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Old 08-17-2015, 02:43 PM   #21
rbev2308
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You really got to watch the secondary roads and their overpasses.. The placard ain't always up to date and 13' 8" ain't always 13' 8"... I use 13' 10" in my GPS to avoid the off chance that they paved the roadway last month.. Makes a big mess when you hit one of them suckers.. Been there in a 13' 4" load that hit a 13' 8" overpass... yep.. they paved the road twice since the placard was hung.. Older local guy came over and told us that..
That Cougar is that tall. I am in an Alpine and it is 12' 8" and I use 12'9 on my visor and my neighbor two doors down has a cougar and no way is his higher than mine. I routinely pass several signs in the 13 foot 6 range on my way out of Norfolk to the interstate. I thought only the big *** toy hauler's were the only thing taller than me! Even though the Keystone website says mine is 12'8", and I measured in my driveway which the pad is level just a very slight slope for run off, I guess I better measure again...
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Old 08-18-2015, 04:22 AM   #22
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That Cougar is that tall. I am in an Alpine and it is 12' 8" and I use 12'9 on my visor and my neighbor two doors down has a cougar and no way is his higher than mine. I routinely pass several signs in the 13 foot 6 range on my way out of Norfolk to the interstate. I thought only the big *** toy hauler's were the only thing taller than me! Even though the Keystone website says mine is 12'8", and I measured in my driveway which the pad is level just a very slight slope for run off, I guess I better measure again...
The published height of my Cougar is 12' 3" but that is without the bedroom A/C unit and sitting level. I never measured it without the A/C because it was already installed when I picked the trailer up..

I also have not measured it with the dually, which might make a difference since I ran airbags on the F250 and do not use them with the dually.
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Old 08-18-2015, 05:50 AM   #23
rbev2308
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The published height of my Cougar is 12' 3" but that is without the bedroom A/C unit and sitting level. I never measured it without the A/C because it was already installed when I picked the trailer up..

I also have not measured it with the dually, which might make a difference since I ran airbags on the F250 and do not use them with the dually.
This thread has really opened my eyes. I simply measured in my driveway while hooked up with airbags leveled out and after I installed my fantastic fan vent cover as it was slightly higher than AC and it matched the published height. I do think I am going to take to a neutral location and measure again..In this age, inches do matter and I have went thru some places where I had 4-6 inches to spare and never thought about road repavings and things like that...
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Old 08-18-2015, 11:43 AM   #24
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I believe keystone says mine is 13'2", the tape measure says it's 13'9" the oklahoma turnpike has a max height of 13'6"...... I've never towed across it, don't feel like buying an oversized load permit.
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Old 08-18-2015, 03:52 PM   #25
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I just installed air bags to make the truck and 5th wheel level so I can have the correct weight on both trailer axles. If the trailer isn't level than it puts more weight on one axle than the other. (2 axle trailer) If you tow a light trailer and it doesn't sit lever than you need a drop hitch to make it level. Axle's have camber built into them and if you don't tow level it will wear out the tires. People are having tire issues because they are towing nose up or nose down. That puts more weight on one or the other and causes a over weight condition on that axle. They are having excess heat build up and tires self destruct. Get it as close as you can. I carry a 2 foot level in the trailer. I don't trust the little bubble ones.
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Old 08-18-2015, 09:48 PM   #26
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I just installed air bags to make the truck and 5th wheel level so I can have the correct weight on both trailer axles. If the trailer isn't level than it puts more weight on one axle than the other. (2 axle trailer) If you tow a light trailer and it doesn't sit lever than you need a drop hitch to make it level. Axle's have camber built into them and if you don't tow level it will wear out the tires. People are having tire issues because they are towing nose up or nose down. That puts more weight on one or the other and causes a over weight condition on that axle. They are having excess heat build up and tires self destruct. Get it as close as you can. I carry a 2 foot level in the trailer. I don't trust the little bubble ones.
I believe what you're saying is "true to an extent". Towing level is the "ideal" way to orient the trailer/tow vehicle, but it simply isn't always practical. Given the load rating of tires and axles, if you're at or very near the maximum, towing level can have an impact on preserving your tires and axle, but, if you're 1000 pounds under your GVW and a couple of degrees "nose high or nose low", the shifted weight won't put your tires/axles over the limit. As an example, if your axles are rated at 5000 lbs and your tires are rated at 2800 lbs each, and your trailer weighs 7600 pounds empty, assuming you have 760 pounds on the tongue (10%), then you'd have about 6900 pounds on the axles. If you were nose high (let's say 3") and shifted 200 pounds from the front axle to the rear axle, you'd be putting 3300 on the front and 3700 on the rear axle. That certainly wouldn't make either the axle or the tires "overloaded" and still wouldn't be near the weight on either axle that you'd encounter if you loaded with cargo to your GVW.

On the other hand, if you were "at maximum" limits on your axles, then shifting weight from one to the other "could" make you overloaded, but most of us aren't that close to maximum axle weight or to maximum tire load capacity.

As for the number of rigs on the highway that aren't level, I'd say that from what I've seen on this trip, about half the fifth wheels are "nose high" and more than half (probably 60-70%) of the travel trailers are "nose low".

So, while attempting to tow "level" is an objective many would like to achieve, it's not as critical as some would believe.
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Old 08-19-2015, 05:44 AM   #27
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I also believe Keystone measures these unloaded so when you put stuff in them the height will lower. Now you have to take into consideration if you go with a taller tire that will effect the height as well.
As for weight on front or rear axle you are correct JRTJH. It is amazing how many overload there trailers. I have been considering how much stuff weighs when loading my trailer. I even went as far to get a couple pocket hoses because regular hoses weigh to much and don't store well. I would like to keep my trailer as under the weight limit as much as possible. Even changing out the old TV's will save weight All this talk about bridge placards has got me to thinking. Currently they are redoing the freeways here and looks like they are adding about 3 inches to the road. Never thought they wouldn't change the sign. Now something else to watch for.
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Old 08-24-2015, 04:48 PM   #28
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after adding a Penguin II on the front have a 13' 4" height. (on our 333mks)
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