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pedwards2932 View Drop Down
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Joined: 21 Sep 2020
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Posts: 333 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Aggravations
    Posted: 12 Oct 2020 at 6:47pm
Well I was underneath the trailer fixing a black water outlet hanger.  I have one on order but when I saw how the original owner fixed it with a rubber strap hooked to propane lines I decided I needed to really fix it.  I made a new hanger and it is solid now....I'll replace when I get the new one.  I found another 30 or so pounds of water in the fresh water tank!!  I'm gonna reweigh so I know exactly where I am with it now.
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Oct 2020 at 8:07am
Originally posted by pedwards2932

I used my Sherwood scale and the tongue weight is 450.  That scale works good no issues, I would recommend it.  I know my trailer hitch is rated for 350 lbs so I will need to redistribute to get it closer to 350.  Shouldn't be too hard to do.

You need to be at or below 350 on the tongue, not just closer to it. 

Be careful moving weight rearwards to get the tongue weight down, that will increase sway risk. Don't let the tongue weight get below 10% of the trailer weight as an absolute minimum, preferably 11-12%, and consider that this minimum applies to all expected loading conditions, not just the load out at the beginning of a trip. Don't depend on the Hayes antisway system to save you, you need to start with a stable rig and consider the Hayes system as a backup. 

If you think these tight constraints are kinda like being stuck in a little box with no room to maneuver you are absolutely right. This is the kind of thing that makes folks get a higher capacity tow vehicle. Please be careful and stay safe.
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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pedwards2932 View Drop Down
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Posts: 333 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Oct 2020 at 8:46am
I am going to get the tongue weight to 350 when I load it.  After getting the water out of the freshwater system I am at 375 so it isn't going to be hard.  350 is not below 10% and is close to 11%.  As I have said multiple times if I decide I like camping enough I will get a new TV.
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pedwards2932 View Drop Down
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Posts: 333 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2020 at 6:34pm
Trip to eastern shore - Cherrystone Family Camping Resort - went great.  I will say the trip over the CBBT was a bit challenging. Wind was between 15 and 20 and there was construction for several miles that "narrowed" the path.  Coming back no wind on only a mile of construction was easy.  Wife and I are thinking this camping deal is going to work for us......so I think we will keep the Escape and purchase a better SUV with 5000 lb capacity for a second car and TV.  Might look at a higher mileage vehicle to get the price down.
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2020 at 6:08am
Sounds good. I highly recommend getting a good used vehicle with a reputation for high reliability over a new one. We bought our 2012 Highlander in 2018 with 80k miles for well under half of new. 80k is nothing these days unless the vehicle has been abused. Check to be sure the TV is approved for use of a weight distribution hitch, not all are. And AWD of course. A VIN check can be used to confirm the correct factory tow package is present before driving a ways to look at one. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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pedwards2932 View Drop Down
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Posts: 333 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Oct 2020 at 2:09pm
Didn't want to start a new thread on this.  We went to First Landing this week and on the way back it was pretty windy....reminants of the hurricane I guess.  We had a gust of wind hit and I could feel the brakes on the trailer activate.  Is this what the Hayes unit is doing to prevent the sway?  It is really hard to see the light that tells you it is connected (can see it at night)  Just not sure what to expect from this unit?
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Location: Wake Forest, NC
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Posts: 6417 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Oct 2020 at 4:12pm
Originally posted by pedwards2932

Didn't want to start a new thread on this.  We went to First Landing this week and on the way back it was pretty windy....reminants of the hurricane I guess.  We had a gust of wind hit and I could feel the brakes on the trailer activate.  Is this what the Hayes unit is doing to prevent the sway?  It is really hard to see the light that tells you it is connected (can see it at night)  Just not sure what to expect from this unit?
That is exactly what it was doing. It behaved just like it was supposed to to pull the trailer back into line. If you had not installed it, you would have felt the sway big time.
StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

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pedwards2932 View Drop Down
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Posts: 333 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Oct 2020 at 4:17pm
Cool...thanks.  Nice to know it works as I haven't had any other occasion where I noticed it.
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pedwards2932 View Drop Down
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Posts: 333 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 4:30pm
Well I now have logged quite a few miles from Virginia to the Florida Keys and then to the Villages in Florida.  This week we went from the Villages to San Carlos Island in Fort Myers.  Wind was gusting to 45 mph and it activated the Hayes unit a couple of times.  I kept it to 55 mph most of the way (slowed to 53 occasionally) and had no problems.  Coming back in calm weather I was able to go 63 mph which is my comfort zone for speed and fuel efficiency.  I really like that Hayes unit it works really well.
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 6:23pm
Glad the Hayes system is working out for you. Just curious, did you notice any sway before it activated or did it come on before it became obvious?
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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