Opinions on Cat scale numbers

[Shawn63]

Hi Folks
I have been looking at my weights and wondered if anyone has any opinions.
I have a 2018 Palomino Solaire 251RBSS,and have been trying to dial in the settings ,as I have experienced some white knuckle towing episodes.
Truck is a 2011 F150 Super Crew short box ,Ecoboost
Front gawr 3750 lbs, rear gawr 3850

Gvwr 7200 lbs

Gcwr 14400
Top image is WD hooked up
Middle is wd disengaged
Bottom is truck only(don't know where the 20 came from)
Thanks
Shawn

[007matman]

Full tank of gas? How about occupants and all gear needed for camping? Trailer tanks empty?

You are really close on those numbers. I can see why it's an issue.

WD dialed in proper?

[Shawn63]

Hi
Thanks
Truck gas tank was full,camping gear in truck bed,just myself in truck.
The trailer tanks were empty
If anything,I could have gone another link on the WD chain
I see my rear axle is at its max.
It seems unsetteled when I tow,I am thinking of getting LT tires
Shawn

[lbrjet]

You are restoring just over half of the weight removed from the front axle. Ideally the front axle number hooked up would be a little closer to the truck weighting by itself. You could add another washer or two. This would move some more weight to the front axle and to the trailer axles. As a beneficial by product the rear axle will be a bit lighter.

I just saw your chain link comment. Yes, you can do that as well to transfer more weight.

[Shawn63]

Hi
Thanks
Regarding the washers,I am using a Blue Ox hitch,so I will have to adjust with the chains.
Shawn

[larry2c]

We also have an '11 F150 and it sounds pretty similar to yours. Our TT is a little shorter but according to the CAT scale it's weighing in at 6200#. That's loaded for a 2 week trip with the fresh water tank full. We also have the Blue OX with the 1000# bars. When I went to the scales I had the chain on the 8th link and the scales showed I had returned all but 140# to the front axle. Because the scales were busy I didn't have a chance to recheck the weight using the 9th link but that is where I have it when I tow now.

The trailer tows with no issues in wind or when passing/being passed by trucks. I do notice a "push" from "Greyhound" buses but nothing terrible. We have put about 3000 miles on this setup in southern California travel.

Edit - just noticed the comment you made on the tires. I have the Goodrich K02's - an E rated LT tire. I haven't had anything else on this truck but from what other have said, having other then LT tires (stiffer sidewalls I believe) makes a huge difference

[dbledan]

Been there. Done that. I have very similar weights with my trailer on a 2016 f150 EB with my TT slightly lighter on gross at 7k.

You have about 50lbs extra on rear axle that I don't get and 200 on the front. I weighed so many times I put the numbers against my shirline scale so I could tune my hitch at home. I did a season with my blueox swaypro but in the end I still had some issues with sway due to cross winds that bothered me and slowed me down.

It looks like you could put more weight on the front axle to help possibly.

Things that help:
Better trailer tires (went up load range)
LT truck tires (came stock with P). Air up tires if you have LT already.
Timbrens helped level and stop bouncing the ride but didnt impact sway at all.
Balanced my load in trailer better to prevent weight in rear removing gear. Looks like this will be an issue for you too.
I borrowed a buddies F250 and it towed great without the WDH but still trying to afford that upgrade.

I had white knuckles in winds over 20mph and would have to slow down a lot with weather issues in high winds.

I resolved my concerns with a Hensley P3. No more sway. I was skeptical at first but after a season with it now and a trip to Yellowstone I will never pull a TT without it. I can comfortably tow even in 40mph winds...best money I spent on the TT. Maybe you can find used or refurbished but I didnt have time and figured I would use the money back guarantee if things didnt work and I needed to take on truck payments. I will keep it even when I get a new truck now.

I saw nothing to 25 more pounds on rear than I did with my blueox swaypro. You will still have to watch your rear axle weights as it is heavy (260lbs vs 100lbs) but worth moving gear around in the trailer. I had room to move it to the back after I had no more sway problems.

If you find a different magic bullet let me know. I tried lots of things but this did the trick for me. Best of luck and happy camping!

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by Shawn63

Hi
Thanks
Truck gas tank was full,camping gear in truck bed,just myself in truck.
The trailer tanks were empty
If anything,I could have gone another link on the WD chain
I see my rear axle is at its max.
It seems unsetteled when I tow,I am thinking of getting LT tires
Shawn

There's the problem. "P" style (passenger) tires have softer sidewalls and can cause a soft or squishy ride/feel. Get LT tires. The stiffer sidewalls will give it a more stable ride.

[SailorSam20500]

My trailer is about 1000 lbs heavier than yours. My 150 is stock Platinum trim, P tires, S Crew, 4x4, 3.5 EB. I'm using a ProPride hitch (2nd gen Hensley). Haven't had a white knuckle event not caused by some other driver (guy hit me as he tried to pass me as he entered the x-way - I was in right lane). Unless I go to a 5ver, I'll never use any other hitch.

If you try a ProPride, you can save some $ by picking it up from the manufacturer. They are located just outside Flint MI. Install will take you about 2-3 hours, a helper is recommended. No drilling needed, everything is bolt on. If you have time, both periodically come up for sale used.

You can really dial in your WD with the ProPride - it uses a pair of screw jacks kind of like a tongue jack to adjust - no big steps as you get with n or n+1 chain links. I've read of one guy who set up motors on the jacks tied to a blue tooth controller. He adjusts his WD as he goes down the road.

One minor added benefit if you can't open your tailgate while hitched - you will be able to do so with either the Hensley or ProPride.

[Shawn63]

Thanks for all the replys,
Lots of good info here.
I think I will try LT tires,and see if that helps with the squirmy feeling,I also will add another link or two when I tension my chains
I find you have to jack the tongue pretty high when at 8 or 9 links.
I think I am getting near the payload capacity of the F150 when loaded though.
Shawn

[007matman]

I think you are too.

However, I'm the guy that everyone thinks I drive overkill. I've been in your shoes and that's why I went that direction. I'd be the guy that would rather bring a gun to a sword fight.

FWIW.. I had lots of folks tell me that my previous TV (a 415 hp Escalade ESV) sufficient too. Some that would argue with me even now that it would have worked just fine. I know that what I was trying to do with it was too much. I got tired of replacing parts and worrying about overloading it.

Now I don't have to worry and camping has become much more enjoyable. I now feel confident to take the rig anywhere we decide to go.

Good luck. You can dump a bunch of money into a rig building it up to handle the weight. Maybe it would be a better investment to just move up to a 3/4 or 1-ton.

I went 1-ton Dually because insurance was cheaper than the 3/4 ton.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by Shawn63

Hi Folks
I have been looking at my weights and wondered if anyone has any opinions.
I have a 2018 Palomino Solaire 251RBSS,and have been trying to dial in the settings ,as I have experienced some white knuckle towing episodes.
Truck is a 2011 F150 Super Crew short box ,Ecoboost
Front gawr 3750 lbs, rear gawr 3850

Gvwr 7200 lbs

Gcwr 14400
Top image is WD hooked up
Middle is wd disengaged
Bottom is truck only(don't know where the 20 came from)
Thanks
Shawn

I ran from 2007 to 2016 with pretty much identical trailer weight pulled by a 2003 F150 Lariat 5.4 Shortbox Super Crew. Usual passengers were 3 adults and 2 kids. WDH was Equlizer 4 point. 10,000 lbs.

[llr]

I would do another link before tires. What bars to you have? It looks like you should have the 1000 lb bars.

[DouglasReid]

I agree with Every post which told you to go with LT tires. They are not only stiffer sidewalls, they are rated for significantly more weight carrying capacity as a result.

If you do not have a sway control system you could probably consider purchasing one of those too.

You are certainly going about this in the best manner, using CAT scale numbers rather than just guessing, and asking advice here.

Kindly let us know back after you do one and/or the other to see how it turned out for you