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I’ve always been taught that you load a trailer with the weight ahead of the axles. I’ve been told that if I backed the truck on the trailer it would have alleviated the squat. That just doesn’t seem right to me. What do you guys think? Should I have backed the truck up on the trailer some so that the weight was more over the axles?
Also, according to the Ford literature available online I likely greatly overloaded my truck’s tow capacity by not using a weight distribution hitch. Can someone point me in the right direction so I can safely tow with my truck?
You could have bought a F250? LOL. That is a ton of weight on an F150 without any WD, you are correct you were definitely over the hitch rating and most likely over the rear axle rating as well. Loading the truck backwards would have reduced tongue weight but also would have made the trailer unstable. Lets start w/ the basics, any idea what that load weighed?
Thank you though, posts like this make me feel a lot better about towing our boat that is 525 on the tongue without a WD setup.
.... Loading the truck backwards would have reduced tongue weight but also would have made the trailer unstable. ...
Not necessarily. Looking at the OP's trailer (although it could just be the angle the picture was taken), it would seem that backing the GM (ugh) truck onto the trailer would place the center of gravity almost centre of the axles, which is where you want the mass to be.
You could have bought a F250? LOL. That is a ton of weight on an F150 without any WD, you are correct you were definitely over the hitch rating and most likely over the rear axle rating as well. Loading the truck backwards would have reduced tongue weight but also would have made the trailer unstable. Lets start w/ the basics, any idea what that load weighed?
Thank you though, posts like this make me feel a lot better about towing our boat that is 525 on the tongue without a WD setup.
The trailer weighs 1800 lbs and the all knowing google claims the truck weighs in around 4800 lbs. I read somewhere that I can buy/borrow a trailer tongue scale to determine tongue weights and that’ll help chose a WDH.
You're welcome. Although probably not the most ideal remedy, I feel that even with a simple helper bag setup my situation would’ve been much safer.
Not necessarily. Looking at the OP's trailer (although it could just be the angle the picture was taken), it would seem that backing the GM (ugh) truck onto the trailer would place the center of gravity almost centre of the axles, which is where you want the mass to be.
Here is a different shot of the trailer. The truck was pulled up with about 2” to spare before hitting be winch.
Truck has a special place in the driveway. We’re a Ford family but this GMC has some family history:
My wife’s grandfather bought that truck new and drove it until he passed away in ‘01. Her father drove it until he passed away in ‘06. She drove it until we bought her ‘05 GT in ‘09. I drove it until it crapped out in ‘12 and it sat for a few years. She sold it in ‘16 and regretted it since. I found it for sale and bought it back as a surprise. Also picked up a LS1 to at least make it interesting.
I’ve always been taught that you load a trailer with the weight ahead of the axles.
Yeah, but not that much ahead of the axles. You must know your weights. You position the vehicle on the trailer to result in 12% to 14% of gross trailer weight on the tongue. Average is 13% so that's what I aim for.
I’ve been told that if I backed the truck on the trailer it would have alleviated the squat. That just doesn’t seem right to me. What do you guys think? Should I have backed the truck up on the trailer some so that the weight was more over the axles?
Either position the truck on that trailer so the rear tires are barely on the trailer dovetail, to get more of the weight over the trailer axles, or back the truck onto the trailer to put the engine over the trailer axles. Again, weigh that rascal and position the load on the trailer to get 13% of gross trailer weight on the tongue. That means you need a tongue weight scale as well as knowing the gross weight of the loaded trailer.
Also, according to the Ford literature available online I likely greatly overloaded my truck’s tow capacity by not using a weight distribution hitch. Can someone point me in the right direction so I can safely tow with my truck?
Sure. Comply with Ford's requirements for towing. Any tongue weight more than 500 pounds requires a weight-distributing (WD) hitch. Your tongue weight was a lot more than 500 pounds, probably around 1,000 pounds with 13% tongue weight, and a lot more than 1,000 pounds with your improperly-loaded trailer. So you should have a WD hitch. No excuses.
Last edited by smokeywren; 05-07-2018 at 05:35 PM.
I’ve always been taught that you load a trailer with the weight ahead of the axles. I’ve been told that if I backed the truck on the trailer it would have alleviated the squat. That just doesn’t seem right to me. What do you guys think? Should I have backed the truck up on the trailer some so that the weight was more over the axles?
Also, according to the Ford literature available online I likely greatly overloaded my truck’s tow capacity by not using a weight distribution hitch. Can someone point me in the right direction so I can safely tow with my truck?
I would definitely suggest the addition of a air spring helper system for towing something of this magnitude, especially with a half ton pickup truck. There are a few different brands out there that I've dealt with, with Airlift being one of the most common. Air lift makes a couple different options depending on if you want to manually fill / drain the air from the bags, or if you would rather spend a bit more for a nicer kit that has an on board compressor. They also will have options like a single path that fills both bags one pressure, or a load leveling system that can adjust the pressure as needed to keep the vehicle / load level as well.
Here is an example photo showing one of the less expensive Airlift brand systems you have to manually fill each time you plan to tow.
Yeah, but not that much ahead of the axles. You must know your weights. You position the vehicle on the trailer to result in 12% to 14% of gross trailer weight on the tongue. Average is 13% so that's what I aim for.
Either position the truck on that trailer so the rear tires are barely on the trailer dovetail, to get more of the weight over the trailer axles, or back the truck onto the trailer to put the engine over the trailer axles. Again, weigh that rascal and position the load on the trailer to get 13% of gross trailer weight on the tongue. That means you need a tongue weight scale as well as knowing the gross weight of the loaded trailer.
Sure. Comply with Ford's requirements for towing. Any tongue weight more than 500 pounds requires a weight-distributing (WD) hitch. Your tongue weight was a lot more than 500 pounds, probably around 1,000 pounds with 13% tongue weight, and a lot more than 1,000 pounds with your improperly-loaded trailer. So you should have a WD hitch. No excuses.
No excuses moving forward because ignorance is not bliss. Thank you for the guidance and link for the tongue scale.
Originally Posted by Livernois Motorsports
I would definitely suggest the addition of a air spring helper system for towing something of this magnitude, especially with a half ton pickup truck. There are a few different brands out there that I've dealt with, with Airlift being one of the most common. Air lift makes a couple different options depending on if you want to manually fill / drain the air from the bags, or if you would rather spend a bit more for a nicer kit that has an on board compressor. They also will have options like a single path that fills both bags one pressure, or a load leveling system that can adjust the pressure as needed to keep the vehicle / load level as well.
Here is an example photo showing one of the less expensive Airlift brand systems you have to manually fill each time you plan to tow.
No excuses moving forward because ignorance is not bliss. Thank you for the guidance and link for the tongue scale.
I will look into this, thank you.
I am sure I am breaking a forum rule here...but I happen to have a tongue weight scale for sale in the For Sale Section. I used it once to weigh my boat and once to weigh a buddies. I would give you a deal on it if you are interested. PM me.
05-07-2018, 04:00 PM
What could I do differently?
