Jeriko

Hey, just want to make sure I've got my bases covered.

I'm going to be taking my dad's Jayco JayFlight 28BHS out for Easter weekend and I'm doing prep work for the trip. It has a WDH already set up on it, but the receiver is set up for my dad's truck (2011 Dodge 3500). Would I just have to adjust the height, or would you guys recommend re-adjusting it for my F150? The tires on it are getting old, so those are being replace this coming weekend. I think I've done the math correctly, but I'd still like to check with you guys.

GVRW 7500
Dry weight 5145
Dry tongue 725
Length: 30' 5"

The truck has 1700# of payload, I have the the following in the truck:
WDH: 100
Me: 200
the band: 165+180+150+150 = 645
Various snacks / drinks for the road = 20

total: 965
Cargo + tongue weight = 1690

With this math, I'll have barely less cargo than available payload, but if I load the trailer with the band gear for more on the trailer axles than on the truck, would it be safe if I kept it around 12% rather than 14.5%? Only going to be loading a little food, guitar amps, drums. No more than 800#, and at 12% of 6000, I'd be right around 720.

I remember reading that the payload includes a of tank gas and a skinny driver of 150#. Would I just add the difference between that and myself? Or just add my weight? My usual trailer is much smaller, and this is the first time I'm taking my truck and the trailer for this tour.

brulaz

Sounds like you've got your weights under control. (BTW payload doesn't include the driver or any passengers. Tow capacity does though.) And I prefer higher tongue weights to reduce sway, as long as they don't exceed the truck's payload and so on.

I would take a little time and check the wdh and re-adjust as necessary once you get the trailer loaded. Get a tape measure and find a level spot.

You will want the trailer to be level when hitched up, or slightly nose down.

And you will want the weight distribution bars to remove 50-100% of the Truck's front end lift. Measure the front end w/o the trailer, then the lift with the trailer attached (but no weight distribution), then apply the bars and check that the lift is reduced 50-100%

Shouldn't take too long.

Jeriko

Thanks for your quick reply!

I'll take the couple hours on a nice day to set up the WDH properly, but I don't think it would it be accurate enough to adjust it unloaded, right? The only cargo we'll have is the stage gear and a bit of food for the road, and that won't be loaded until just before we head out as we all live in different parts of the city. Getting everything to the trailer to get things in adjustment would be an all day event...

I also screwed up on the model of the trailer. I could only remember the floor plan and looked at Jayco's archive catalog, and found one that's very similar. The trailer is actually a 2003 Jayco Qwest M-294S, so hitch weight just went up 45lbs. Just going to take some rearranging to make sure I'm not going to kill myself on tour here.

brulaz

Just do the best you can. In addition to normal cargo, trailer tongue weights can change a lot depending upon whether the water is in the FW tank or has been used and put in the grey and black tanks. And whether propane tanks are full or not. We just live with a lot of that.

Simplest to keep an eye on your truck's unloaded front fender heights and make sure they don't creep up too high. Some WDHs make it easy to adjust, just another link on the chain. Others are more complicated. If it's chains, you might quickly try different links and see what happens to front end lift.

Hope your trip is not too soon though. Don't you still have snow around there? EDIT: Ah, Easter weekend. Well it's Alberta, it could still snow.

Jeriko

Haha, yeah. I've seen snow in the middle of June a couple years back. Was not happy. Thanks for the advice. I'm looking forward to this trip.

smokeywren

You don't give details of your WDH, but almost all the decent ones use an adjustable shank.


You want the floor of the trailer as close to level as possible, front to rear, after it's all hooked up and the spring bars tightened. Check it with a 4' carpenter's level. If it's more than a little bit off, then unhook everything and move the head of the WDH up or down on the shank to achieve a level trailer.

Jeriko

so the tour got changed, and the trailer is no longer needed for the trip. Thanks for all the advice, it'll definitely help when we go out east to Toronto and Montreal.