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Old 09-13-2020, 05:42 AM   #21
dalamarjj78
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Originally Posted by CWtheMan View Post
Just a note: To get maximum load (2124#) for towing you'll need to keep them at 44 PSI.
Given my weights should I tow with the tires inflated to the max 44 psi? I've seen recommendations all over the place when doing research so I'm interested to see your thoughts provided I have actual weights.

I typically tow at 40 psi but have always wondered if I should be adding that extra 4 psi per tire or not.
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Old 09-13-2020, 06:21 AM   #22
CWtheMan
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Originally Posted by dalamarjj78 View Post
Given my weights should I tow with the tires inflated to the max 44 psi? I've seen recommendations all over the place when doing research so I'm interested to see your thoughts provided I have actual weights.

I typically tow at 40 psi but have always wondered if I should be adding that extra 4 psi per tire or not.
Passenger tires have softer sidewalls than other highway tires. It's one of the reasons they MUST be derated for service on pickup trucks. The 44 PSI will help stiffen them up for towing. When not towing just take them back down to placard pressures.
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Old 09-13-2020, 07:10 AM   #23
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Originally Posted by dalamarjj78 View Post
...

And if I'm understanding the instructions correctly, it sounds like I may need to tilt the hitch slightly downward (it's perfectly level now) in order to distribute weight off of the rear axle and push it towards the front.
Yes, the angle of the hitch head directly impacts the amount of weight on the tension bars which determines the amount of weight being shifted forward/aft by the hitch. The further "down" the bars point, the more tension you'll place on the bars when the hitch is attached and bars tensioned for towing.
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Old 09-26-2020, 08:25 PM   #24
dalamarjj78
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Yes, the angle of the hitch head directly impacts the amount of weight on the tension bars which determines the amount of weight being shifted forward/aft by the hitch. The further "down" the bars point, the more tension you'll place on the bars when the hitch is attached and bars tensioned for towing.
Thanks. I finally got around to tinkering with our hitch today and managed to make some adjustments. I haven't had the chance to get back out to the CAT scales yet to check the weights but these are the measurements I took of the truck's wheelwells.

Truck Only:
Front Wheelwell: 35.5 inches
Rear Wheelwell: 37.5 inches

WDH Connected (before adjustments):
Front Wheelwell: 36 inches
Rear Wheelwell: 35 inches

WDH Connected (after today's adjustments):
Front Wheelwell: 35 inches
Rear Wheelwell: 36.25 inches

So now the front of the truck is lowering half an inch (instead of raising half an inch) and the rear of the truck is lowering about 1.25 inches (instead of 2.5). I can't angle the head any lower without the bars being extremely difficult to connect / disconnect so I think this is about as good as I can get it.

Previously, we experienced pretty bad trailer sway on the interstate so I'm hoping these adjustments will help with that. Regardless, I think we'll probably upgrade our WDH soon since the Recurve R3's sway control is activated and adjusted manually which I'm not a big fan of.
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Old 09-26-2020, 08:50 PM   #25
sourdough
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Originally Posted by dalamarjj78 View Post
Thanks. I finally got around to tinkering with our hitch today and managed to make some adjustments. I haven't had the chance to get back out to the CAT scales yet to check the weights but these are the measurements I took of the truck's wheelwells.

Truck Only:
Front Wheelwell: 35.5 inches
Rear Wheelwell: 37.5 inches

WDH Connected (before adjustments):
Front Wheelwell: 36 inches
Rear Wheelwell: 35 inches

WDH Connected (after today's adjustments):
Front Wheelwell: 35 inches
Rear Wheelwell: 36.25 inches

So now the front of the truck is lowering half an inch (instead of raising half an inch) and the rear of the truck is lowering about 1.25 inches (instead of 2.5). I can't angle the head any lower without the bars being extremely difficult to connect / disconnect so I think this is about as good as I can get it.

Previously, we experienced pretty bad trailer sway on the interstate so I'm hoping these adjustments will help with that. Regardless, I think we'll probably upgrade our WDH soon since the Recurve R3's sway control is activated and adjusted manually which I'm not a big fan of.


Looking at the R3 it appears it is just a 2 point sway control. Don't know about the wdh ability but, for me, I like 4 point....and it's Camco.
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Old 09-30-2020, 10:18 AM   #26
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Check with the instructions for your specific hitch, but adding additional weight to the front means weight coming off of the rear wheels. For the hitch I use, it says that the front of the truck should be at or above it's unhitched position - while yours is below.

Normally, you measure the front with no trailer to get measurement A.

You then measure the front with the trailer hitched but no weight dist bars to get B.

You then add in the weight dist bars and measure to get C.

C should be about 1/2 way between A and B. If it's below A, too much weight dist.
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Old 09-30-2020, 10:30 AM   #27
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To aid in hooking the bars use the tongue jack to raise it up after it's hitched to the truck then lower back down, should make loading the bars a snap.
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Old 09-30-2020, 12:16 PM   #28
dalamarjj78
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Originally Posted by MarkEHansen View Post
Check with the instructions for your specific hitch, but adding additional weight to the front means weight coming off of the rear wheels. For the hitch I use, it says that the front of the truck should be at or above it's unhitched position - while yours is below.

Normally, you measure the front with no trailer to get measurement A.

You then measure the front with the trailer hitched but no weight dist bars to get B.

You then add in the weight dist bars and measure to get C.

C should be about 1/2 way between A and B. If it's below A, too much weight dist.
Distributing more weight to the front was exactly what I was trying to accomplish since the rear of the truck was going down by 2.5" and the front was going up half an inch (which I understand can poorly affect steering).

According to the owners manual of the hitch you're supposed to measure the height prior to attaching the hitch. Once the bars are connected both measurements should lower by an equal amount, not greater than 1".

Even after adjusting the hitch the measurements aren't quite right since the rear is going down by 1.25" and the front down by half an inch but it's much better than it was before.

Quote:
Originally Posted by travelin texans View Post
To aid in hooking the bars use the tongue jack to raise it up after it's hitched to the truck then lower back down, should make loading the bars a snap.
Thanks. We use the power tongue jack to raise the rear of the truck already. Before the adjustments connecting the bars was really easy but now that we've distributed more weight towards the front it requires that we use the tool that came with the hitch to connect the bars (even with the tongue jack lifting the rear of the truck).

As the provided tool already broke once (the manufacturer replaced it at no cost) we're reluctant to adjust more weight forward because we don't want to overdo it and end up breaking the replacement tool while out camping.
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