Need an overview for an upcoming pull.

[paleghost1]

I'd like some of the older (that reads wiser more experienced travelers ) to look over the numbers, thank you in advance Gents.

I have some towing experience, but not at this weight level. My TV is a 2013 Ram Express, 5.7 with a 3.55 gear set, book payload is 1488lb, book CGRW is 14,150lb, bed liner, Curt class V xd hitch, airlift 1000 bags and a E2 1000/10,000WDH pulls me down to a couple of hundred pounds on the payload. The TV's scaled weights are 5680lb gross, 3280lb on the front axle and 2400lb even on the rear axle, includes full fuel load, DW me and Rugby.

Our TT is a 15' Salem 28 RLDS, I have swapped out the "Ridgeway 205/75/15's" which were load range C with a set of "Carlisle 205/75R15's" load range D (manufacture date on the tires is 33/15) and yes I'll keep everyone posted on the tires, I have also installed a TMPS on the TT.

I have weighed the TV and TT combined, on the TV I now have 6862lb, 3126lb on the front axle and 3726lb on the rear axle, 6320lb on the TT's axles and a CGRW of 13172. Did I weigh the combo wrong ? Is there's a couple of hundred or so pounds missing ?

Seeing that the weight on the front axle is a couple of hundred pounds light I raised the L-brackets 2 holes in a effort to transfer the weight back to the front axle and the TT's axles. I have not reweighed the combo and will not reweigh until we leave for Florida in mid Jan 2016.

A maiden voyage of 1,231 miles one way, should I make an appointment with a head thumper now and save myself the trouble or wait until this goes blamo ? I included a pic of the TV and TT as an attachment.

Thanks Bob, Berta and Rugby.

[MtnGuy]

Some questions:

Were the truck passengers and cargo in the same position during each weigh in, and the fuel level the same ??

What is the truck GVWR ??

Where were the weights done ?? The reason I ask is that weighing down to the 1 lb. level isn't done at many truck scales.

What is a head thumper ??

[paleghost1]

Yes, everything in the truck (DW, Dog and full fuel load) was in the same position.


Book GVWR is 6,800lb according to to the owners manual.


Used the CAT scale at a Love's (got yelled at by the truckers) They gave me a yellow sheet with the numbers on it.

"Head Thumper" a shrink or psychologist.


The combined rig pull well and I have no sway, made a 50 mile test run with a lot of traffic both semi's and cars, the semi's pushed us but little to no sway, headed home we got into very heavy wind gusts 30+mile an hour, that was not fun !!!!

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by paleghost1

Yes, everything in the truck (DW, Dog and full fuel load) was in the same position.


Book GVWR is 14,150 according to too the owners manual.

That is probably the GCWR (gross combined weight rating). The GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) should be listed on a sticker on drivers door jam.

Originally Posted by paleghost1

Used the CAT scale at a Love's (got yelled at by the truckers)

Rude to say the least.

Originally Posted by paleghost1

"Head Thumper" a shrink or psychologist.

Ah.

Originally Posted by paleghost1

The combined rig pull well and I have no sway, made a 50 mile test run with a lot of traffic both semi's and cars, the semi's pushed us but little to no sway, headed home we got into very heavy wind gusts 30+mile an hour, that was not fun !!!!

Winds will play havoc even with the big rigs.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by paleghost1

Used the CAT scale at a Love's (got yelled at by the truckers) They gave me a yellow sheet with the numbers on it.

What did you get yelled at for?

[paleghost1]

Guess i took to long getting off the scale lol.

[lbrjet]

I'm not seeing where you think you are missing a couple of hundred pounds with the posted numbers. Assuming the truck was loaded the same payload, full tank, driver and passengers for both weighs you have a very high tongue weighted trailer. You are missing about 150 lbs from the front axle of the truck. I would go with only moving the L bracket one position, not two. That should get you close without going over and keep your bars more parallel, which they need to be to maximize the E2 sway control. Assuming your numbers are all accurate, your tongue weight is in the neighborhood of 1300 lbs, since almost 1200 lbs is added to your TV and some was transferred to the trailer. I find it hard to believe that a 7500 lb trailer has that high of tongue weight, but it can happen.


2010 F250 5.4L 3.73
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equal-i-zer 4pt 12K

[paleghost1]

Thanks lbrjet, I think I'll move the L brackets back down 1, this is the advice I was hoping to find here. I thought the tongue weight was heavy, book weight on the TT's tongue was 882 but thats FS's numbers which I don't trust, I would really like to weigh the TT with the tongue jack on the number 2 pad of the scale and the TT's axles on the number 3 pad of the scale and see what I've really got for weights. But I'm not gonna get my butt kicked by an irate truck driver either.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by paleghost1

The TV's scaled weights are 5680lb gross, 3280lb on the front axle and 2400lb even on the rear axle, includes full fuel load, DW me and Rugby.

I have weighed the TV and TT combined, on the TV I now have 6862lb, 3126lb on the front axle and 3726lb on the rear axle, 6320lb on the TT's axles and a CGRW of 13172. Did I weigh the combo wrong ? Is there's a couple of hundred or so pounds missing ?

I don't quite understand why you think you are missing a couple hundred pounds ??

The truck weighs 5680 lbs.

The trailer weighs 7492 lbs. (Combined weight minus the truck weight).

The only discrepancy I see is that the 2 truck axles on the combined weights with the trailer don't equal out exactly to the 6862 lbs....it should be 6852 lbs.

Originally Posted by paleghost1

Thanks lbrjet, I think I'll move the L brackets back down 1, this is the advice I was hoping to find here. I thought the tongue weight was heavy, book weight on the TT's tongue was 882 but thats FS's numbers which I don't trust, I would really like to weigh the TT with the tongue jack on the number 2 pad of the scale and the TT's axles on the number 3 pad of the scale and see what I've really got for weights. But I'm not gonna get my butt kicked by an irate truck driver either.

Moving the L brackets back down 1 spot after raising the 2 notches may work.....a little at a time is good. You can always raise them later if that doesn't get you enough weight transfer. Raising the L-brackets too far up may get you out of the range intended for the E2.....somewhere along the line you may need to tilt the head assembly another notch (depending on the E2 instructions).

You do not need to unhook your trailer on the scales. You can get every measurement you need by unhooking the trailer in the truck lot for 1 run across the scales with the truck only (but don't forget to pick up your trailer when finished with the weights ).

Get 1 weight with the truck and trailer with the WDH hooked up and each axle (consider the 2 trailer axles as 1) on a separate platform.

Get another weight without the spring bars in place.

Get another weight with just the truck without the trailer hooked up.

The total truck weight on the combined weight of the truck and trailer without spring bars minus the total weight of the truck alone is equal to the tongue weight.

The weights shown in the 1st post show a 1172 lb tongue weight (6852 lbs minus 5680 lbs) , but that looks like it was done with the WDH spring bars in place, which does not give an accurate tongue weight. I imagine that the actual tongue weight is probably another 200 lbs. or so.

Wtih a possible ~1300 lb. tongue weight, you may need to think about getting a heavier rated WDH.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by paleghost1

Guess i took to long getting off the scale lol.

Funny. I've weighed a bunch of times and have never had a trucker eye me up. But, I do weigh and drive off right away. I'd i need to get separate weighs without the camper, I just park it in a truck spot and go back around. Only once did security come around and that was because I was dropping my trailer in front of a sign that said "do not drop trailers". I assured him I'd be 5 minutes and right back hooked up. He said it was fine.

[Tonylmiller]

That truck should have no trouble pulling that travel trailer. Setting up the hitch can be a little tricky, but there are youtube videos that show how to do it. If everything is level and it is pulling comfortably, you are probably good to go. I like to make measurements in inches of the gap at each wheel to determine how the weight is distributed.

[paleghost1]

Well first things first thank you for the informational responses. The truck had zero issues handling the weight in fact you had to be dam careful about speed or you'd find yourself goes way to fast. The Carlisle HT tires were ran at 65 PSI and had zero issues after almost 1300 miles and show very little wear :-) . The Accutire TPMS ( Tire Pressure Monitor System – Accutire Gauge ) is worthless as a real time monitor, they are good for about 20 feet lol, I suppose they beat getting a tire pressure gauge out. The only problem we've had with the TT is the orifice on the oven pilot is either clogged or too small, when the oven lights off it blows the pilot out (yes it was misaligned adjusted that). Otherwise sunny and 75 in south Florida. Thanks guys you help just with the reassurances.