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Old 06-17-2013, 11:35 PM   #1
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On the Cat Scales

I got my 08 Tundra DC and 3001W Windjammer over to the Flying J for a pass or three over the Cat Scales.

So the first thing I did was top off the tank. Camper is pretty much set up in travel mode, except the fridge is not packed yet, so the numbers should be close.

First numbers are truck only.

Steer axle: 3660lb
Drive axle: 2860lb
Gross wt: 6520lb

Next is truck with bars off.
Steer axle: 2880lb
Drive axle: 4740lb
Trailer axle: 6820lb
Gross wt: 14440lb

750lb Draw-tite bars on Hensley.
Steer axle: 3140lb
Drive axle: 4420lb
Trailer axle: 6920lb
Gross wt: 14480lb

Went home and put on the 1000lb Draw-tite bars and added one passenger.
Steer axle: 3260lb
Drive axle: 4500lb
Trailer axle: 6920lb
Gross wt: 14680lb

I'll be traveling with the 1000lb bars. Flyin J was nice to point me to a level area behind the plaza building to drop the trailer for the extra truck only weigh.

How do you determine hitch weight from these numbers? I was in the truck for each weight. I'll pull the number off the door jamb tomorrow from the truck.
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Old 06-17-2013, 11:49 PM   #2
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As a fellow tundra owner I just want to point out you are over weight. And the biggest one that would concern more than any is you are roughly 300 pounds over you rear axle gross weight. I'm not saying I don't think the tundras large rear axle can't handle I but it would hate to find out the hard way. I'm not trying to be downer here or any way make you mad but I would hate to see something happen to you and your family.
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Old 06-18-2013, 05:59 AM   #3
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Joe,

Could you take a picture of your door post GVWR sticker?
That would help figure out what is going on.

Herk
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Old 06-18-2013, 06:05 AM   #4
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Another issue is the weights on the trks front axle. When using either leveling bars you are still unloading weight off your front axle. If the hitch is set up properly you should be shifting trl weight to both the rear AND front axle. Looks like you need to fine tune you hitch set-up.
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Old 06-18-2013, 06:17 AM   #5
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Another issue is the weights on the trks front axle. When using either leveling bars you are still unloading weight off your front axle. If the hitch is set up properly you should be shifting trl weight to both the rear AND front axle. Looks like you need to fine tune you hitch set-up.
I think you mean shifting weight from the rear axle to the front and camper axles. The weight comes off the rear axle as it is supposed to. Whether it is enough (or too little) depends on the hitch set up.


From what I can see the WD hitch is doing its job.
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Old 06-18-2013, 07:52 AM   #6
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How do you determine hitch weight from these numbers? I was in the truck for each weight.
Your tongue weight is 1100 lbs. Truck with trailer without spring bars in place (7620 lbs.) minus the truck solo (6520 lbs.).

You should have dropped the passenger off before doing your weigh-in with the 1000 lb. bars. That extra weight messes up the numbers while figuring out the weight distributing ratios, but here goes a calculated guess.

Since the trailer axle weights didn't change between the 750 lb. bars and the 1000 lb. bars, that indicates that no more weight is being shifted back to the trailer, also indicating that you would be getting the same weight distributing ratio on the truck. Your 200 lb. passenger is adding 120 lbs. to the front truck axle, and 80 lbs. to the rear truck axle.....about right since the front seat is closer to the front axle than the rear on many super and crew cab pickups.

Using those speculations, your truck front axle without a trailer should come in at 3780 lbs. with you and your passenger, with the rear axle at 2940 lbs. With the 1000 lb. spring bars, you are still missing 580 lbs. from the steer axle. You need to get a lot more weight distributed to the steer axle to come close to the unloaded front truck axle.

When reweighing, keep everything as near as possible with passenger and cargo load and placement with all of the weights, including reweighing without the trailer hooked up.
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Old 06-18-2013, 07:52 AM   #7
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Wyo700s post got me to thinking as to why those numbers on the rear axle were so high. And then I remembered some bonehead had put about 35lbs of air in the Firestone airbags to help him get over the sidewalk when he was parking. In effect creating a higher pivot point in the middle of the truck.

Looks like another trip to the scales without the extra air. I usually run 5-10lbs, depending on what I'm hauling around, but had added the extra a couple of days ago to keep from having to put the boards down to back the camper in.

Mtnguy, Looks like I'll be in the market for 1200-1400lb bars, as it looks like I'm really pushing those 750s and even the 1000s do not reach where I need to be. I had the 1200lb bars on the Equalizer and I was getting an equal amount of "squat" at the front and rear of the truck when hitched up. Fine tuning the Equalizer on the road was just raising/lowering the hanger bars one setting.

With this hitch, I'm still learning to dial in the towers. They have screw type adjustments on top, but pinned extenders on the bottom with 5 different sets of holes, up and down.

And I'll have to let Steve know, according to the Cat Scales he's lost a bit of weight, or did I burn more gas out driving to and from the scales?

JR
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Old 06-18-2013, 07:57 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by JoeR View Post
Wyo700s post got me to thinking as to why those numbers on the rear axle were so high. And then I remembered some bonehead had put about 35lbs of air in the Firestone airbags to help him get over the sidewalk when he was parking. In effect creating a higher pivot point in the middle of the truck.

Looks like another trip to the scales without the extra air. I usually run 5-10lbs, depending on what I'm hauling around, but had added the extra a couple of days ago to keep from having to put the boards down to back the camper in.

JR
The higher rear of the truck will do very little in weight distributing. it could take some pressure off of the spring bars, but doubt that is going to be significant.
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Old 06-18-2013, 09:44 AM   #9
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Joe,

Could you take a picture of your door post GVWR sticker?
That would help figure out what is going on.

Herk
I can't remember what the front gawr is but the gvwr is 7200 and the rawr is 4150.
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Old 06-18-2013, 10:04 AM   #10
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The higher rear of the truck will do very little in weight distributing. it could take some pressure off of the spring bars, but doubt that is going to be significant.
I agree, I can lift the rear of my truck with the airbags, but unless you are lifting to the point that you are taking pressure off the bars then I do not think it would make a significant difference.

As you noted, you need heavier bars and they need to be tight enough to shift more weight to the front of your truck.
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Old 06-18-2013, 10:07 AM   #11
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Herk, that's what I tried to say, it just didn't come out right.
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Old 06-18-2013, 10:21 AM   #12
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overweight

7200lb truck gvwr, right?
the last measurement with passenger you are 500lb over that. And you need to add food yet.
Any other passengers?

Best Practice is to have a 10-20% margin of safety between load rating and actual load.
You are quickly approaching 10% OVER your load rating and I'm sure that big empty bed will have stuff put in it - bikes, firewood, etc making things worse yet.

I suggest you do some research on what's the weakest link in your truck - cooling, U joints, etc so you're prepared to deal with the issue when it occurs.

Also, what is your GCWR - I bet you're also at the limit on that limit too.

And I know what you're going to say 'but they're just numbers....' OK, 750, 1000, whatever the scale says are just numbers too. What degree do you have that lets you choose which numbers are 'real' and to be believed and which are 'made up' and can be ignored?

Quoting to say I agree with wyo.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wyo700 View Post
As a fellow tundra owner I just want to point out you are over weight. And the biggest one that would concern more than any is you are roughly 300 pounds over you rear axle gross weight. I'm not saying I don't think the tundras large rear axle can't handle I but it would hate to find out the hard way. I'm not trying to be downer here or any way make you mad but I would hate to see something happen to you and your family.
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Old 06-18-2013, 12:32 PM   #13
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Herk, that's what I tried to say, it just didn't come out right.
No worries, happens to me all the time.
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