tire pressure differential. Reducing front tire pressure will reduce front tire cornering stiffness and front cornering stiffness is already lower due to low axle weight. They simply can’t tolerate lower pressures. My own TV pulls a 28ft TT at 7800lbs 950lbs TW with 4,000 lbs on the front axle and 4,300 on the rear with no WD. With a WDH I only return 80-100lbs to the front axle.
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Old 03-11-2019, 05:32 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by out of sight View Post
I have not yet been to a scale, but RAM publishes the axle base weights specific to each truck configuration (wheel base, box size, cab configuration and engine/transmission type). Of course it does not take into account every single option that you may have, but it's very close. I have not seen these figures published for Ford or GM. As for the effect of tongue weight you have to measure the distance of the hitch ball to the rear axle. The rest is a simple calculation of a beam with 3 loads and two supports.
So, you are saying you calculated how much weight comes OFF your front axles (and is added to your rear axle) when you hitch up your trailer? Others are reporting over 400 lbs., how much did your calculations come to?
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Old 03-11-2019, 05:49 PM   #26
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Numbers, numbers, numbers...

Weights don't lie...read 'em & rationalize as you will.🤔
1st TV
2nd rig no WD
3rd rig WD set

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Old 03-11-2019, 06:38 PM   #27
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Your next analysis - betting this trailer had 10-15% tongue weight.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f540...me-192222.html

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Old 03-12-2019, 08:01 AM   #28
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Originally Posted by smithcreek View Post
So, you are saying you calculated how much weight comes OFF your front axles (and is added to your rear axle) when you hitch up your trailer? Others are reporting over 400 lbs., how much did your calculations come to?
A 900 lb ball load takes 362 lbs off the front axle, based on my wheelbase and distance between the ball and rear axle.
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Old 03-12-2019, 08:06 AM   #29
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Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS View Post
Weights don't lie...read 'em & rationalize as you will.🤔
1st TV
2nd rig no WD
3rd rig WD set

Bob
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It seems like what you are truing to do is restore the unloaded axle load to the front axle. I believe you should instead try to aim for a 50/50 distribution. A pick-up truck is inherently unbalanced when unloaded because it is designed to operate optimally with a payload. Adding load evens out the axle and tire loads and makes for a happier truck.
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Old 03-12-2019, 09:08 AM   #30
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Here are my weights (2001 2500HD Chevy regular cab long bed pulling a 2012 23D) without a weight distribution hitch.
I'm not at 50/50, but I haven't lost any weight off of the front axle (added 100 lbs). I get this result by how I load my truck.


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Old 03-12-2019, 09:30 AM   #31
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Your main problem was that you were running crappy tires on the trailer.

The front tires of the truck did not blow out. Go overkill and put really good tires on the trailer. Lightly loaded crappy tires are still crappy tires. When was the last time you had a massive tire failure on the truck?
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Old 03-12-2019, 09:41 AM   #32
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Yes. those tires were bad. It scares me to think I dragged that trailer thru the Yukon with those tires. Fortunately I didn't have an incident until I got back to civilization. Unfortunately one of those required changing the tire at 9 degrees fahrenheit. Bummer.

My new Airstream has GY Endurance class E's. Hope this problem is solved.
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Old 03-12-2019, 10:46 AM   #33
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Originally Posted by Boog View Post
Here are my weights (2001 2500HD Chevy regular cab long bed pulling a 2012 23D) without a weight distribution hitch.
I'm not at 50/50, but I haven't lost any weight off of the front axle (added 100 lbs). I get this result by how I load my truck.


It's interesting to note the unloaded truck weight distributions presented so far:

GMC 2500: 56/44
F250: 56/44
Ram 2500: 62/38
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Old 03-12-2019, 11:10 AM   #34
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[QUOTE=out of sight;2218910]No WDH for me. That would unbalance my tow vehicle and I would be riding down the street with overloaded front tires and underloaded rear tires. Not a good idea. Not to mention putting unnecessary load on the trailer tires.



The beauty of WD hitches, is that they are ADJUSTABLE, therefore can be tweaked to optimal settings, as defined by you. Sometimes these settings change, due to differences in loading of the trailer, holding tank levels, etc. Trying to optimize weight on the TV by adjusting tongue weight, is unrealistic over time. Congrats on the new rig with dual axles and GYE tires. You'll relax more.
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Old 03-12-2019, 11:18 AM   #35
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Originally Posted by out of sight View Post
It's interesting to note the unloaded truck weight distributions presented so far:

GMC 2500: 56/44
F250: 56/44
Ram 2500: 62/38
I tried to find an actual Ram 2500 Scale ticket to verify that a 2500 Ram would be so front heavy. I found this one from a 2012 Ram 2500 Diesel: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ml#post1285714

First my vehicle specs are (2012 Dodge Ran 2500 Diesel): GVWR 9600 lbs
Front Axle - 5500 lbs
Rear Axle - 6010 lbs
Combined weight - 1961

Scale Readings;
Truck Only - Steer Axle - 4780 lbs
Drive Axle - 3880 lbs
Gross Weight - 8660 lbs

Truck and Trailer - Steer Axle - 4860 lbs
Drive Axle - 4800 lbs
Trailer Axle - 8860 lbs
Gross Weight - 18,520 lbs


This puts a Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel at 55/45, the same ballpark as Ford and GM.
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Old 03-12-2019, 11:21 AM   #36
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[QUOTE=fwjumper;2219189]
Quote:
Originally Posted by out of sight View Post
No WDH for me. That would unbalance my tow vehicle and I would be riding down the street with overloaded front tires and underloaded rear tires. Not a good idea. Not to mention putting unnecessary load on the trailer tires.



The beauty of WD hitches, is that they are ADJUSTABLE, therefore can be tweaked to optimal settings, as defined by you. Sometimes these settings change, due to differences in loading of the trailer, holding tank levels, etc. Trying to optimize weight on the TV by adjusting tongue weight, is unrealistic over time. Congrats on the new rig with dual axles and GYE tires. You'll relax more.
Again, you should consider a WDH for that size AS, and don't go by the published specs on either AS or your TV; weigh your rig with and without the AS....just saying. We all want you to be safe on the road...a WDH will help adjust the weight properly on your TV for steering/controlling while in tow, and it will also provide more stability with winds and semi unstable air surges, when dialed in... The old saying, "pay me now or pay me later comes to mind"...don't risk your trip/TV/AS on mfg. written specs for a vehicle...verify. Oh, and tires/proper pressures are also important also...
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Old 03-12-2019, 11:55 AM   #37
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🤔 Determining your WD with someone else numbers....now we ARE off track. 😂

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Old 03-12-2019, 11:57 AM   #38
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Originally Posted by AirMiles View Post
I tried to find an actual Ram 2500 Scale ticket to verify that a 2500 Ram would be so front heavy. I found this one from a 2012 Ram 2500 Diesel: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464...ml#post1285714

First my vehicle specs are (2012 Dodge Ran 2500 Diesel): GVWR 9600 lbs
Front Axle - 5500 lbs
Rear Axle - 6010 lbs
Combined weight - 1961

Scale Readings;
Truck Only - Steer Axle - 4780 lbs
Drive Axle - 3880 lbs
Gross Weight - 8660 lbs

Truck and Trailer - Steer Axle - 4860 lbs
Drive Axle - 4800 lbs
Trailer Axle - 8860 lbs
Gross Weight - 18,520 lbs


This puts a Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel at 55/45, the same ballpark as Ford and GM.
It's possible that he weighed the truck with a load in the bed. Per the following chart my truck configuration is 4700 front and 2918 rear.

https://www.ramtrucks.com/content/da...Ram%202500.pdf
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:05 PM   #39
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I thought I'd look at weight distribution in a different way by looking at tire loading rather than vehicle loading. It turns out that the most heavily loaded tires, measured as a load percent of the tire load rating, are the front tires of my tow vehicle. What this means is that if I use a weight distribution hitch I will make the problem worse. With the trailer attached on the hitch ball, without a weight distribution hitch, the front tire loading is reduced to approximately equal to the rear TV tire loads. The % of each tire load to the max loading rating of the tires then comes out to:

trailer tires 56%
front TV tires 65%
rear TV tires 65%

The only way to further equalize the tire loading percentages would be to take cargo weight from the TV and put it over the axles of the trailer.
While an interesting concept, my opinion is that this is not really a significant parameter to be concerned about in adjusting weight distribution.

It's understood that there's significant margin in tire capacity generally.

The major balance of concerns for the amount of WD to be applied is stability gained vs. maintaining sufficient articulation in the hitch. That's to say that too much WD applied is not necessarily a good thing as it greatly stresses major structural elements. Aligned to your point, unnecessarily puts too much load on the front axle, potentially causing risk in dynamic performance in an emergency (e.g. oversteer).
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Old 03-12-2019, 02:22 PM   #40
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I wouldn't put stock in the 62/38 number until the vehicle was weighed, and so included all options and installed equipment.

Then, I would consider whether the truck will ever be driven solo. If so, I would be concerned about the poor weight balance of the truck itself, and so would install a topper, or ballast in the bed, for both safety and driving comfort. Having done that, I would be unlikely to remove the ballast or topper when towing, so that corrected weight balance would be what I would work with as I started to consider how much FALR would be appropriate.
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