B&W hitch adjustments and pin weights
Here's the equipment and situation. Truck is 2017 Ram 3500 Laramie CC, LB, 4wd SRW. Trailer is a 2020 Keystone Raptor 356 toy hauler. Hitch is B&W 3600 (puck mounted Companion). Trailer is new and no trips yet just back to dealer for a couple minor warranty issues. Truck has an auxiliary fuel transfer tank, RDS 51g with tool compartment. Truck was weighed full all fuels, no gear except me at 180#. When I picked the trailer up a couple months ago I immediately went to same CAT scales. I weighed with same fuel loading, with full truck and trailer on the 3 platforms and then half weighed the rear truck axle and trailer on 2 platforms (wanted side weights as best as possible).
Trailer UVW around 13600#+-, GVWR 17,000#. When the trailer was weighed it was empty with an unknown amount of water, guessing around 3-400#, 2 batteries, full propane, added slide toppers. I was over the truck rear axle weights around 50#. Front axle actually lightened about 20#.
NOTE; I don't have the actual weights in front of me now but hope I'll get this later today to answer any specific weight questions. Pin weight empty was around 3200 as I recall. Loaded I expect to be around 16,000#. Garage will have 1 Harley Davidson touring, compressor, tool sets, miscellaneous "camping gear" such as grill, chairs, things. To those that don't know toy haulers, loading garage lightens pin weights
NOTE I'm not going to get into a discussion about whether I should be DRW, MDT or HDT. I'm SRW and it will be fine, I know how I travel and load.
Here's my question. The B&W has 4 positions that the pivot mounts can be installed which can change the pin location from 4" behind to 2" in front of the rear axle. I quickly looked at the hitch recently and the pivot arm are angled back which is either 4" back or over the axle depending on which set of holes in the base are used. I'll check that later today. Based on weighing and unloading the front a bit, I suspect I have the most rearward settings, hitch was assembled when I got it. I am also thinking that if I move the pivot arms to the most forward setting I can shift some pin weight off the rear axle and some to the front axle which had plenty of reserve capacity. Has anyone experimented with trying that, moving pivot arms fore or aft to change pin weights and what kind of results did you achieve? By shifting weight that will give me more fuel loading and fluid loading flexibility. With the long bed, real 8' long bed, and the contoured front cap, I don't have a cap to cab clearance issue.
__________________
2021 Omni SX32
2012 Crusader 355BHQ (girl friends)
2020 Ram 1500 Laramie 4WD, toad
2019 Harley Davidson Heritage Classic 114 (the toy)
|