Quote:
Originally Posted by OremPhelyn
Thanks for everyone's comments! No payload rating on the sticker. Ran the VIN, got these numbers:
7200# GVWR (3550 front/4000 rear),
springs (3600 front/4000 rear),
axles (3925 front/4000 rear
Curb Weight - Front 3049 lbs 3049.0 min 3049.0 max
Curb Weight - Rear 2660 lbs 2660.0 min 2660.0 max
Total curb weight of vehicle 5,839 lbs
Suspension is stock to the best of my knowledge.
Owner's manual: weight distribution hitch tongue weight 10% to 15% of trailer weight 1,000 lbs max; Denali XL max trailer wt 8400 lbs
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Look at it this way; 7200gvwr - 5839 curb weight = 1361 payload....WHEN NEW. Trailer tongue weight; 6500gvw x 13% = 845lbs. Hitch with sway = 100lbs. = 945lbs. for tongue and hitch off the payload. 1361 - 945 = 416 lbs. remaining for people, gear in SUV, etc. AND the components on the vehicle will be degraded in 21 years, there is no doubt on that.
Some thoughts; Your tongue weight and hitch will come close to equaling the max allowed for the receiver on your vehicle. If the springs and shocks (surely not) are still OE I would replace them. Look at your tires, if they don't say they are light truck (LT) tires replace them with LTs. Put some Bilstein shocks all the way around on the vehicle. I suspect the "support" you need is from worn out equipment - air bags and bump stops won't fix that.
Like I said originally; make sure the vehicle components are like new because you are pushing the vehicle to the limits it had when it was new. Once done try it again (with a good wdh with 4 point sway control) and take it to a scale fully loaded (truck and trailer) and see what it tells you. I suspect it will still feel "wiggly". At that point we can discuss additional help which might even include an HD sway bar or suspension enhancements. Don't try to add extra things like air bags etc. to cover up the underlying problems because once a weak part is overloaded it can let go anywhere, anytime at any speed.