Well we have been going on a diet for our trip out west. We do have a few more things to put into the camper but it was close enough and a nice day for a trip to the CAT Scales. Here are the numbers. I used the Weigh My Truck app that they have now and I have to say that is slick. Makes it super easy to do the trips through the scale. I set up my account a few days ago, do it first as it is easier though I did have my laptop with to record the measurements so I could have set it up there. I made 5 passes across the scales. I filled up once I got there and made a pass with no trailer, with the trailer and no bars, then trips across hanging 7,8 and 9 links to see what that did to the numbers. I did have the family with.

The top set of numbers were from when I went through and took the camper a couple weeks ago to a buddy's parking lot which is more level than my driveway. I put a reference point on all the fenders and testing how many links I was hanging and what the change in the links did to the measurements. The WD hitch is a BlueOx SwayPro. Doing the tape measure method, is a good test to get you to a CAT Scale to really check the numbers. During the tape measure method and the trips across the scales the Air Bags were at 40 PSI.



So based on the numbers, with no bars and hanging 7 links we were over on GVWR. Not really a shock. As we increased the tension on the bars you can see the weight shift back to the front axle and the trailer. We were good on our GAWR in all scenarios. Though it was really close without the bars. Not that I would tow any distance like that. I do drop the bars when I pull onto my driveway as it is easier to disconnect them when facing straight rather than at some goofy angle backing in the trailer to where I park it. We do have a few more things to load into the camper but nothing too major. I have been pulling hanging 8 links. Which is what I did on the way to/from the scale.

 

Great know those weights for piece of mind.
The fender measurements tell the real story because that is where you can see how it affects the drivability of the truck.
Your readings look great at 9 links.

 

Yeah I am debating on 9 links. If I go to 9 I feel I need to drop the hitch one hole. The trailer is riding a bit high with 9 links and the current load. The camper is configured as we will be towing to Yellowstone right now and this trip will be at about 1000 miles each way.

Normally we boondock so had we gone out this weekend we would be at least 400# heavier. That not only raises the trailer weight but will quickly put me over the GCWR as well as GVWR as I would blow past Payload as well. Though these trips are very close to home and only on good weather days.

As I have been saying, our trailer isn't very heavy compared to a lot of them out there that are a bunkhouse with a slide. If the camper was any bigger I would be probably be trading in the truck on a F350. We are right at the limits.

 

With the chain WDH systems, it pretty easy to tighten up a bit more.
Actual towing with the various settings will give you the what feels best option. And that’s cool.

 

Oops. I did make one mistake on the spreadsheet.

I had listed the GCWR as 13,200#. Based on pg302 in the 2018 owner's manual my GCWR is actually 18,400#. So, that means we will be totally fine on that combined rating. No way I would be able to add 5200# to the combined rig. Not without blowing past every other spec. We are running around 15% tongue weight with the way it is loaded out right now. I could shift some of our clothing from the front bedroom and put it in the bunk area in the back for our travel days which would lighten our TW a bit and take some of the load off the truck and still not be below my 13% min that I like to run. I don't think I will bother with that though. There is also some stuff we are going to put in the fridge which is also behind the axles. I don't want to carry a lot of food but the first night on the road is pretty much in the middle of nowhere so unless we get dinner at a truck stop on the way, we will want something to eat that night a minimum. Most of the other nights on the road we are in more populated areas if we want to drop the trailer and run to a place to eat. We have full hookups the entire trip so we will be running all the tanks dry.

 

We did about 500 miles today. Went with 9 links. Overall pulled great. Hit some pretty strong winds the last 100 miles or so in MN and about 150 miles into SD on I90. Wasn't white knuckle driving by any means but I was seeing some other campers really fighting it. Some poor guy in a class A pulling a pontoon was having a bad day. I'll have to pull that off the dash cam. The worst was a couple blasts of cross wind that hit me maybe 2-3 times. I could see the camper moving ever so slightly with the wind in the mirrors but it didn't pull the truck around other than those couple times.

This was taken at the parking lot for the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD. We have another roughly 500 mile day tomorrow.



EDIT for the video. Most of the movement of my truck in the video was when I was tapping my wife to wake her up to check out the pontoon. I gave him a wide birth and I noticed he was braking as I was passing. I think he was only going 60 or so as it was. I was going 70.

 

Sennister: IMO, you could probably drop your ball one hole on your shank. Seems by the picture your trailer nose is a tad high, that makes wind much worse, it's better for trailer to be a tad nose low. Great picture from afar, tells the story. Nice looking set-up, safe travels and enjoy

 

That was my concern with 9 links. At 8 it is level but 9 it seems a bit nose high. I didn't want to mess with it yesterday but it pulled well. I have a shorter day tomorrow as we hit Grand Teton and up to West Yellowstone. So I think I will drop it. I brought my 3/4" drive sockets, racket and breaker bar.

Oh in today's dash cam episode... A Mule Deer ran out in front of me at 70MPH. I saw him running down a hill off to my left and was hovering over the brakes once I saw him hitting the road. It slowed the about 13k# combined weight just fine from 70.

 

Just dropped it one hole so we will try it tomorrow. I can also tune the height a bit with the airbags.

 

Here it is this morning after the change.