Equalizer weight distribution safety

[Olpete]

Went to the dealer today hoping to buy a Windjammer 2618w but that floor plan is now marketed as 2618vs. No problem except the GVWR and hitch weights are greater in the new model and probably exceeds the payload of my truck. The new dry hitch weight is 784 lbs (12.7% of the new model dry weight) versus 638 lbs (10.7%) in the previous version. When the trailer is fully loaded the hitch weight of the new version will be 988 lbs versus 818 lbs in the previous one. I have a 1000/10,000 lb Equilizer WD hitch so the hitch weight would be close to max and only 1,254 lbs of payload capacity in my truck witch means no room for passengers. The dealer told me, however, that my WD hitch will put 1/3 of the hitch weight back onto the trailer axels and allow me to use my truck to tow the 2618vs. Moving that weight back to the trailer is news to me. Is he correct? Does 1/3 of the hitch weight go back to the trailer?

[LSUTiger]

I am pretty sure that you are just transferring the weight to the front axles of the TV. It has nothing to do with transferring weight to trailer axles at all. That hitch weight counts directly against your payload. Somebody correct me if I am wrong here.

[ChooChooMan74]

1/3 is very optimistic for the amount back to the trailer axles.

[Evereddie]

Originally Posted by LSUTiger

I am pretty sure that you are just transferring the weight to the front axles of the TV. It has nothing to do with transferring weight to trailer axles at all. That hitch weight counts directly against your payload. Somebody correct me if I am wrong here.

That's correct the way I understand it too but some here are saying maybe not. I thought the total hitch weight is still there and counts in your payload, it's just that some of it goes to the front axles.

[TexasBob]

What is your tow vehicle?

[Olpete]

F150, Eco, 4x4, super cab currently pulling a Roo Shamrock 233S..... Working on getting it into my posting signature.

[dsjohns71]

Some weight goes to to front axel of the TV and some weight goes back to the trailer axels but not sure about 1/3 of the weight going back and I think it helps if there is two trailer axels and not one. Not sure what your model has as I didn't look it up.

[LSUTiger]

I went and pulled the numbers from when I took my truck and trailer to the scales and this is what they were.

Truck hooked up with the weight distribution bars engaged.
Steer Axle - 3320, Drive Axle - 3700, Trailer Axle 5,860, Gross Weight 12,880

Truck hooked up with no weight distribution bars

Steer Axle - 3120, Drive Axle - 3,920, Trailer Axle 5,820, Gross weight 12,860

Truck Alone

Steer Axle -3460, Drive Axle - 2,680, Gross weight 6,140

It appears that 40 lbs went to the axles of the trailer. With a tongue weight of 900 lbs that would equate to 4.4 percent. Hope this helps.




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[Stormrider151]

I'm in the same boat as you. The difference being you caught it before you bought the trailer. I wish I had. I to have the same truck as you and a trailer with similar weights. I don't like how it tows at all. Oh it will pull it just fine. Better than fine. It just won't haul it. Hence the payload issue. I'm trading my 6 month old trailer for one that's a little lighter, 2 feet shorter, but has a tongue weight that is half of what I have now. Your experience may be different but in my case I would rather drive the truck as opposed to the trailer driving the truck. Glad you caught it before you pulled the trigger.

[Evereddie]

Dealers and salespeople will say whatever it takes to get the unit out the door.

[dustman_stx]

Neither you nor your truck will ever know the difference in 150lbs. Your rear axle bearings might fail at 424,900 miles instead of 425,000.

[MtnGuy]

My current WDH setup with a 720 lb. tongue weight, I am transferring 180 lbs. back to my trailer axles, while adding 360 lbs. to my front axle (60 lbs. over the unhitched weight), and taking off while subtracting 560 lbs. from my rear axle (500 lbs. over unhitched weight).

Running those figures, 25% percent of the trailer tongue weight is going back to the trailer axles.

If you run more figures, that 720 lbs of tongue weight minus the 180 lbs. going back to the trailer axles equal 540 lbs now being carried by the truck. 60 extra lbs. on the front axle and 500 lbs. on the rear axle account for that extra weight (with a 20 lb. discrepancy due to the 20 lb. increments of CAT scales).

For those that want something to put you to sleep late at nite, here is a thread I started with my weights on a previous WDH setup (same truck and trailer, but different WDH setup): http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ats-11523.html

Kudos for the OP being concerned about his weights !!

[thebrakeman]

It's correct that some weight is transferred to the trailer axle. However, that is not license to consider the TW lower than when free-standing. Tongue weight is tongue weight. You do not consider your 900 lbs of TW reduced to 600 when you engage WDH.

But regarding the same layout being renamed to a different model. If it's the same model, you should ask why the TW has increased so dramatically. It's possible that the storage compartments used to be up front and are now in the rear. If that's true then the 12.7% dry TW might not changes as drastically because the rear-stored items would offset the battery and LP. If the water heater and/or fresh water tak were moved from front to rear, that would also have a small effect.

12.7% TW in the dry condition is very high. I suspect that is by design, and it won't be as bad as you think.

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

It's correct that some weight is transferred to the trailer axle. However, that is not license to consider the TW lower than when free-standing. Tongue weight is tongue weight. You do not consider your 900 lbs of TW reduced to 600 when you engage WDH.

Your "TW" number won't change. But if you calculate it as though all of the TW is going to be riding on the TV, you are wrong. Unless you aren't using a WDH.

[Crockett]

Ok..im going to step out and try some logic here. Whatever weight comes off the ball is going to the front end and the trailer. It would seem that the ratio of the distances from the rear end to the front and the rear end to the trailer axles would be the proportionate amount of weight distribution. So roughly speaking here, if the distance of the rear axle to the center point of the trailer axles is twice the wheel base of the tow vehicle then 1/3 goes back. Purely speculation here, but that may be the dealers logic and it makes sense to me.

[Olpete]

Many thanks for all of your inputs.

I know longer need to be living on the edge nor think I am smarter than the experts that make these ratings. I'll need to mull this information over for awhile and recheck my own scale figures from last season with my current rig.

I hadn't planned on RV'ing when I bought my truck so I have what I have - minumum payload capacity for an F150 (standard tow package, Goodyear Rangler tires instead of LT's, 3.31 RR axel). Next time I'll be smarter. Did luck out though - got the Ecoboost engine which does the job.

[hunterrick]

The folks who commented that some of the weight transfers to the trailer axles are indeed correct. You are basically putting a stiff spring between the trailer and TV which both transfers weight to the TV front axle and to the trailer. It can't push down on the truck without also pushing down on the trailer - simple physics.

I tow a much larger trailer Windjammer 3008W, and before that a Prowler 280FKS, with an Equalizer 10000 pound hitch and it works fine. I don't think you'll have a problem.

[thebrakeman]

Originally Posted by dustman_stx

Your "TW" number won't change. But if you calculate it as though all of the TW is going to be riding on the TV, you are wrong. Unless you aren't using a WDH.

I think we are saying the same thing. Yes, a WDH's job is to transfer all lost front axle weight back onto the front axle. And in the process some weight is also transferred to the trailer axle(s).

I'm simply trying to be sure that someone (random example) with 500/750 (WC/WD) receiver rating does not tow a 900 lb TW trailer, and say they are OK because the WDH calculations say TW was effectively reduced to under 750lbs. In my example, the 750 lbs TW limit references the unhitched trailer's TW.

[thebrakeman]

Originally Posted by Crockett

Ok..im going to step out and try some logic here. Whatever weight comes off the ball is going to the front end and the trailer. It would seem that the ratio of the distances from the rear end to the front and the rear end to the trailer axles would be the proportionate amount of weight distribution. So roughly speaking here, if the distance of the rear axle to the center point of the trailer axles is twice the wheel base of the tow vehicle then 1/3 goes back. Purely speculation here, but that may be the dealers logic and it makes sense to me.

Yes, that's the general idea.

[thebrakeman]

I like to think of it this way:
Say you had your trailer hitched without the WDH engaged. WD bars are secured in the head, but not engaged. Now have 2 gorillas, and each one grabbed a WDH bar and lifted, still holding the end of each bar.

At this point, a large torque has been applied to the hitch head, which lifts the coupler, removes a lot of weight from the rear axle, and adds a little bit of weight to the front axle. The difference between these 2 weights is being supported by the gorillas, so all forces balance out. Note that no additional weight has been added or removed from the trailer (yet).

Now have the apes place the ends of the bars on the Equal-I-zer L-brackets (or the snap-up brackets, etc) and let go. The force that they were supporting is now supported by the A-frame. Some of that weight gets transferred to the trailer axles. The remaining weight actually goes into the ball, and that's where the math would get really difficult, since it cycles back thru the system.