RV's!! The importance of Weight distribution in trailers. *THIS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE*

[C_Dave45]

[Minimalist]

Great now Dave has opened up the whole Mustang v Camero debate.

[ExtraSlow]

But will the plane take off?

Seriously though, I have been hammering on this topic on a truck forum I hang out at. The guys there are getting tired of it, and have told me to back off. Guess I'll post this video and see what they think.

I was convinced after I spent an hour at the CAT scales at the truck stop and watched the weight going back onto my steering axle, and the awful experience of towing a slightly too large trailer with no WD system, on snowy roads.

[codetrap]

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[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
But will the plane take off?

Seriously though, I have been hammering on this topic on a truck forum I hang out at. The guys there are getting tired of it, and have told me to back off. Guess I'll post this video and see what they think.

I was convinced after I spent an hour at the CAT scales at the truck stop and watched the weight going back onto my steering axle, and the awful experience of towing a slightly too large trailer with no WD system, on snowy roads.

I remember your post about that. I'm curious how you did it. You moved weight around, and then checked the weight of your tow vehicle's rear axle? (Tongue weight?) Would the change in distribution affect the weight of the trailer axles?

[codetrap]

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[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by codetrap
Dave, I did mine at the regular highway scales when they weren't in use. Gave me lots of time to move things around and check the tongue weight, then hook up and verify via the 3 axles. I spent a good hour there just organizing stuff.

Oh, so you unhooked the trailer so that the tongue was sitting on the scale by itself?
(Yeah, I like the little weigh scale just south on McLeod towards Okotoks. Hardly anyone is ever there)

[ExtraSlow]

Originally posted by C_Dave45

I remember your post about that. I'm curious how you did it. You moved weight around, and then checked the weight of your tow vehicle's rear axle? (Tongue weight?) Would the change in distribution affect the weight of the trailer axles?

I have detailed it pretty carefully in this thread:
http://forums.beyond.ca/st2/towing-h...hreadid=391936
I won't go through it all again, but the short answer is that adjusting your WDH doesn't change anything about the weight on the trailer axes. I guess if you moved weight far enough forward that it was more on the tongue it might, but I never worked on that.

What it DOES do is remove weight from the drive axle of the truck and put it onto the steering axle.

Those CAT scales weigh trailer, drive and steer axles separately. I never bothered to unhook the trailer to get a true tongue weight by itself, because I can calculate it from the other weights without a lot of hassle. I don't live at the edge of town, so it's not worth my time to drive to the empty highway weigh scales, I'd prefer to use the CAT scale at the truck stop.

Read that other thread, and let me know if you have more questions. I'm not an expert about this stuff, but I have fucked around long enough that I have some idea how it all works. And lots of opinions.

[Kloubek]

Is this what went wrong with you and your trailer, Dave?

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by Kloubek
Is this what went wrong with you and your trailer, Dave?

When I saw that gif, that's what immediately came to mind. But we also had winds gusting to 90 kmh that day.

But I don't know. That scale model obviously exaggerates the physical forces. That little red plate would probably equate to, what, a 500 lb force, if not more? Also the axle is dead in the middle of the model trailer. Most RV's are placed a little to the rear to begin with.

I can't see a 7,000 lb trailer being affected by a few cans of beans or a flat of water improperly placed.

I've never paid detailed attention to what items went where. I had contents pretty much from one end of the trailer to the other.

But I CAN see the importance of at least being aware of that importance when loading. Also being aware of where your holding tanks are located in relation to your trailer's axle.

[78si]

Cool video. Thanks for sharing.

[AndyL]

Wind against the slab sides of a square RV - can do really funny things...

Take a tour down 22 when the wind warning is on - an 18 wheeler is setup for pretty much pure pin weight (axles all the way back). But when the winds get high - the tail will wag the dog.

This is partly why you almost never see an airstream on its roof - those rounded corners have a huge impact on performance in a cross wind.

There - some aerodynamics into the mix to make things more confusing

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by AndyL
Wind against the slab sides of a square RV - can do really funny things...

Take a tour down 22 when the wind warning is on - an 18 wheeler is setup for pretty much pure pin weight (axles all the way back). But when the winds get high - the tail will wag the dog.

This is partly why you almost never see an airstream on its roof - those rounded corners have a huge impact on performance in a cross wind.

There - some aerodynamics into the mix to make things more confusing

After our accident, the first trip we took with the new (and heavier) trailer was to Lundbreck Falls. The minute we got onto 22x, we saw the amber lights flashing. Sure enough we hit some wind and a little fishtailing occured. Probably very minor, but my wife grabbed anything in a death grip and burst into tears. She was terrified.

I tried to say "it's okay, it's minor" but I pretty much shit my pants and the adrenalin was in full circulation.

I've since purchased and installed a Reece Friction Sway Controller. HUGE difference.

[SOAB]

I don't know how many times I've talked to trailer owners and they have no idea what the WD hitch does or why they use it. just that the RV dealership told them to.

my sister-in-law wanted to buy a 26" travel trailer and tow it with her MDX. I told her husband that their vehicle will not tow it safely and he looked at me like I was crazy and didn't know what I was talking about.

a little knowledge about towing and axle weights could save a life.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by SOAB
I don't know how many times I've talked to trailer owners and they have no idea what the WD hitch does or why they use it.

A WD really doesn't do much for sway control.

What is Sway Control?

Trailer sway can be caused by crosswinds, poor trailer loading (load being too far back), or inadequate spring bar tension in the weight distribution system. The use of a weight-distributing hitch by itself may help limit trailer sway by evenly distributing the weight of the load, but it will do little to improve sway caused by crosswinds.

You want a sway control, especially in crosswinds.

I put one on our trailer and it helped immensely.

[jacky4566]

Dumb question. Do trailers not have sway bars like automobiles?

[HomespunLobster]

An oldie but goodie, they don't show with too much weight up front lifting your front tires off though. Lose all steering capabilities

[SOAB]

Originally posted by C_Dave45

A WD really doesn't do much for sway control.

What is Sway Control?




You want a sway control, especially in crosswinds.

I put one on our trailer and it helped immensely.

I said nothing about sway control. most people don't even know how to adjust a WD hitch or why.

I use a Reese Straight-line dual cam sway control system for my trailer.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by SOAB


I said nothing about sway control. most people don't even know how to adjust a WD hitch or why.

I use a Reese Straight-line dual cam sway control system for my trailer.

Reading >Me. Sorry. I totally misread your point. And yes agree with your statement.

[RealJimmyJames]

Originally posted by C_Dave45

A WD really doesn't do much for sway control.

Isn't that exactly the opposite of what the video shows? Weight is moved around, and the sway is worse.