OK all you Equal-i-zer experts

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by SafariSS

... I am curious as I have the same trailer as you and was wondering what really it weighed...

well m'mate still doesn't know exactly what the trailer weighs...

without an actual tongue measurement or subtracting the truck weight.

BUT, richL has weighed HIS bunkhouse several times, and reported some of those weights here or IN HIS BLOG....

and it isn't obvious the axle loads are ideal yet either on the m'mate rig...

as b notes it is not unusual for the drive axle to compress (lower) more than the front.

many towing setup guides suggest that once the trailer is level and spring bars tensioned,

the tv stance may be lowered aft, which is OK, solongas the the headlights are NOT skyward....

first there are MORE questions...

-were the kids, wife and dog INSIDE the tv during the weigh in and wheel well measurements?

-was the fuel tank FULL?

-were the height measurements taken on BOTH SIDES of the tv?

-how close to the hitch up location were the UNhitched measurements recorded?

-were the tires JUICED UP as we've covered in other threads (70-75 psi front and rear)

my truck isn't exactly the same wheel well height on both sides, about .25-.5 inches of variation.

BUT if we ass-ume full tank n tires, all on board, truck b level side2side, and engine running during weigh in...

imo the REAR was dropped too much and since the front is SLIGHTLY higher, the front axle weight is NOT back2baseline...

m'mate hasn't posted tv axle weights UNhitched, my WAG is the diesel f250 has...

4300-4700 pounds on the FRONT AXLE, UN hitched

3200-3700 pounds on the REAR AXLE, UN hitched.

of course he does carry a GOLF CART in the truck bed sometimes, and that isn't included, i hope.

anyway, my guess is the front axle is light a few 100 lbs currently, but without the weights who knows how much?

ft/rr spring compression rates vary so using "drop" 2 suggest axle wt. is imprecise without MORE baseline measures.

but since the rear DROPPED 2+ inches and the front is UP (very slightly) more weight transfer is reasonable.

without weighing and relying on wheel well heights, i'd expect to see LOWERING at all corners,

but a max of 1/2-1 inch more at the rear, NOT 2+ inches, with the DIESEL drivetrain.

gotta weight the truck bro! and i'd be hesitant to fiddle with the ball tilt n washers UNTIL then.

again IF the steering is good and towing control good, messing with it based on incomplete data might turn good2bad...

which isn't obvious and as a learning moment might be good, but 4 towing and dry shorts might be bad.

cheers
2air'

[Minnie's Mate]

Wow, so many variables. OK. The engine was running during weigh-in. The fuel tank was probably 5/8's full. Water tank was about 3/4 full. Other tanks were 3-4 gallons each. We were loaded for a camping trip in trailer and in truck...except kids, dog, and wife were at home. We had driven to FDR State Park some 61 miles from home (full fuel tank before we left home) and found out when we arrived at 9:00 Friday night our reservation was for wrong weekend: my fault. So, we returned home. I weighed the next morning without unhitching or unpacking. This trip the golf cart was not in the truck bed this time...we only take it to Disney World. State parks don't allow them.

I measured the tire well openings on the passenger side only with the truck and trailer parked in our almost level concrete driveway and then unhitched, pulled forward about three feet and measured again.

When Ford redesigned the F-250 for '08, they redesigned the rear suspension so that it is softer until loaded so I'm not surprised that the rear would compress some before the stiffer springs take the load. This may account for the greater drop in the rear than the front. I admit that I am not that up on the mechanics of my own truck.

I have topped off the Airstream tire pressure, but haven't checked the truck tire pressure lately. It isn't the max, but should be equal in both front and both rear tires.

I will try to go back to the CAT scales at the truck stop this weekend and weigh the truck alone and see what the numbers are...that is depending on the honey do list.