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  1. #11
    Rolling Along backtrack2015's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by butch50 View Post
    I have a question, I thought a weight distributing hitch was supposed to share some of the weight from the rear axle to both the trailer axle and the front axle of the truck? Am I missing something? I lost 160# on my front axle and that also went to my rears. As I stated before as far as trailers go I have always had 5th wheel so this is new to me.

    Thanks
    If you just think of your truck without the trailer, you could imagine that both axles are pushing upward on the springs to support the weight of the rest of the truck. When you add the trailer to the ball, there is another load added to the system 3'-4' behind the rear axle. This creates a torque around the rear axle that tends to lift the front of the truck. The front axle is pushing upward a bit less on those springs. Since your truck's weight has not changed, it is the rear axle that is now supporting its original load, the added load "removed" from the front axle, and the trailer's load on the ball.

    You are correct that a WDH, when adjusted properly, will restore the original load on the front axle. Thus the rear will no-longer be supporting that extra 160 lbs. Some of the tongue weight will be projected back onto the trailer axles as well.

    I'd load up the trailer with your usual stuff, then spend the needed time to get WDH setup so that your trailer is level and so that the distance from the top of the front tires to the bottom of the wheel-well is about the same with and without the trailer attached. Then weigh things again and see where you are. Given you don't have the WDH dialed in correctly right now, I think the weights you reported make sense.
    2017 F-350 CCSB 6.7L
    2021 Micro Minnie 2100BH
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  2. #12
    Site Sponsor GeoffnCheri's Avatar
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    Butch,
    Off topic but curious of the decision to move from the 303 to the 17MKE, that is quite a downsize. Was this a Coachlight purchase from Dave as well?
    Geoff and Cheri
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  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by GeoffnCheri View Post
    Butch,
    Off topic but curious of the decision to move from the 303 to the 17MKE, that is quite a downsize. Was this a Coachlight purchase from Dave as well?
    Yes it was purchased at Coachlight and it was bought from Dave.

    We are getting older so we wanted to go smaller also my wife would not drive my dually so we sold our 303 and traded my dually Ram in for a smaller truck. We don't think we well have a problem with the smaller size. We spent 2.5 months in Alaska in a slide in truck camper with no slides. This was with our 35# dog and we spent every night in it. In the truck camper the only thing we missed was a comfortable place to sit besides the dinette. With this little trailer we have theater seating plus the small couch. We feel that this well be a very comfortable trailer for us.
    Butch

    I try to always leave doubt to my ignorance rather than prove it

    2020 Imagine XLS 17MKE
    2020 Red and Black Ram Rebel

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by backtrack2015 View Post
    If you just think of your truck without the trailer, you could imagine that both axles are pushing upward on the springs to support the weight of the rest of the truck. When you add the trailer to the ball, there is another load added to the system 3'-4' behind the rear axle. This creates a torque around the rear axle that tends to lift the front of the truck. The front axle is pushing upward a bit less on those springs. Since your truck's weight has not changed, it is the rear axle that is now supporting its original load, the added load "removed" from the front axle, and the trailer's load on the ball.

    You are correct that a WDH, when adjusted properly, will restore the original load on the front axle. Thus the rear will no-longer be supporting that extra 160 lbs. Some of the tongue weight will be projected back onto the trailer axles as well.

    I'd load up the trailer with your usual stuff, then spend the needed time to get WDH setup so that your trailer is level and so that the distance from the top of the front tires to the bottom of the wheel-well is about the same with and without the trailer attached. Then weigh things again and see where you are. Given you don't have the WDH dialed in correctly right now, I think the weights you reported make sense.
    We are in the process of loaded the trailer now but with all of this rain we are getting it makes it hard. Can't put any water in it yet. After loading it I well redo the hitch. When we got it home from the dealer pickup it was blowing and cold out. I know that the guy that set it up didn't set it right and the shank bolts were no where as tight as they should be. I have a 3' long 3/4 drive torque wrench and I was having trouble getting it tightened down. I had to order a 1 1/8" 3 1/2 inch deep socket. I had that size socket but it was not deep socket. Waiting on Amazon.
    Butch

    I try to always leave doubt to my ignorance rather than prove it

    2020 Imagine XLS 17MKE
    2020 Red and Black Ram Rebel

  5. #15
    Seasoned Camper Flip94ta's Avatar
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    Another laughable published tongue weight. If my mental math is right that’s 720lbs. I think we should start telling folks add 50% to the published tongue weight. Lol.

    What hitch are you using? If it’s an equalizer they add about 80lbs per washer to the front axle. You would not want to add two to it though, that would probably be too stiff. One might be the sweet spot.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Flip94ta View Post
    Another laughable published tongue weight. If my mental math is right that’s 720lbs. I think we should start telling folks add 50% to the published tongue weight. Lol.

    What hitch are you using? If it’s an equalizer they add about 80lbs per washer to the front axle. You would not want to add two to it though, that would probably be too stiff. One might be the sweet spot.
    I have an Equal-i-zer and it has 5 washers already. I'm thinking and the front is still 160# lighter than it was before picking up the trailer.
    Butch

    I try to always leave doubt to my ignorance rather than prove it

    2020 Imagine XLS 17MKE
    2020 Red and Black Ram Rebel

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by butch50 View Post
    I have an Equal-i-zer and it has 5 washers already. I'm thinking and the front is still 160# lighter than it was before picking up the trailer.
    It was weighed before being properly adjusted, right? Take a look now that it’s right. I like measuring wheel well clearance at home to see how I’m doing. If the back goes down and the front up, not good enough. If the back goes down and front goes down - ok, but not too much in the front. You get the idea. Then weigh and see. I’m still tinkering with my current setup (blue ox not equalizer though, so I have even less adjustment and still tinkering).

  8. #18
    Seasoned Camper Flip94ta's Avatar
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    You’re not going to “add” any weight to the front axle with 800lbs hanging 4ft behind the rear axle. You are just trying to match your unloaded weight. Your scale numbers make this a pretty easy fix, if you add one more washer you’ll only be about 80lbs off the unloaded weight, the nose of the truck might be sitting an 1/8” higher than when unhitched. Any more than one washer and the hitch will probably be to stiff.

    Do you have the equalizer manual? There’s a chart I. There that shows how to measure and level. Make sure the camper is level while you do this.

    If you overload the front of the trailer or happen to take a load of water you may need to add another washer as that changes the equation.

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Flip94ta View Post
    You’re not going to “add” any weight to the front axle with 800lbs hanging 4ft behind the rear axle. You are just trying to match your unloaded weight. Your scale numbers make this a pretty easy fix, if you add one more washer you’ll only be about 80lbs off the unloaded weight, the nose of the truck might be sitting an 1/8” higher than when unhitched. Any more than one washer and the hitch will probably be to stiff.

    Do you have the equalizer manual? There’s a chart I. There that shows how to measure and level. Make sure the camper is level while you do this.

    If you overload the front of the trailer or happen to take a load of water you may need to add another washer as that changes the equation.
    But I thought that is what a weight distribution hitch was supposed to do is distribute some of the rear axle weight onto the trailer axles and the front of the truck.

    Anyway today wasn't to bad out so I added another washer, I measured the frame on the trailer to make sure it was level and measured the height of the coupler and then set the ball for the same height. After this I checked my height of the fenders. The front is bout 1/4" lower than empty (I know it is over and it is not supposed to be less than it was before it is hitched up) My rear height remained close to before.

    So I drove it to a scale about 30 miles away and the following is the way it is set up now.

    Front 3220

    Rear axle 3400

    Trailer axles 4540



    Original weight was

    Front axle 3360

    rear axle 2760

    So now it appears that I only have 640# added to my rear axle now

    This is a lot harder than setting up a 5th wheel which is all that I've had other than a couple of utility trailers.

    I want to thank everybody for their help on this.
    Last edited by butch50; 02-23-2020 at 04:45 PM.
    Butch

    I try to always leave doubt to my ignorance rather than prove it

    2020 Imagine XLS 17MKE
    2020 Red and Black Ram Rebel

  10. #20
    Seasoned Camper Flip94ta's Avatar
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    So how did your rig ride to the scales and back?

    Are your spring bars parallel with the ground?

    Are you close to camping weight? If not I would wait till you are loaded up and try the scales one more time.

    Mine was lowering the nose as installed by the dealer. It didn’t ride well on the highway. Over bridges and first heaves it would porpoise pretty good. Pulling one washer fixed it and now the nose goes up 1/8”-1/4”.

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