In the continuing quest!

[kingfisher24]

to sort it all out.....Escapees RV Club offers a "smart Weigh" program to weigh one's rv using the single wheel scales....and so i was able to take advantage of this and am now trying to sort it all out.....

so the total trailer axel weight was 5750 lbs

tow vehicle with trailer was 8130

tow vehicle without trailer was 6900

so then (they say) tounge weight is 1230

and GCVW (combined TV/Tr) 13, 880

so does it follow that the total trailer axel weight plus the tounge weight constitutes the GVW of the trailer (6980) out of a 7300 lb state GVW


is the only out of place figure the 1230 pound tounge weight???????

my equal i zer has 1000 lb bars??????

the GCVW for my tow vehicle is 16000 lbs......

any thoughts????

thanks

[dznf0g]

That's a lot of tongue weight for a 25'er. I would try and shoot for 700# to 1000#, and I would prefer about 850#.
I think you should move some stuff around in the trailer and see if you can get there. I would lose the 1000# bars and get a hitch with 600# or 800# bars. IMHO you're kind of stuck inbetween). I would probably shoot for 800# on tongue weight and get 600# bars.
My trailer weighs 8500# loaded for travel and I have a tongue weight of 950#. I use 800# bars and I think the setup is perfect.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by kingfisher24

to sort it all out.....Escapees RV Club offers a "smart Weigh" program to weigh one's rv using the single wheel scales....and so i was able to take advantage of this and am now trying to sort it all out.....

so the total trailer axel weight was 5750 lbs

tow vehicle with trailer was 8130

tow vehicle without trailer was 6900

so then (they say) tounge weight is 1230

and GCVW (combined TV/Tr) 13, 880

so does it follow that the total trailer axel weight plus the tounge weight constitutes the GVW of the trailer (6980) out of a 7300 lb state GVW


is the only out of place figure the 1230 pound tounge weight???????

my equal i zer has 1000 lb bars??????

the GCVW for my tow vehicle is 16000 lbs......

any thoughts????

thanks

KF,

The 1230 sure seems high.

Before going to the scales i know our loaded un-hitched TW was 1175lbs,(Sherline Scale), You can see from the tickets what our weights were and how much weight was transferred forward and back to the AS axles.

I would recommend a trip to the CAT's to solve the mystery.

Bob

[Aviator]

My 34' doesn't have that heavy of a tongue! I would suggest either you have a lot of "stuff" loaded forward of the trailer center of gravity (CG) or the scale is off somehow. It would be better from a towing standpoint to move some heavy items back to the axle area of the trailer. Also, if you move just a few smaller items to the rear of the trailer, with a 25' moment arm you will cause large changes in the tongue weight.

If you are bored and want to know how weight shift effects balance follow the link below.

Weight and Balance

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by kingfisher24

to sort it all out.....Escapees RV Club offers a "smart Weigh" program to weigh one's rv using the single wheel scales....and so i was able to take advantage of this and am now trying to sort it all out.....

so the total trailer axel weight was 5750 lbs

tow vehicle with trailer was 8130

tow vehicle without trailer was 6900

so then (they say) tounge weight is 1230

and GCVW (combined TV/Tr) 13, 880

so does it follow that the total trailer axel weight plus the tounge weight constitutes the GVW of the trailer (6980) out of a 7300 lb state GVW


is the only out of place figure the 1230 pound tounge weight???????

my equal i zer has 1000 lb bars??????

the GCVW for my tow vehicle is 16000 lbs......

any thoughts????

thanks

The figures you cite are not unusual and are not necessarily a cause for concern.

The tongue weight, while high, is only slightly higher than the typical recommendation of 10-15%.

I would suggest that your next move is to check the front axle weight of the truck hitched and unhitched. It is common for people to have their hitches set up to provide insufficient weight distribution. A properly dialed-in WD setup will reduce the tongue weight somewhat as some of the load taken off the rear axles of the truck will be carried by the trailer axles.

Ideally the front axle weight should be the same both hitched and unhitched. If the front axle weight is lower when hitched that would indicate a need for more WD.

Once you're sure you have the WD dialed in properly, if there's still a problem, you can consider moving some heavier items from the front of the trailer to the rear.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Aviator

My 34' doesn't have that heavy of a tongue! I would suggest either you have a lot of "stuff" loaded forward of the trailer center of gravity (CG) or the scale is off somehow. It would be better from a towing standpoint to move some heavy items back to the axle area of the trailer. Also, if you move just a few smaller items to the rear of the trailer, with a 25' moment arm you will cause large changes in the tongue weight.

If you are bored and want to know how weight shift effects balance follow the link below.

Weight and Balance

Aviator,

POI...our hitched, WD adjusted tongue weight, 985lbs, in line with totals. And yes heavy stuff is loaded forward where the WD's can be used to transfer weight as needed.

I always use the Sherline Tongue scale after loading and before hitching to get an accurate reading, and adjust as needed. This is why it's important to visit the CAT scales.

Bob

Loaded and level, this photo matches the CAT tickets posted above.

[Aviator]

Bob, I appreciate that. Our 34' runs in the upper 700's and the 1230 number struck me as hi, thus my comment. As a still working family, our outings are mostly weekend type stuff so we run well under the max weight for the trailer. It would be much less than someone spending more time on the road.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Aviator

Bob, I appreciate that. Our 34' runs in the upper 700's and the 1230 number struck me as hi, thus my comment. As a still working family, our outings are mostly weekend type stuff so we run well under the max weight for the trailer. It would be much less than someone spending more time on the road.

Craig,

Took me awhile, (years actually), to get used to just how weighty the Classic is after towing our 63 22' Safari around for 18 Seasons.

Bob

[kingfisher24]

front axle with trailer.......3130

front without trailer.........3290

so that is really not a significant difference......

my 8d batteries (2) loaded in the front of the trailer ....add 225 lbs more than the normal batteries........

rear axle with trailer........5000

rear axle without trailer.....3610

rear axle of truck is rated 4000 lbs, but tires are 3200 lbs each......

so all of this tells me what......

[ROBERT CROSS]

KF,

Well, you already know the TV rear axle is overloaded.

One thing not illustrated is how much weight is being transferred forward to the TV front axle and rearward to the Trailer axle. How is the WD set-up?

You can see in the CAT tickets I posted that without WD our rear axle is over by 20lbs and with WD adjusted under by 820lbs. It's important to know how much is being transferred.

Bob

[Mr & Mrs S]

Kingfisher,

Ive taken intrest in loads lately and when I rolled across the scales with our 29 foot Excella my numbers from the Cat Scales were as follows:

Steer axle: 4580
Drive axle: 4760
Tralier axle: 6560

Gross weight: 15900

Id be concerned with the weight difference between your front and rear axle.
Im by NO means an expert in hitching but seems like your front and rear axle should be closer in numbers.

Maybe when you come out to the rally in the Piney woods we can compare our hitching and load process.