2017 Wolf Pup 16bhs

[bigred123]

Hi I am new to the forum and am waiting to pick up our 2017 wolf pup 16bhs...its in...we toured it...but there is storm coming. Anyway...I was actually looking to this forum for issues about axles on the 16 pups. I am an engineer and the 3500 lb axle scares the heck out of me. I understand the reasoning for using the small capacity axle(cost and towing market sizing) but i feel that is too close to the operating weights for these TT. Off road sites don't help the situation. I am looking for information to change mine out as soon as I get it home to 5200 lb. Has anyone tried that before? I have some more questions regarding the converter it comes with.....does it actual charge the battery and if so is it a good quality charger for a deep cycle battery?
Looking forward to enjoying everyones input, ideas and the new pup.

[1201alarm]

Just be mindfull of the weight of gear you throw into it and you will keep the axle in spec. I would be much more worried about the tires then the axle.

I've had no issues with charging or axles on mine. I try and load heavy items into the back of the tow vehicle rather then the trailer. I would also not use a cargo rack on the rear of the trailer for the same reason.

If you can't get past the single axle then look to buy a small trailer with double axles for redundancy and to eliminate a single point of failure.

[psenne]

I haven't had any issues with my 16bhs, but we do not pack really heavy and normally do not haul water-a lot of weight is on the hitch (tongue weight) so just make sure to keep it under the 3800lbs gross and you should be fine. I check my tires religiously-I agree with alarm-that is what worries me the most-way more than the axel capacity.

My converter works great at charging my battery but I did install a disconnect though for when its not plugged into shore power, battery will drain from the co2 detector/radio draws. from reading the manual it has a 3 stage built in charger.

[jeffnick]

The way I see it is ratings are generally for folks who have little common sense or are inclined to blame someone else for their displeasures.

I have a 12,000 lb rig on 5200 lb tandem axles. I've been to Lake Powell twice from SC and up and down the Right Coast from Canada to FL.. I did lose a spring on the last trip to Utah but the trailer is original and almost 45 years old. My tires are LT'S rated at 3,000 each...but I'm a very conservative driver - never over 55 mph and never in a hurry (my tow vehicle has 150,000 miles and still has the original brakes).

I just removed the ST tires on my 2017 Pup and derated it by using passenger radials.

I'm telling you all this because I'm an idiot with complete disregard for the rules, but it works for me.

If your Pup is like mine, you could upgrade to a 5200 lb axle quite easily and rather cheaply. Ebay has a complete 5200 lb brake axle with springs for $300. You'd need only wheels (etrailer.com @ ~$50 each) and tires of your choice.

[bigred123]

thanks for all your replys...we got it home and all is great. i will continue to be carefull with loading but still going to look at axle upgrade as we go forward. I had the dealer upgrade my 24 series battery to 27 and I purchased an identical one at the same time. Going to put them in parallel in new box. I finally got the manuals and researched the converter/charger. Your reply were accurate...multi stage charger.

I am going to start a new topic about installing a INVERTER/CHARGE that I have been looking at so that I can have all of my 120 volt outlets on inverter power when I am not hooked up. Any ideas about that and what is the proper catergory to start it under? Here or somewhere else?
thanks
john

[jeffnick]

Originally Posted by bigred123

~~~I am going to start a new topic about installing a INVERTER/CHARGE that I have been looking at so that I can have all of my 120 volt outlets on inverter power when I am not hooked up.~~~

What do you want to power with your inverter?

[bigred123]

Actually I want to be able to power all of my 120v ac appliances(microwave, tv, except for the air conditioner and the electric hot water heater) This is what I am pursuing:

Remove battery wiring from 12 volt dc connections of existing converter/charger in electrical panel and leave disconnected permanently. Connect new battery in parallel with existing battery and wire to the new inverter/charger with 300 amp fuse and disconnect switch.
Remove 120v ac wiring from existing trailer 30 amp plug connection on side of trailer and connect it to 120v ac output of new inverter/charger. This is the new 120v ac feed to the panel. Wire the 120v ac input of new inverter/charger to the existing 120v 30amp plug on the trailer. This will be how the 120v ac 30 amp shore power gets to the inverter. The inverter has an auto transfer switch built in for a 30 amp service. This will allow all of my electrical loads to be feed from shore power or battery power automatically with priority from shore power.





DISCLAIMER....I do not recommend this change to your trailer nor will I be responsible for results of any actions someone takes from this.