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So I have a new Trailex 8045. I loaded my car on it for the first time yesterday and I am a bit concerned about the weight carrying capacity and how close the tires are to the fenders while loaded. It looks like the leaf springs have a few inches of travel but the tires are probably less than 1cm from the fenders.
Can any other 8045 owners chime in - is this a cause for concern? I have a C7 Z06 weighing in at around 3600lbs, max 3700. Carl guided me through the trailer buying process and was very confident that this is the right option for me.
You should be. I have a 7541 and the distance is significantly higher. Call the guys at Trailex, they are always very helpful. The car weights ~3500 while the trailer is good to ~4500.
The picture is not very good to really draw the conclusions I am going to make so my apologies if I get it wrong. The car does not look evenly distributed over the axles. The fender over the tire on the right side (rear tire?) looks like it has more clearance than the one on the left. As I said it may just be perception.
Is the trailer on level ground? Are the front and back of the trailer the same height above the ground? A lot of trailer set up is having it level when attached to the tow vehicle. I have half a dozen ball mounts to make sure I have the proper height at the ball.
The picture is not very good to really draw the conclusions I am going to make so my apologies if I get it wrong. The car does not look evenly distributed over the axles. The fender over the tire on the right side (rear tire?) looks like it has more clearance than the one on the left. As I said it may just be perception.
Is the trailer on level ground? Are the front and back of the trailer the same height above the ground? A lot of trailer set up is having it level when attached to the tow vehicle. I have half a dozen ball mounts to make sure I have the proper height at the ball.
Thanks for the reply and no apologies necessary. You are on to something and I was thinking the same thing. The trailer is on an incline and the tongue jack is probably a bit lower than it should be causing the front axle to bear most of the weight.
Even with that, it seems a bit lower than expected but I will get it leveled out tomorrow and check to see how that looks. Thanks for the input!
In this particular case adding tongue weight would exacerbate the issue as the front tires are closer to the fender than the rears.
I did speak to Carl, he said the front of the trailer should be an inch or two higher than the rear. I did get a bit of the tire rubbing against the fender. He said the 8045 (not sure about other models) are highly sprung and the flex of the trailer adds to the suspension characteristics.
He wasn't overly concerned and said if the tire rubs a bit, to raise the front of the trailer and/or move the car back a bit. My car is currently loaded a bit too far forward.
When you readjust your car's position, take into account that a row of tires on the rack will exasperate the problem. Have it loaded when you position the car.
When you readjust your car's position, take into account that a row of tires on the rack will exasperate the problem. Have it loaded when you position the car.
Way too much Tongue weight - I bet you are at 30%
911s you load way forward - front engine cars need to hang off the back
When you readjust your car's position, take into account that a row of tires on the rack will exasperate the problem. Have it loaded when you position the car.
When I had an open trailer I had to marks for how forward to pull my car, one with tires on the rack, and one without. You would be surprised how even a few inches front to back makes Aaron difference.
Car looks way too far forward and your hitch is too low. Does your trailer have the adjustable wheel stop? makes it really easy to put it in the same sweet spot every time, once you figure that spot out. I did not find that tires made a difference as far as where to put the car, although the only trips I made without tires on the rack were to the local shop and back for service.
In this particular case adding tongue weight would exacerbate the issue as the front tires are closer to the fender than the rears.
I did speak to Carl, he said the front of the trailer should be an inch or two higher than the rear. I did get a bit of the tire rubbing against the fender. He said the 8045 (not sure about other models) are highly sprung and the flex of the trailer adds to the suspension characteristics.
He wasn't overly concerned and said if the tire rubs a bit, to raise the front of the trailer and/or move the car back a bit. My car is currently loaded a bit too far forward.
I didn't say add it. I said to check it. Based on the picture, you will find out that your tongue weight is 1500+ lbs when it should only be 500 - 750 lbs. Suggest you buy a Sherline scale to measure it and be safe. You are already likely exceeding the rating of your hitch. When you load tires on the rack later, you will need to move your car even further aft to maintain the correct tongue weight.