tow rig

[troyemma]

I'm new to this so hope I'm doing this right I have a 2015 Salem bunk model 33' and I tow it with my 2011 dodge 2500 with the Cummins Diesel. I've taken it out on three trips so far, all within about two hours of home. the front end of the truck feels very light and its all over the road...I may have an issue with the front end? it doesn't drive bad when not hooked up. do I need air bags? I believe the toung weight of my trailer is about 900LBS so not much. Any suggestions?

[MtnGuy]

Are you using a WDH ??

Air bags do nothing to distribute the tongue weight back to the steer axle.

[The_Rhino]

Do you have a weight distribution hitch (WDH)? We tow an 8,000 lb. TT with a 2011 Ram 2500 w/only the 5.7 Hemi. If setup correctly, the WDH moves some of the weight to the front wheels of your truck.

The dealer gave us a "free" Equalizer 4 1200 as a part of our (used) TT's sale price. They setup the WDH for what they expected the tongue to weigh when pass-through-storage, etc. was loaded. With an empty TT, on the way home from the dealer, the ride was a little bouncy. However, once we loaded all of our gear she tows great.

You can always take your setup to a CAT scale to see how much weight is on front & rear axles but for ANY size TT you need a WDH for stability.

[beachcamper]

If advertised tongue weight is 900 you are likely 1100 to 1200 ready to camp. You need WDH or if you have one it's way out of adjustment

[troyemma]

I do have it set up with the wdh and the sway bars.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by troyemma

I do have it set up with the wdh and the sway bars.

It sounds like your WDH isn't properly setup and more weight needs to be pushed to the front wheels. If you're feeling a floating feeling, you need to take it to get weighed. You need 3 weights:

1) Truck + camper - with the WDH fully engaged
2) Truck + camper - without the WDH, just tongue on ball
(go park the camper in a truck spot)
3) Truck only

Get them all done at once and make sure your passengers all stay the same. You want weights for the truck's steer axle (front wheels), drive axle (rear wheels), and trailer axle(s) combined.

You can plug that info into this calculator:
http://www.towingplanner.com/ActualW...ailerCatScales

And then we can help you.

[troyemma]

Where do I take it to get weighed? Truck stop?

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by troyemma

Where do I take it to get weighed? Truck stop?

Yep. Most truck/travel centers have scales. It's typically $10-12 for your first weighing and then $1-3 for each additional weighing within 24 hours.

This should describe it all:
Learn To RV: How to Weigh a Travel Trailer

[MtnGuy]

troyemma,

Type in your zip code here: https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/

There are a couple of CAT scales close to Salem, Oregon. The closest appears to be the Pilot Travel Center at exit 263 on I-5.