Idaho33

Wow, thanks for taking the time to do that. That tool is trick! Unfortunately the wife will not be okay with putting firewood or a geni inside the trailer. The best bet will probably be to take whatever is unnecessary out of the truck and trailer. I'm sure I could shed a little weight that way. I may do that and put a couple items like the extra drinking water we bring behind the axles in the trailer, that should reduce my tounge weight a touch. Obviously I will be lighter on the way home so I am golden that way and even on the way there the truck will get a bit lighter as it consumes fuel.

The tuff desision to make is whether to use one less link (reduce tension) on the wdh or leave it where it is.

Idaho33

Well it's kind of a long story but I will try and make it short.


When we shopped for our brand new TT I made the mistake of focusing on dry weights and listened to the salesman when he said my wife's 2008 Xterra 4x4 could tow the trailer. It was rated for 500 tongue/ 5000 trailer. I even got it all decked out with AAL, LT tires, 7-pin harness, clip on tow mirrors, prodigy TBC...etc. As soon as I drove home with an EMPTY trailer I knew I had made a mistake. That thing felt like it owned the 110" WB SUV. So I hit the CAT scales and realized I was already maxed out empty, and with just me in the vehicle. I was amazed at what the trailer actually weighed and knew that we would be packing a lot of gear for dry camping.


So I hastily traded my paid off 2004 Mazda B4000 4x4 (Ford Ranger) with low miles straight across for a "full sized" truck. I picked up a 2000 Silverado 1500 Z71 that the salesman said would "easily" pull my trailer. He told me the truck was rated to tow "like 9000 lbs". He was wrong, it had 3:42 gears which put it at 7500lbs and it had 200,000 miles on it (which is impressive btw). It was always intended to be a temporary fix but it really struggled with the trailer. It would bounce up and down while towing and would nearly overheat when the 5.3 would scream to pull hills. It wasn't relaxed towing.


So I got fed up and started buying into the 1/2 tons aren't made for towing hype and pulled the trigger on a bad @*$ 2008 black crew cab Silverado 2500HD 4x4 with low miles. It was an awesome truck and towed my less than 6000lb trailer with ease. I never even took it to the scales because I didn't care. However, I have about a 50 mile round trip to work every day when I'm not towing. My plan the whole time was to get my wife a new luxury car after she graduated college and use the X to commute to work. That would leave the big, expensive, gas hogging 3/4 ton in the driveway. I didn't really mind the ride but the gas mileage was horrible (and I expected that). My plan had a couple of flaws though because I overlooked how much of our increased income uncle Sam would want, and how expensive student loan repayments would be. I started questioning how smart it was for us to have three vehicles and an RV. So we ended up sticking with two and traded in the X on a very nice 2013 Infiniti G37x. So, wife is happy but I was still commuting with a gas hog that anyone should admit is overkill for my trailer.


So I decided to go back to a newer 1/2 ton that would be a better compromise between TV and daily driver and I think the F150 will fit that bill nicely. It sure as heck seems to tow better than the high mileage 1500 did. Also, the 5.0 actually has as much power as the 6.0 in my 2500HD did. And suprisingly the WB is actually slightly longer on the F150 screw than it was on the 2500HD. As I bonus I regularly get better than 17mpg driving back and forth to work. The V6 Xterra and V6 B4000 would only get about 18 (both had 4:10's).


So that is why, and so far I am not regretting the decision. I knew I would have to watch payload, but I was hoping to have a little for room to work with for toys. That's why I'm trying to fine tune things.

KR Kodi

iTrader: (1)

Great weight evaluation spreadsheet!!!!


I have one question about the "Weight Calculations" section. Maybe I'm interpreting something wrong, but I noticed it when I plugged in my own truck/trailer weights, and I see the same thing on Idaho33's sheet above.


What I don't understand is the "Weight per Axle" and the "Tire Load Each" numbers. Under the "no WD" column above the total trailer weight is 5540 and the tongue weight is 780.


Wouldn't that make the weight on the 2 axles a total of 4760, and the "Weight per Axle" would then be 2380, which would also reduce the "Tire Load Each" to 1190??


TIA,


Bob

Idaho33

Here is a photo. I wasn't quite done setting it up yet when I took this though. In the picture I was hooked to the third link on the WDH and had the recommended 50% reduction in rise on the front. To me it looked like it was sagging too much in the rear so I adjusted the WDH to the fourth link and it leveled it out and took almost all of the rise out of the front. That is how it was when I hit the CAT scale. I also adjusted the hitch head one hole down when I got home because the trailer was riding a bit nose high on the way home.

smokeywren

Go back to post #3 where Burlaz said " Or, if your trailer frame is strong enough, and you're not exceeding the trailer's GVWR or GAWR, build an rear extension and put the firewood there."

To expand on that, find a good welding shop and have them add a Class III receiver hitch to the back of the trailer. They'll probably have to fabricate a beefed-up trailer frame extension that reaches near the back bumper, then add the receiver hitch. With the receiver hitch, buy a "luggage carrier" or "cargo carrier" that will plug into the receiver hitch and haul as much as 500 pounds of generator and firewood. That extra weight behind the trailer bumper will reduce hitch weight because of the see-saw effect.

http://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Cargo-...ies/63153.html

I hauled a heavy Honda 5k-watt generator on the back of my 5er that way for about 10 years. The 5er is parked now, with a daughter full-timing in it, but the receiver hitch is still there waiting for the next trip with the cargo carrier plugged in.

Idaho33

I just might look into that for a couple of reasons. One is I already have one of those cargo carriers (bought it for the Xterra). Two is because I also have a 14' aluminum fishing boat. We used to be able to take two rigs and camp with the boat also but now we only have one TV. I've never towed a double before (legal in Idaho) and it might not be the best idea to start with a 1/2 ton. But I did still have a couple thousand pounds of GCVWR left so I guess it could be possible. I think I'd be nervous trying it though.

xcntrk

Sigh... My QA test (aka me) was drunk when v4.0 was released. You're right, the per axle and per tire calculations should exclude the tongue weight which is supported by the TV. The w/o WD numbers will be easy to correct, I'll have to think about the w/WD differences and how best to calculate that since the WD will actually shift some of the tongue weight back to the trailer, so "theoretically" the trailer tire load is higher with WD than without.

Thanks for the catch! Look forward to V5.0 soon.

brulaz

The actual trailer axle measurements confirm this. You shouldn't have to calculate much if 3 passes are done, one with the WDH tension bars tightened up.

superdave150

You are a wise and humble man to share your tale and the lessons you've learned. Lesser men have failed to learn and correct the situation, or gotten themselves mentally or financially over-committed and unable to fix things, or too proud to tell of it.

You quite effectively summed up the issues with trying to find the right tow vehicle for a given trailer. Finding the right TV is a complex task. (So many people over-simplify it.) Paying for the purchase, fuel, insurance & maintenance is even more so.

I think you have chosen well.

tomb1269

Unless you are boondocking, you could drop the water (not much of a payload savings as its in the trailer. The firewood is your biggest weight consumption. I know they charge an arm and a leg, but most places you can buy firewood. Here in NY you cannot transport firewood more than 50miles unless it is kiln dried. As others have stated move weight to the trailer. Be carefull of loading to much to the tail as it will offset the trailer balance. As for bikes, if you do not end up with the hitch for the cargo carrier you could install a bike rack on back. Is you generator small enough to fit thru the trailer door? When you take the dirt bike place the generator in the trailer. Remember every lb off the truck is a lb of payload, every lb in the trailer is only 13 or 14% in payload........... Enjoy......