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Old 05-11-2020, 08:50 AM   #1
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Towing Issues

Hi,
Tom here---bought a Rockwood Mini Lite last December and F 150 last November. Trying to get set to got traveling full time in June. Been concerned about weights so I took truck and trailer to the local CAT scale. I want to post my results. I'm concerned about the Rear GAWR .
So I have a F 150 KR with max tow package. Here are the sticker weights
Front GAWR---3,650#
Rear GAWR---4,050 #
Total GVWR 7,050#
GCWR 18,400#
Max Tow Capaity--12,900#
Truck is loaded as I will be traveling--except for 80# dog
Trailer dry weight(according to label) -5,209#
Trailer is empty--nothing added
I Took the truck up by itself
Drive axle---3,420#
Trailer axle--3,040 #
Gross weight--6,460#
Then I took the trailer to the scale
Steer axle--3.320#
Drive axle--3.860#
Trailer axle--4,960#(not sure what this is and scale master wasn't sure)
Gross weight--12,140#
He said the Steer axle was the Front axle and the Drive axle was the Rear axle and 3,860 minus 3,040 or 820 # was the tongue weight.

I'd appreciate your input. plan to travel for 1 to 2 plus years mainly out west, so do not want to have issues

Also wanted to mention that the trailer pitches 1.25" to the front and the truck pitches 3" to the rear
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Old 05-11-2020, 10:38 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Jobe View Post
Hi,
Tom here---bought a Rockwood Mini Lite last December and F 150 last November. Trying to get set to got traveling full time in June. Been concerned about weights so I took truck and trailer to the local CAT scale. I want to post my results. I'm concerned about the Rear GAWR .
So I have a F 150 KR with max tow package. Here are the sticker weights
Front GAWR---3,650#
Rear GAWR---4,050 #
Total GVWR 7,050#
GCWR 18,400#
Max Tow Capaity--12,900#
Truck is loaded as I will be traveling--except for 80# dog
Trailer dry weight(according to label) -5,209#
Trailer is empty--nothing added
I Took the truck up by itself
Drive axle---3,420#
Trailer axle--3,040 #
Gross weight--6,460#
Then I took the trailer to the scale
Steer axle--3.320#
Drive axle--3.860#
Trailer axle--4,960#(not sure what this is and scale master wasn't sure)
Gross weight--12,140#
He said the Steer axle was the Front axle and the Drive axle was the Rear axle and 3,860 minus 3,040 or 820 # was the tongue weight.

I'd appreciate your input. plan to travel for 1 to 2 plus years mainly out west, so do not want to have issues

Also wanted to mention that the trailer pitches 1.25" to the front and the truck pitches 3" to the rear
Trailer weight is combined gross minus just the truck (12,140-6460 = 5680).


Now: are you using a WDH or not? If you are, did you weight it with or without the bars connected? Assuming you're not using a WDH*, the trailer tongue weight is gross weight minus truck weight minus trailer axle weight or 12,140-6,460-4,960 = 720lbs. My number is lower than the weigh masters because I took into account that some weight is shifted off the front axle and onto the rear axle when the trailer is connected.



So your trailer weighs 5680 with a tongue weight of 720, for about 12.7% tongue weight...



*Or had the bars disconnected. If you do have a WDH, you should weigh it a 3rd time with the bars in the opposite configuration of the previous weigh.
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Old 05-11-2020, 10:52 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Jobe View Post
Hi,

Trailer is empty--nothing added
I Took the truck up by itself
Drive axle---3,420#
Trailer axle--3,040 #
Gross weight--6,460#
Then I took the trailer to the scale
Steer axle--3.320#
Drive axle--3.860#
Trailer axle--4,960#(not sure what this is and scale master wasn't sure)
Gross weight--12,140#
He said the Steer axle was the Front axle and the Drive axle was the Rear axle and 3,860 minus 3,040 or 820 # was the tongue weight.

Also wanted to mention that the trailer pitches 1.25" to the front and the truck pitches 3" to the rear
I believe you have a mistake , in putting down your " Truck by itself" weights, you listed Drive and trailer , not front and drive . Not too important as long as the numbers are correct.
Trailer axle + tongue = 5,780 so the trailer claimed dry weight wasn't accurate.

Are you using a weight distribution hitch ? If you are the weight of the hitch and bars is also part of the 820 added to the truck rear axle.

You , like most people who look into the weights are finding out that the rear axle will be overloaded on the tow vehicle long before they get close to towing at the " Max Trailer weight"

What's the trailer GVWR?

EDIT: I see another member posted while I was typing , sorry about the duplication.
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Old 05-11-2020, 11:39 AM   #4
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towing issues

I put down Drive Axle and Trailer axle cause the master had me split my truck over two scales and that's what the ticket said.
I was using my E2 hitch
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Old 05-11-2020, 11:44 AM   #5
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towing issues

The GVWR of trailer is 5209 plus 1363 = 6572
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Old 05-11-2020, 11:48 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Jobe View Post
I put down Drive Axle and Trailer axle cause the master had me split my truck over two scales and that's what the ticket said.
I was using my E2 hitch
OK , but the weights ( although listed on the ticket as drive and trailer ) were actually for the truck axles.

Does your " E2 " hitch ; that I'm assuming is a weight distribution model ; mention leveling the truck and trailer by increasing the bar tension?
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Old 05-11-2020, 12:23 PM   #7
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Once you get the E2 dialed in I believe you will not have any issues towing that trailer at 72mph further to the west. I had a 2011 F-150 5.0 coyote towing a 2008 5,500lb Gulfsteam Streamlite 22SLB with just a Drawtite W/D hitch and that combo was easy to drive.

What exactly has you concerned? Are you getting sway?
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Old 05-14-2020, 06:47 PM   #8
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towing issues

I was concerned cause the rear axle weight was only 200# below the truck's rear GAWR

I traded the F 150 in for a F250. It has twice the payload and I feel safer towing the trailer.

Thanks for all the help
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Old 05-14-2020, 09:25 PM   #9
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Good choice. And the F-250 will pull that load without a WD hitch.
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Old 05-14-2020, 09:53 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Jobe View Post
I was concerned cause the rear axle weight was only 200# below the truck's rear GAWR

I traded the F 150 in for a F250. It has twice the payload and I feel safer towing the trailer.

Thanks for all the help
Buying a better/beefier truck beats stressing over math problems every time you hitch up.
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Old 05-15-2020, 07:10 AM   #11
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Good choice on the F-250 IMHO. Agree that the F-250 has almost double the axle capacity of a F-150.

Now if you want to tow 500 miles it will be an easy towing experience[emoji106].
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