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Topic ClosedWhat's going on with 3500 lb axles?

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Happy Tripping View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: What's going on with 3500 lb axles?
    Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 10:15am
From what I can see, R-Pods and their clones/competitors all use 3500 lb axles. My 171 has a bent axle, I don't know when this happened, but it seems to be a fairly common occurrence.

With the 171/2, the unloaded wt (2342#) + cargo capacity (900#) leaves a 'cushion' of ruffly 250#, but with the other models, as has been pointed out by others, the unloaded weight plus cargo capacity exceeds 3500 pounds on all of them -  http://www.forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=173&Image=5054&ShowParent=1.

This doesn't seem to be a good situation. Someone, please explain to me what I'm missing.
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CharlieM View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 2:40pm

You have to have the secret decoder ring to understand manufacturers’ spec sheets. For the Pod FR lists the unloaded total weight (UVW), the unloaded hitch weight (HW)  and the cargo carrying capacity (CCC). The sum of UVW and CCC equals axle capacity plus HW. IOW, the total fully loaded weight includes a fully loaded axel (3500#) and the unloaded hitch weight. Using the RPOD 179 as an example: HW=292, UVW=2756, CCC=1036. UVW+CCC=3792 which is exactly 292# more than the axel rating of 3500#. This is a bit fictional since it is unlikely that any weight added to the unloaded trailer will have no effect on hitch weight. Looking at the unloaded numbers: 292/2756=10.6% which is marginal but OK. If any additional weight is added exactly over the axle the tongue weight ratio would be 292/(2756+1036)=7.7% which is dangerously low. A trailer load this way will be very prone to swaying. The bottom line is added weight should and will be shared between the axle and the tongue and will result in a hitch weight significantly higher than the advertised HW number.  Many new owners do not discover this until they weight the tongue and find it much higher than expected. Loading cargo behind the axle in an attempt to minimize tongue weight is a recipe for disaster.

Charlie
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fwunder View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 3:15pm
Charlie! I bet you are great with a slide rule! Just kidding. Fortran? Key punch? Thermo? Actually, I really like your approach to these problems. Math rules!

And, although I have never had a serious sway or control problem, I definitely have noticed a difference when carefully loading trailer and moving heavier cargo forward of the axle.

fred
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 3:50pm
Ying Yangjust taking it all in!!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 5:01pm
+1 to Charlie - Spot On.
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CharlieM View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 6:19pm
Originally posted by fwunder

Charlie! I bet you are great with a slide rule! Just kidding. Fortran? Key punch? Thermo? Actually, I really like your approach to these problems. Math rules!
And, although I have never had a serious sway or control problem, I definitely have noticed a difference when carefully loading trailer and moving heavier cargo forward of the axle.
fred

Naw. I retired my slipstick and I'm now learning a four function calculator. đź‘Ťđź‘Ť
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 7:28pm
Feel like I just took a math class! Wow, Charlie!!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 7:52pm
 Tongue weight of the trailer is carried by the tow vehicle rear axle. So the tongue weight is subtracted from the R-Pod loaded weight. That would make the (trailer gross weight minus the actual tongue weight=actual trailer axle weight) trailer see "less" on the trailer axle.

 For example my trailer is rated at 7700 pounds gross capacity at 100% everything. But it has two 3500 pound torsion axles. That's 7000 pounds of rating. It's expected the tongue weight would be at least 10% (770 pounds) making it just within the axle ratings.

I do wish they installed slightly higher rated axles, for a little overhead.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Jul 2017 at 9:21pm
 I look at my axle on my 2014 171 and it has a sticker on it that says it's a 3100 pound axle 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jul 2017 at 10:08am
Originally posted by ToolmanJohn


 Tongue weight of the trailer is carried by the tow vehicle rear axle. So the tongue weight is subtracted from the R-Pod loaded weight. That would make the (trailer gross weight minus the actual tongue weight=actual trailer axle weight) trailer see "less" on the trailer axle.
 For example my trailer is rated at 7700 pounds gross capacity at 100% everything. But it has two 3500 pound torsion axles. That's 7000 pounds of rating. It's expected the tongue weight would be at least 10% (770 pounds) making it just within the axle ratings.
I do wish they installed slightly higher rated axles, for a little overhead.



That's only for a simple hitch. A WDH will redistribute some of the tongue weight back onto the axle (as well as to the front axle of the TV).
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