Dealer WDH Setup Needed Serious Adjustments

[ficksters]

We just recently purchased a 2014 Shamrock 23IKSS to pull behind our 07 Tahoe with a 4 point equalizer. When the dealer put it on they put the brackets too low and it felt "squishy" when towing. My brother (part of the weight police and more experienced RVer) went with me to the CAT scales down the road. Here are the numbers:

VEHICLE RATINGS:
GFWR: 3100 lbs
GRWR: 4200 lbs
GVWR: 7100 lbs

1st weigh: (trailer hooked up with front tires on 1st scale, rear tires on 2nd scale, RV on 3rd scale)

Front TV Axle: 2640 lbs
Rear TV Axle: 3820 lbs
Trailer Axles: 4740 lbs

2nd Weigh: (unhooked, front tires on first scale, back tires on 2nd scale, trailer by itself on 3rd/4th scale)

Front TV Axle: 2860 lbs
Rear TV Axle: 3020 lbs
Trailer Axles: 5320 lbs

You can see that when the trailer was hooked there was 0 lbs of weight distribution and in fact the trailer was pulling 220 lbs from the front axle and placing it on the rear axle.

Problem: GRWR was getting close to max and i was not in control as I wanted to be

Fix: Moved the L brackets up 2 holes and reweigh

3rd weigh: (Sames as first weigh)
Front TV Axle: 2860 lbs
Rear TV Axle: 3500 lbs
Trailer Axles: 4840 lbs

Result: Took 320 lbs off rear axle and put 220 lbs on front axle and 100 lbs onto the trailer. Resulting in way more control and more stable towing.

As a novice RVer, my first realization on how important the weight distribution is.

 

[wneise]

Absolutely get to know your WDH because dealers don't. All they want is the sale, slap it on and watch you go. You made the right choice heading to the scales to get it squared out. Once we brought our first rig home, it was white knuckles, but after reading and rereading the instructions, I was able to make the right adjustments to bring up the rear end and have a much more solid ride.

 

[Dodge Guy]

And to think a lot of people will just go right out and buy a 3/4 1 ton truck and say "oh it tows so much better!" when in reality all they did was buy a bigger truck with the same improperly set up hitch.

Way to go on dialing in your setup!

 

[jtstromsburg]

If you just had a diesel....

JK

I found the same with my old tt behind my suburan. Pulled great once I dialed in the wdh.

 

[DK-in-SC]

This is a great post. We are new HTT owners and are also new to towing something this big. Do you need an appointment at the scales or just show up? Also, it seems like your steps to weigh in several configurations would take some time. Is that ok, or will they get grumpy at you for tying up the scale?
I definitely need to do this.


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[ficksters]

well welcome and glad you enjoyed the post. No appointment is necessary. they take a little time so its good if you have a little time and go when they are slower and after the first weigh I will tell them what I am doing so they have a heads up. you might have a trucker get mad if he has to wait, but most of the time they dont have to wait long. generally there is $10 or so fee for first weigh and $2 - $3 for each subsequent weigh withjn 24 hrs. make sure to have full tank of gas and whoever will travel with you to get accurate weights

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[DK-in-SC]

Got it. Thanks again. This is great info!


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[DK-in-SC]

Since it seems like there are a lot of new owners out there, I wanted to give this thread a bump. I found it very helpful when learning how to properly dial in my weight distribution hitch.

Don't assume the dealer set it up correctly. The only way to know is to run through this procedure. Doing so will make your towing experience much better.


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[MtnGuy]

Since it seems like there are a lot of new owners out there, I wanted to give this thread a bump. I found it very helpful when learning how to properly dial in my weight distribution hitch.

Don't assume the dealer set it up correctly. The only way to know is to run through this procedure. Doing so will make your towing experience much better.

A good point that bears repeating. Only 60 of the "lost" 300 lbs. on the front axle of my truck had been replaced with the dealer setup. Their setup procedure including stepping back, taking a look, and saying "yep, that looks about right".

 

[ficksters]

Thank Goodness for WDH, CAT Scales, and a brother that cares

Since it seems like there are a lot of new owners out there, I wanted to give this thread a bump. I found it very helpful when learning how to properly dial in my weight distribution hitch.

Don't assume the dealer set it up correctly. The only way to know is to run through this procedure. Doing so will make your towing experience much better.


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Glad this was helpful for you. Had a friend today that I went with (it was his first rv) and watched them set up wdh and they did a terrible job. I argued for my friend against 2 service techs that it was not correct and what needed to be changed, needless to say I ended up being right. I could only imagine if my friend had gone by himself or the other poor people that don't have anyone or know better and it can be hard on their tv


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[DK-in-SC]

Honestly, I think your write up should be a "sticky" topic. It is too important to get wrong, and it seems many dealers do just that.


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[MtnGuy]

Honestly, I think your write up should be a "sticky" topic. It is too important to get wrong, and it seems many dealers do just that.

I am going to "stick" this tread, but not in the hybrid forum. Weight distributing applies to all bumper pull trailers, so I will move the thread to the towing forum. IMHO, there should be a WDH sticky thread there. Without digging through the archives, this thread seems to fit the bill for the time being.

I might change the title a bit, to better reflect the subject of the thread. Ah, the powers of a moderator !!

 

[Big Red and 30WR]

I will agree that dealers don`t set your WDH up right. They slap the hitch together fast and send you off quickly after they get your money. My Equalizer was slapped together fast. Trailer was 6 inches low in the front. Set screw wasn`t even tight. L brackets set @ 29 inches with no problems to set @ recommended 32 inches. I took the hitch all apart and started over. What a difference that made.

 

[Boso]

Mine was set up wrong when I went to pick up from dealer I completely re did it after I got the best I could I called tech at ..Equalizer he took my measurements and told me it couldn't get any better what a difference in towing I did put a drop of oil on later while in Florida Everglades had to degrease within a 100 miles what a terrible mistake that was


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[FrontierRookie]

I suppose I can get in on this. I just posted another thread, but may be worth it to post here as well.

We recently bought a 2306 and we're going to pick it up on Monday. It comes with a 1000/10000 equalizer. Do I need to sell that and get a 600/6000 equalizer? He currently tows it with a similar truck w/the 1000/10000 and says it does fine, but I want to be sure I'm setup properly.

 

[iceblaze580]

The 1000/10000 is just going to be heavier. Id rather have an over rated hitch myself

 

[ficksters]

The 1000/10000 is just going to be heavier. Id rather have an over rated hitch myself

X2


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[FrontierRookie]

10-4. Thanks for the input, guys!

 

[FrontierRookie]

Truck pulled good. Don't think I have any concerns with it at this point. Maybe a trans temp gauge would be nice. Otherwise, WDH transfer from his Tacoma to the Frontier was almost identical.

 

[FrontierRookie]