Hello, another TT question.....

Well actually its more of a truck question, first I'll list my trucks info and what Im looking at doing and what Ive done and finish with my question...

First is my truck, I have a 2017 Ram 1500 max tow(verified by me). It has the 3.92 gears brake controller and towing mirrors.  Weught limits are 6900lbs GVWR, 3900lbs AWR front and back.  Load capacity not to exceed 1500lbs. I do plan on upgrading my trans cooler and adding airbags(Im aware they are for ride comfort not load carrying capabilities).

Second is trailer, Im looking at a few trailers, the one My wife and I are in love with is a grey wolf 29dsfb with a dry weight of 7200lbs(found on the reach of the trailer) and max load of 8800lbs GVWR.

  Ive done the calculations both with just a pen and paper and using the ( https://www.ajdesigner.com/apptrailertow/weightdistributionhitch.php ) towing calculator.  I added all the parameters, I checked all the weights personally, meaning I weighed the truck and took into account the weight of family and fuel in the truck.  With this set up I would be using the Equalizer 10k hitch and literally be at max weight on my trucks GVWR, but well within everything else including the combined tow rating (80% ish) and the rear axle weight.  Yes I would load the trailer and tow it instead of hauling it in the bed.

I drive for a living and regularly haul loads in excess of 100k down 30% grades as well as the highway.  Lots of experience driving, so Im not overly concerned about being over weight as my everyday is making sure my weights are legal.

Now is my question"s",  first is durability.  Im curious what the load on my truck will do to it over say 5-10 years.  Upkeep with increase Im sure but will the diff hold up towing this load say 4-5 times a year for distances of around 100 miles? Once every 2-3 years this would include towing in the mountains over the Coquihalla to Penticton BC.
The second question I have is related to handling, does anyone else tow a trailer that is this long with a half ton? Curious how it is going down the highway( cant be worse than 2 empty 53' dry vans in a wind storm, yes Ive hauled turn pikes plenty too).  Id be expecting to be pushed around by the trailer a bit when its nasty and am sure I can handle the driving end of thing as Im not at all afraid of taking my time and slowing down.  I dont expect to be running at 60+mph, 50-55mph is plenty hauling heavy.  So I suppose Im curious if the Equal-i-zer hitch is the way to go.  Any experience with that?

Before all the weight police jump on me, Ive taken into consideration loading lp, water(Ill avoid loading water whenever Im going to full service) and gear for weight in the tt. Im figuring on being around 8200 loaded and would attempt (I know that this will be a task all in itself) to keep it below that. 

Another question I have as I actually have no experience using them.  Ive read that equalizer hitches transfer weight both back onto the tt axles as well as forward onto the steers, but Ive also read that its all just kept on the TV and balances the weight between the two axles.  So which is it? And what percentages of weight is transferred for and aft with a 1k/10k hitch?

I pulled a Salem Hemisphere 272RLIS with my 2013 Ram 1500. The trailer had a GVWR of 9650#. There was obviously no way that truck could pull that trailer loaded to the max and stay within the weight limits. I could and did load the trailer to a max of approximately 8200#, and had 12 1/2 % tongue weight. I was right at the raggedy edge of of my weight limits. With that weight, the truck truck did very well. No being pushed around by trucks, had driven multiple times with 30 mph gust crosswinds, and had to do an emergency maneuver at 55 mph when a car in the left lane decided to make a right hand turn in front of me. Truck handled it very well. I used a Reese Dual Cam hitch. It was a pain to get it set up correctly, but worked very well. If I ever do go back to a trailer, I think I will try out an Equal-I-Zer hitch though.
At one time we were camphosting and did have the trailer packed up pretty full after we set up. I ended up having to move to a different site, and believe me, the truck and I both knew the weight was there. I didn't have any problem pulling around the park, but wouldn't have pulled it the 5 miles home on the road like that.

The purpose of a WDH is to transfer weight back to the front axle of the tow vehicle. Due to physics, some of the tongue weight gets transferred back to the trailer axles, but not enough to worry about. There is no certain percentage of the tongue weight that gets transferred. Follow the manufacturer's directions when setting up the hitch, and you should be fine. Assuming you don't have a truck scale at your disposal to set up your hitch, just measure the front fenderwells, and get the height back to close to what it was without the trailer hooked-up. What ever you do, don't get the front fenderwells lower. The trailer and the rear of the tow vehicle will end up where they end up. The weight distributing hitch is for loading the front axle, not removing sag at the back end to get the tow vehicle level. That is also just a by-product of moving the removed weight back to the front axle.
I forgot to say in the previous post, I didn't use air bags.

Personally there is no way I would consider it with a 1500.  Yea, I know, lots of improvments bla,bla,bla.  The simple fact is putting that much load on a light duty truck, not counting adding the bodies of your family into the mix is only asking for trouble.  Now, if you were asking about a TT with a GVWR around 7500 pounds, I would be the first to say go for it.  But not a 7000 pound DRY trailer.

Sounds like you answered my handling question, so long as Im close it should handle the weight just fine (given Im diligent with upkeep on suspension).  Ive read that the Equal-i-zer hitches are good, but literally all my knowledge is theoretical as Ive never used one. 

How far did you haul that trailer? Did it include any hills? The Coquihalla is quite an equipment tester.  Careful planning for decents are required when hauling heavy.  The big hill is 23kms of grade between 6% and 8%. 

donn said:

Personally there is no way I would consider it with a 1500.  Yea, I know, lots of improvments bla,bla,bla.  The simple fact is putting that much load on a light duty truck, not counting adding the bodies of your family into the mix is only asking for trouble.  Now, if you were asking about a TT with a GVWR around 7500 pounds, I would be the first to say go for it.  But not a 7000 pound DRY trailer.

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Ok, so going by the 10-15%(Ill use 12% for calculation purposes) tongue weight, the difference between a 7500lb loaded trailer weight and 8200lb loaded trailer weight would be roughly 90lbs of tongue weight.  So long as Im within gvwr of my truck loaded, (I scaled the axles seperately and together with my family in it) and the only difference would be being roughly a 100lbs off the gvwr which is going from almost maxed out to still almost maxed out.  What is the difference if Im still within the rated gvwr? 

Please keep in mind Im just being realistic, I haul logs for a living and have more experience dealing with CVSE(canadian mot) than any TT hauler does. This statement is just to show that I truly do understand weight restrictions and limitations.  It wont be grossly overloaded it will be at its limit with both a 7500lb and an 8200lb tt.  I guess Im just saying that it cant make that much of a difference in handling putting another 90lbs on my trucks suspension enhanced or not.

kdbgoat said:

The purpose of a WDH is to transfer weight back to the front axle of the tow vehicle. Due to physics, some of the tongue weight gets transferred back to the trailer axles, but not enough to worry about. There is no certain percentage of the tongue weight that gets transferred. Follow the manufacturer's directions when setting up the hitch, and you should be fine. Assuming you don't have a truck scale at your disposal to set up your hitch, just measure the front fenderwells, and get the height back to close to what it was without the trailer hooked-up. What ever you do, don't get the front fenderwells lower. The trailer and the rear of the tow vehicle will end up where they end up. The weight distributing hitch is for loading the front axle, not removing sag at the back end to get the tow vehicle level. That is also just a by-product of moving the removed weight back to the front axle.
I forgot to say in the previous post, I didn't use air bags.

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Thank you, I was figuring that if it did infact transfer any to the trailer it would be nominal and a big thanks on the setup instructions.  I have a bit of access to a scale as I used to work for the local steel recyclers and they're always happy to see me, so I can use their scale to ensure Im still legal.

I suppose my concerns are that Im having to guess what weights Im actually going to have in respect to the trailer as I own the truck and KNOW the weights but have to go by specs on tts as I cant juat hook it up and go scale it with a new unit.

I can't begin to tell you how it would do on the Coq, but I pulled over 7000# on RT 33 from Harrisonburg Va. to Petersburg Wv. without any issues.

Here's a short video from a motorcyclist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5s0PQKTIik

Video is about 8 minutes. Actual trip is closer to an hour towing. up to 10% grades

Scaled truck weight with family and a fresh tank of fuel is 5940 gvw, with 3420lb front axle weight.

Scaled truck weight with family and a fresh tank of fuel is 5940 gvw, with 3420lb front axle weight. Leaving 960lbs for hitch weight.  Im figuring for around 12% tongue weight which literally is my trucks limit.

Hey thanks for that video, it made me miss my 2 wheeled machine from what I could see the coquihalla (as seen on highway through hell) is quite a bit less twisty and double lane devided hwy the whole way with longer climbs but not as steep as 10% as all the hills on the Coq are 8% or less.

After talking with the wife a bit were going to keep looking and see if we can cut it back a bit on gvwr and just keep our "dream" tt as the reserve if we cant find anything else.  Im very aware of how close the 29dsfb is to my little TV's limits, but will go that route only if we cant find anything else....

Thanks alot people, Ill update when we make our first TT purchase and add a pic just to show off our setup

This is a Weight Policeman!

You have done your homework well!  THANK YOU!!

Since only about 10% of your driving will be pulling a TT, it should have no impact on the truck wearing out.  After all, you ARE within the design specs!

Go have some fun!!

Ok, so the update

After trudging through many many trailers and dealer lots (literally gave me a headache), we found our new trailer.

We decided on a Coleman Lantern 244BH.  It has a dry weight of 5500lbs and a gvwr of 7600lbs.  We negotiated a hitch a couple of 6v batts and a cover into the deal.  Went with the E2 8000lb hitch instead of a standard 8000lb husky equalizer hitch that they wanted to sell us.  I wanted to get a 4 point equal-i-zer hitch but they dont have an 8000lb option...

We pick it up on the 9th of May!!! So excited!!!

I'll post a picture of our setup after we pick it up

The Coleman is a wiser choice with its weight. I know the Coquihalla, and it can be more than a test especially in summer with 90 degree temps up those hills.


Bill

Tell me about it, try hauling a super-b through that pass....lol
If I was worried about the heat and the hill Id just run the canyon but this tt fits our budget better as well

  I towed an Aerolite 295 . Overall length was 33'. The truck was a 2013 Ram 1500 4x4 with the 5.7 hemi and 3.55 rear gear.I used a Reese dual cam w/d hitch with square trunnion bars. The trailer had a lot of weight in the rear but was well balanced.
  We travelled from coast to coast to coast with no problem. I didn't try to keep the speed limit and took it easy over mountains, both Rockies and Smokies!
    There was some buffeting by big rigs but nothing dangerous and the Reese hitch took care of any sway.
    With the 3.92 gear you should have no trouble.

Awesome, thanks

So here she is hooked up in my driveway, I had to get the dealer to deliver it to my place due to an issue with my brake controller install.  I maneuvered it around the yard and Im pretty sure the hitch isnt set up right, but had to go back to work so Ill have to take her to a nice level parking lot once the wife gets her loaded and set the hitch up properly... But glad shes in my yard now

Very good looking combo. Congratulations on your purchase. Have fun with your
new TT.