Proper tongue weight (for towing)
04-26-2012, 03:03 PM
#17
Race Director
My 2010 Chevy 1500 with tow package is rated for 9700lbs.....Its official tonque weights are a bit low....650(?) max standard trailers and 1100lbs weight dist hitch....
When I pulled around 8000lb big box with weight dist it sagged the rear A BUNCH....scary really....we cranked and cranked on the weight dist hitch to get it even remotely drivable
Pulling an open trailer thats about 5000lbs is CAKE....I have to park the car way forward on the trailer to get it to sag at all.....pulls nice and level and dead straight....some times I forget the car is even back there!!!!!
When I pulled around 8000lb big box with weight dist it sagged the rear A BUNCH....scary really....we cranked and cranked on the weight dist hitch to get it even remotely drivable
Pulling an open trailer thats about 5000lbs is CAKE....I have to park the car way forward on the trailer to get it to sag at all.....pulls nice and level and dead straight....some times I forget the car is even back there!!!!!
04-26-2012, 08:13 PM
#18
Nordschleife Master
Join Date: Oct 2004
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A WDH can't make up the difference in how soft the springs are on today's trucks. You need additional support if your hitch is dropping that much be it air bags, an additional leaf spring, or Timbren bump stops. Today's 3/4 or 1 ton trucks just don't have the springs capacity they used to and while the WDH helps, it's not enough to offset a heavy trailer tongue. 950 lbs on the tongue sags the hitch on my 06' F350SD, 4x4, LWB dually about 2.5 inches. That much drop negatively affects your braking as the front end is light and chunks your front tires as they bounce down the highway. It's not just the trailer, the truck needs to be level too....
