Weight Distribution Hitches |
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GlueGuy
Senior Member Joined: 15 May 2017 Location: N. California Online Status: Offline Posts: 2630 |
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Topic: Weight Distribution Hitches Posted: 27 Jan 2023 at 11:14am |
Not to be argumentative, but using a WDH on a 5th wheel is not possible; at least with all the 5th wheels I know. The load point for a 5th wheel is MOL on top of the rear axle, so it changes the weight distribution equation from a completely different perspective.
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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
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hogone
Senior Member Joined: 09 Apr 2013 Location: St. Louis Online Status: Offline Posts: 1043 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 27 Jan 2023 at 10:35am |
an epistle??!! i would say the a creed!!! dam, I dont even use a friction/sway bar. jon
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Jon & Pam
2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
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gpokluda
Senior Member Joined: 11 Nov 2018 Location: NM Online Status: Online Posts: 279 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 27 Jan 2023 at 7:58am |
OG, not questioning your explanation or scientific analysis, however it seems contradictory to recommendations from some manufacturers, namely Escape where we just purchased our trailer. They highly recommend a level rig front to back especially with the fifth wheel models. Is it because of the tandem axle configuration? I find it highly unlikely that they are recommending a level aspect for cosmetic reasons. Again, not trying to start an argument.
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Gpokluda
2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Triumph T120 |
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jato
Senior Member Joined: 23 Feb 2012 Location: Kewadin, MI Online Status: Offline Posts: 3227 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 27 Jan 2023 at 7:22am |
Phew, that is quite the epistle! And here all I do is hook up a 177 on the hitch, add a simple $ 40 Curt friction bar to the mix and go.
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God's pod
'11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
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offgrid
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 27 Jan 2023 at 1:33am |
understand that helper springs and wdhs perform entirely different functions.
Get a wdh to redistribute the load between your 3 axles. That's important if needed. Get helper springs to stabilize the rear axle. That too is important if needed. Neither one will in any way increase your load capacity, that's set by the manufacturer. Helper springs do nothing to put weight back on the front axle or to reduce load on the rear axle, because they don't create any torque to counter the moment produced by the trailer. WDHs don't stabilize the rear axle because they don't reduce lateral forces, only vertical. (The wdhs that combine sway control do improve rig lateral stability, but that's yet a 3rd function). In my opinion, there is no reason to add either helper springs or a wdh or anything else simply to level the TV. It's designed to squat when loaded. Having a level TV is a cosmetic issue. If your headlights are out of adjustment then adjust them, much easier than fooling around with hitches or helper springs. If you're bottoming out then you're overloaded, relocate or reduce your load. I suppose you might want add helper springs for improved ground clearance though. StephenH is correct, if you have helper springs of any type, and that includes adjustable air springs, you need to set them up first and then adjust the wdh to obtain the proper front axle load. If you try to do it the other way around your wdh tension will be screwed up when you adjust the helper springs. Heres an example of how things can go wrong. Say you have air springs and use them to level the TV with the trailer attached. Then you decide you still need a wdh because of squirrely handling. So you add the wdh and adjust it by the book to get the front axle load back up. Oops now guess what, the TV is no longer level, it's pointing down in front. So you let some air out of the air suspension to get it back to level. What are you left with? You just dropped the height of the ball so increased the tension on the wdh springs. So now you have too much load on the front axle and trailer axle. So, go back and readjust the wdh one more time. Then quit fiddling around and go camping. For myself, I never bothered with helper springs even though my Highlander squatted some with the trailer on. I wasnt worried about the squat because I knew everything was within load specs. My rear axle sway and stability was fine towing and I didn't want to change the ride and handling in normal non towing use. I didn't have ground clearance issues and never bottomed out. I adjusted my headlights down a little so they didn't blind folks with the trailer on but I could still see fine without it. Good enough for me. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6289 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 26 Jan 2023 at 12:59pm |
+1 on the SumoSprings. I opted for the middle grade though as the blue were not quite enough for my 2010 Frontier.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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gpokluda
Senior Member Joined: 11 Nov 2018 Location: NM Online Status: Online Posts: 279 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 26 Jan 2023 at 11:20am |
Something else to add to the WDH topic is the use of suspension enhancement devices on the TV such as SumoSprings, helper leaf springs, air bags, and progressive spring enhancements such as the Roadmaster Active Suspension. I think I lucked out in my application on my 2017 Frontier 2WD to which I installed SumoSprings(blue) as well as utilized a E2 WDH. Many many trouble free miles with that combo, just made sure I installed the Sumos first then worked the WDH install and adjustment from there.
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Gpokluda
2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Triumph T120 |
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gpokluda
Senior Member Joined: 11 Nov 2018 Location: NM Online Status: Online Posts: 279 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 26 Jan 2023 at 10:47am |
Well, OG, you could always wait for the inevitable Mr. Fusion now that sustained fusion reactions have been achieved. Should only be a few decades away.
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Gpokluda
2017 Rpod 179(sold 2023) 2022 Escape 5.0TA 2022 Ford F150 4X4 3.5EB Triumph T120 |
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offgrid
Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 26 Jan 2023 at 2:13am |
Maybe him and 249 more of his friends. That's about what the old 7.5 liter V8 up front is rated for. And I need every one of those ponies. That sucker is heavy, weighed in at around 9000 lbs empty at my landfill scales. Still, I suppose it could work, but where would I keep all the hay? I'd need about 80 bales per day. And then a trailer twice the size of my horse trailer to carry the hay. And then another 20 more horses to haul that. And hay for them too. I don't like where this is heading.... How did our pioneer ancestors ever do it? Oh, I know, on their best days they covered what we do in 15 minutes. Not counting days off for grazing the horses, which they could do but we can't cause it was open range back then. And let's not forget that around 5 to 10 percent of them died on the way from Cholera or whatever. That's no fun. I think Id be much better off converting the Chinook to electric drive and running it off the 1500 watt solar array I'm putting on the roof. By my rough calculations I ought to be able to travel between 5 and 10 miles a day that way. That'd probably be at least as fast as the pioneer method, and a whole lot less work. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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lostagain
Senior Member Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2587 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 25 Jan 2023 at 6:21pm |
You could have the horse pull your Chinook. Not only would that eliminate the need for a WDH, but would also be a net 0 for green house gasses. Of course, your wife might get a little irritated with you for making such a suggestion.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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