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Sorry everyone, i just found this relocation of my original post and it is 1am in the morning. I will re-read and get back to you! Thanks for all the suggestions. We are done for the season, so actual weights will have to come in the spring. I did buy a Sherline scale for tongue weight.
Brian
We're in a fifth wheel so I'm not much help on the WDH, but I will say this is why our first couple of outings with our trailer I loaded up the truck and ran across a scale to check both truck axle loadings & measured ride height, then hooked up the trailer and went back across the scales to check front, rear, and trailer weights along with truck ride height.
It takes time and can be a pain if there's a line at the scale, but it's helping us figure out how to load the trailer and truck and we've added air bags to help dampen out the bounce when a bad section of road is encountered. I took all these steps because we're essentially right at the upper limits with our SRW 2019 Chevy 3500HD Duramax towing our 2019 Solitude 3740BH so making sure we had things properly loaded and adjusted is critical when motoring down the road at 65 mph.
Reading through the posts, looks like others are running similar tow vehicles & trailers with different results.
Typically there are just a few things or combination of things that lead to a bad ride, but it's good to start at the beginning with tire pressures on all the tires and then work your way through everything.
You mentioned front & rear trailer axle being unequal which to a point shouldn't be an issue, side to side is harder to check but when you look inside your trailer is there a chance you could be loaded heavy on one side?
I hope you find something simple to correct all this and your bad experience turns into something you smile about down the road!
Chris & Teresa + Naia (2yr old granddaughter)
2019 Chevy 3500HD Duramax SRW
2019 Solitude 3740BH
Chris
2019 Solitude 3740BH
2019 Chevy 3500HD Duramax SRW
Sorry everyone! Long story short, we have a new Ford F-250 with the 7.3 l gas engine on order. Delivery is supposed to be sometime in March, which will allow me to complete an engine break in before towing in May! I just could not stand the thought of towing again with an under sized tow vehicle. I still have to get things set up, but I also bought an Equal-i-zer E4 hitch. I have to wait until I get the truck before ordering the 2 1/2" draw bar. I don't know the how much drop I will need? I think this has been discussed before, but does anyone know how critical it is to get the torque value on the nut for the hitch ball? I don't have a 450 ft.lb torque wrench, nor do I know anyone that has one! All of my past hitches have been tightened down, but not torqued.
Brian S I'm struggling with your numbers where I will see if I can get to my manuals with CAT scale readings from my Imagine. From what I recall, I was at 940lbs tongue weight with full water and loaded for a trip. My half ton payload is 1740lbs so we're not far apart.
From your other post it looks like you may be done camping for the season. It would be helpful though to have the following if at all possible.
1) CAT scale readings of your TV steer axle and rear axle and combined weight of the trailer axles, with WDH connected and ready for a trip
2) CAT scale readings of your trailer off the truck to provide the tongue weight and combined weight of both trailer axles.
3) Brand and rating of your WDH.
4) A side picture of your truck and trailer, connected and ready for a trip.
Here are the measurements from my truck with my 2017 2600RB fully loaded and with full water as a worse case example. My truck and trailer for the most part are fully loaded.
Trailer GVW 6995 this is the older Imagine with a lower GVW.
CAT Results:
Trailer Alone:
Tongue weight - 940lbs
Weight on both axles (combined) - 5820
Gross weight trailer - 6760
Trailer connected to truck with WDH
Steer Axle - 3240
Drive Axle - 3520
Trailer axles combined - 5940
Gross combined - 12700
Front and Rear load (axle) limits - 3950
Truck GVWR 7200
Payload 1740
Since this time I have installed Air Lift air bags and have adjusted the truck to sit at its unloaded stance while connected to the trailer so I will need to re-measure where I believe more weight is now on the steer axle. This results in a significant improvement to handling. I'll provide detail next in how I set this up.
I am finished for the season and she is frozen solid in the driveway with quite a bit of snow on it! I certainly do plan to get all the weights in the spring when we load it up again. I bought a Sherline tongue scale as well. I will do all the trips to the scales as well and would appreciate your assistance in making sense of all then.
One thing seems evident from your numbers ins the 2021 trailers put on some weight empty! My trailer GVWR is 7,850. Where did the possible 855 pounds come from? Heavier springs and axles I presume? Our UVW is 6,124 pounds. I certainly hope our loaded trailer does not exceed 7,300 pounds!!
hink this has been discussed before, but does anyone know how critical it is to get the torque value on the nut for the hitch ball? I don't have a 450 ft.lb torque wrench, nor do I know anyone that has one!
TucsonJim did an informal experiment at one of the Rallies, and found better than half had the ball's not only torqued incorrectly, but some were hand tight.
I don't have 450ft.lb torque wrench either. When I was at the dealer, I asked them to check mine. They came out with an cordless drill that had a socket that had the torque wrench part on it.
I've also been told places that do Semi and Semi trailer repair would accommodate, since they have to torque lugnuts to 600ft lbs.
Mike
2017 Imagine 2800BH pushing a 2019 Ford F150 Platinum
I am finished for the season and she is frozen solid in the driveway with quite a bit of snow on it! I certainly do plan to get all the weights in the spring when we load it up again. I bought a Sherline tongue scale as well. I will do all the trips to the scales as well and would appreciate your assistance in making sense of all then.
Brian,
I would be happy to help but it looks like your new truck will take care of much of the worry. As Mike stated, a shop that regularly works on heavy truck will have a torque wrench and honestly as long as they are not located next door to a RV center, they will probably torque your ball for free as long as you are all set up to do this. An Equalizer hitch for example takes a thin wall socket where this may not be available at a truck shop.
As Tucson Jim has written about in the past, many folks are towing with an under-torqued ball.
What Rig do you have? Looking back I see your at around 1K lbs tongue weight.
Sorry everyone! Long story short, we have a new Ford F-250 with the 7.3 l gas engine on order. Delivery is supposed to be sometime in March, which will allow me to complete an engine break in before towing in May! I just could not stand the thought of towing again with an under sized tow vehicle. I still have to get things set up, but I also bought an Equal-i-zer E4 hitch. I have to wait until I get the truck before ordering the 2 1/2" draw bar. I don't know the how much drop I will need? I think this has been discussed before, but does anyone know how critical it is to get the torque value on the nut for the hitch ball? I don't have a 450 ft.lb torque wrench, nor do I know anyone that has one! All of my past hitches have been tightened down, but not torqued.
Regarding the torque for the hitch ball. Check out this thread:
...I don't have a 450 ft.lb torque wrench, nor do I know anyone that has one! All of my past hitches have been tightened down, but not torqued.
You can purchase an Equal-i-zer hitch with the ball pre-installed. It only costs about $20 more. Look on the Equal-i-zer web site.
I just happened to think, you will likely not have the correct socket for installing the ball on an Equal-i-zer hitch, as it requires a thin walled socket. You can buy one from Equal-i-zer, but I think it's a lot cheaper from a place like e-trailer. I had the dealer install and set up my Equal-i-zer hitch so I didn't have to deal with installing the ball, but based on some of the other things I have read on this forum, I think I will want to check mine!
And one more thing, torque is pretty darned important! The connection needs to be tight enough to provide a certain value of tensile stress in the bolt, in order to provide enough clamping force to keep from unscrewing. If it is too loose, and you do not have enough tension in the bolt, it can unscrew, but it can also cause it to fatigue from cycles of the lateral loading and unloading on the ball as you tow. The worst case scenario is the bolt fails in fatigue and the ball comes off the hitch.
Just a reminder that torque is simply a force multiplied by a distance. As discussed in the (wandering!) link in post 23, a 180 lb guy standing on one foot on the end of a 2 1/2 ft breaker bar, applies about 450 lb-ft of torque. Not likely as accurate as a (properly calibrated and taken care of) torque wrench, but better than nothing if you don't have the right tool.
My Equalizer was setup by my dealer on an empty rig which worked perfectly as long as the rig was empty. Watching them use a 3/4 impact on the ball and bolts convinced me to go over the hitch. Fortunately I had access to a wrench and even a tech at work. Those days are quickly coming to an end.
I'll have to go back and look up where Tuscon Jim purchased his wrench since I would re-check torque on occasion and make changes after a new truck or trailer. A force X distance method would certainly work if done properly and is far better than nothing.
Does anyone recall if the torque(s) are performed dry? Don't recall but I torqued mine dry.
I just ordered the wrench you've suggested. Planning on some minor changes on hitch height in the spring where this will come in handy.
I scanned over the Equalizer manual and did not see any verbiage on the bolt being lubed or dry. As a result, they should be clean and dry unless they specifically call out lubrication.
Just a reminder that torque is simply a force multiplied by a distance. As discussed in the (wandering!) link in post 23, a 180 lb guy standing on one foot on the end of a 2 1/2 ft breaker bar, applies about 450 lb-ft of torque. Not likely as accurate as a (properly calibrated and taken care of) torque wrench, but better than nothing if you don't have the right tool.
Rob
This is what I did, used my breaker bar and put my whole 175lbs on it after I used my 250lb torque wrench. Did get some movement but not a whole lot.
Another Rob from Ontario
Rob & Barb
2022 RAM 3500 Big Horn, 6.7 Cummins HO/Aisin
2022 Solitude 378MBS
I just ordered the wrench you've suggested. Planning on some minor changes on hitch height in the spring where this will come in handy.
I scanned over the Equalizer manual and did not see any verbiage on the bolt being lubed or dry. As a result, they should be clean and dry unless they specifically call out lubrication.
Jim
Dry installation and torque is correct Jim. As with all torque wrenches, remember to back the setting off prior to storing the wrench.
Jim
Jim and Ginnie
2024 Solitude 310GK - 2020 F350 Dually
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