Weight tickets thread

why do ya'll pay money to get a slip?
the scale on the side of the road is free
you just pull in there when it's closed
 
06h3 said:
Damn, I am a moron. I always thought the bars just put weight on the trailer, not the front axle and the trailer. They do work.
Click to expand...
Yeah it was interesting scaling the trailer with them on/off.

I actually found that I was putting so much weight some trips back on the trailer axles that I was exceeding the trailer axle capacity so I stopped doing that.

Now that I pull it with a dually, I just basically "tension" the bars to keep them from slamming.
The Hensley Arrow hitch being a pivot point projection hitch doesn't need the bars to provide the anti-sway function so I just barely use them. They do help the suspension at big G outs providing a extra spring rate to the tongue connection.

Those scale tickets were all with a Equalizer WD hitch and it was a giant pain in the ass to tension/detension the bars.

The Hensley uses screw jacks that I turn with a cordless drill, they have graduations on the inner part so you can easily tension them to a specific dimension.
 
CarterKraft said:
Yeah it was interesting scaling the trailer with them on/off.

I actually found that I was putting so much weight some trips back on the trailer axles that I was exceeding the trailer axle capacity so I stopped doing that.

Now that I pull it with a dually, I just basically "tension" the bars to keep them from slamming.
The Hensley Arrow hitch being a pivot point projection hitch doesn't need the bars to provide the anti-sway function so I just barely use them. They do help the suspension at big G outs providing a extra spring rate to the tongue connection.

Those scale tickets were all with a Equalizer WD hitch and it was a giant pain in the ass to tension/detension the bars.

The Hensley uses screw jacks that I turn with a cordless drill, they have graduations on the inner part so you can easily tension them to a specific dimension.
Click to expand...
When/how do you know you need those weight distribution bars?
 
CDA 455 II said:
When/how do you know you need those weight distribution bars?
Click to expand...
It's a two pronger...
If you need sway control, but it's more complicated than that.
My trailer doesn't "SWAY", it has a ridiculous amount of tongue weight but it is damn near 40' long and tall as a fifth wheel so it catches a **** ton of air. Passing other large vehicles or getting passed upsets the air flow around the rear of the trailer so bad that the trailer will steer the truck.
That's not fun.

A vehicle passing from the rear on the driver side of the trailer will cause the trailer to steer the rear of the truck to the passenger side, inturn the truck will veer to the driver side causing you to collide with the passing vehicle.
Driving long distances like that is tiresome as ****.

It's the same when passing head on....

Most all the regular WD hitches have the sway control connected to the force of the bars, they use the force of the bar to apply cams, frictions etc. to help with sway. IMO these systems are all bandaids and might help a F150 with a 27' trailer.
When you get up to the big stupid size **** (like mine) they don't have enough force to resist the moments.

So if you have a F150 as an example with a very low rear axle capacity and you are trying to pull something that is going to exceed that you can use a WD hitch with an appropriate sized set of WB bars (500lb to 1500 lb) to move that tongue weight to the front axle and the trailer axle. This would make sense as well for a SUV or Sedan with a very limited rear tongue weight carrying capacity. The problem I see with that is the amount of torque that is put on the rear frame to transfer the weight might be damaging to the frame.

There is a Canadian RV company that uses the pivot point projection hitches on cars and they make some wild claims but also have some data to back it up.



 
With the pivot point projection you claim you don't get pushed when getting passed or head on via 2 lane highway :confused:

That doesn't seem right, I get shoved around driving the big box even without a trailer. I can see how it would help most every situation, just seems like you'd still get pushed around during those times

Or are you saying it moves the truck and trailer more as a unit rather than being the two fold move with the trailer
 
Provience said:
With the pivot point projection you claim you don't get pushed when getting passed or head on via 2 lane highway :confused:

That doesn't seem right, I get shoved around driving the big box even without a trailer. I can see how it would help most every situation, just seems like you'd still get pushed around during those times

Or are you saying it moves the truck and trailer more as a unit rather than being the two fold move with the trailer
Click to expand...
I didn't explain that well. With the pivot point hitch there is very little push and NO steering from the trailer.
That is the magic of the PP hitch the trailer cannot pivot the tow vehicle only the other way around.

Here's a very old, crude demonstration
 
So basically it moves the effective pivot point forward of the axle the same way that a link suspension moves the effective pivot point out in space ahead of the links?

Seems pretty cool. Other than the torque what's the tradeoff?
 
arse_sidewards said:
So basically it moves the effective pivot point forward of the axle the same way that a link suspension moves the effective pivot point out in space ahead of the links?

Seems pretty cool. Other than the torque what's the tradeoff?
Click to expand...
Exactly, the links converge at a distance near the rear axle center (depending on rear overhang).

The trade off is price, for me that's the only downfall. The other "cons" aren't to me.

The hitch doesn't pivot on the ball so it can be difficult to connect/remove in akward hitching scenarios.
If you saw my goofy tongue jack build thread that was the impetus for that. Occasionally the "stinger" gets stuck in the hitch socket.
This was addressed with the update of the Pro Pride 3P hitch where the ramp on the stinger socket was made steeper to prevent the stinger from wedging in the hitch socket.

1751310464684.png


One of the benefits of that though is you no longer need to "clear" the ball to hitch up. You just need to remove the weight from the hitch.
This makes the hitching process simpler/faster to me. If you can't back up worth a F, or don't have a backup camera this might be a real CON as it will be more precise than ball alignment but IMO it's a non issue with the camera.

I won't get into the Hensley vs 3P debate unless someone wants but if you are trying to find a PP hitch I would aim for a 3P and settle for a Hensley.
 
CarterKraft said:
Yeah it was interesting scaling the trailer with them on/off.

I actually found that I was putting so much weight some trips back on the trailer axles that I was exceeding the trailer axle capacity so I stopped doing that.

Now that I pull it with a dually, I just basically "tension" the bars to keep them from slamming.
The Hensley Arrow hitch being a pivot point projection hitch doesn't need the bars to provide the anti-sway function so I just barely use them. They do help the suspension at big G outs providing a extra spring rate to the tongue connection.

Those scale tickets were all with a Equalizer WD hitch and it was a giant pain in the ass to tension/detension the bars.

The Hensley uses screw jacks that I turn with a cordless drill, they have graduations on the inner part so you can easily tension them to a specific dimension.
Click to expand...

It's weird. My first tow rig was an '06 ***an with a curb weight of about 5k lbs. It absolutely needed a WD hitch or my 7k carhauler would throw it all over the road. Truck I have now is a '16 ***an XD with the cummins V8 with a curb weight of almost 8k and I've never used (or needed) it a WD hitch on it, even when pulling upwards of 15k (overloaded) on the bumper. There have probably been times where I should have used it to get some weight up to the front axles, but as far as drivability and comfort, it's not needed.
Seems like tow rig weight plays a big factor in it.

I'm kind of curious what the new to me 7.3 dually is going to feel like pulling the same loads.
 
CarterKraft said:
Exactly, the links converge at a distance near the rear axle center (depending on rear overhang).

The trade off is price, for me that's the only downfall. The other "cons" aren't to me.

The hitch doesn't pivot on the ball so it can be difficult to connect/remove in akward hitching scenarios.
If you saw my goofy tongue jack build thread that was the impetus for that. Occasionally the "stinger" gets stuck in the hitch socket.
This was addressed with the update of the Pro Pride 3P hitch where the ramp on the stinger socket was made steeper to prevent the stinger from wedging in the hitch socket.

1751310464684.png


One of the benefits of that though is you no longer need to "clear" the ball to hitch up. You just need to remove the weight from the hitch.
This makes the hitching process simpler/faster to me. If you can't back up worth a F, or don't have a backup camera this might be a real CON as it will be more precise than ball alignment but IMO it's a non issue with the camera.

I won't get into the Hensley vs 3P debate unless someone wants but if you are trying to find a PP hitch I would aim for a 3P and settle for a Hensley.
Click to expand...
Yeah it seems like a good combo for someone with a stout tow rig looking to max their bumper pull for one specific setup. Like you with your ******ed camper and the dually or the guys hauling marginally less ******ed campers behind excursions or class C's or job equipment behind box trucks.

I bet a home brew one could be made pretty easily and cheap but would only work for one specific trailer that has it mounted.

Even before you consider cost it seems like GN is still the way to go for my specific brand of ******ation. Cheap, facilitates ******ed hitching and turning in tight spaces, puts weight on the front "organically" without introducing any bending moments on other things. Just seems like a no brainier if you can spare the bed space for it.

I have to admit, I was pretty ****ing sold when I saw that Airstream behind the Chrysler 300 and I would consider building a custom setup if I found myself wanting to tow more with the lesbarus or aerostar in the future. :laughing:
 
arse_sidewards said:
Yeah it seems like a good combo for someone with a stout tow rig looking to max their bumper pull for one specific setup. Like you with your ******ed camper and the dually or the guys hauling marginally less ******ed campers behind excursions or class C's or job equipment behind box trucks.

I bet a home brew one could be made pretty easily and cheap but would only work for one specific trailer that has it mounted.

Even before you consider cost it seems like GN is still the way to go for my specific brand of ******ation. Cheap, facilitates ******ed hitching and turning in tight spaces, puts weight on the front "organically" without introducing any bending moments on other things. Just seems like a no brainier if you can spare the bed space for it.

I have to admit, I was pretty ****ing sold when I saw that Airstream behind the Chrysler 300 and I would consider building a custom setup if I found myself wanting to tow more with the lesbarus or aerostar in the future. :laughing:
Click to expand...
I need to start cad'ing a new one.
Send cut send would be perfect, none of the hitch itself is very thick materials.
I converted mine to a PP 3P style adjustable height stinger so I'm not adverse to mods...

edit: this might help the home gamers

US8226106B2 - Trailer hitch with adjustable hitch bar - Google Patents

A trailer hitch having an adjustable hitch bar for coupling with a tow vehicle and a front member coupled with the adjustable hitch bar. A rear member couples with a trailer frame and a yoke couples between the rear member and the trailer frame. Converging links connect between the front member...
patents.google.com

US7364180B2 - Trailer hitch with separated functions - Google Patents

A hitch assembly for coupling a trailer to a tow vehicle includes a number of assemblies, including converging links and a slide assembly, that effectively places the pivot point for the trailer ahead of the actual hitch assembly, which in turn enhances the stability of the combination tow...
patents.google.com

1751389168129.png

1751389214531.png
 
Last edited:
arse_sidewards said:
Is 100k the actual gross or just the max that scale can spit out? :laughing:
Click to expand...
They are 1000 bushel aluminum hopper bottoms. I can't see it surviving much more weight if that was not actual. Its the one and only time the hadling on one of the trucks felt "squishy." Bags were maxed out on the tractor. Didnt check pressure on the trailer bags. The trailer bags dumped in a hurry though when I dumped them over the grain pit.

I think I dumped the tractor bags, too, to dump that load. Could really ****ed **** up dumping that much weight in 30 seconds with full bags.
 
Not to detract CarterKraft balling hitch setup, that is legit. They are the best there is.

But even a basic curt setup with chains and sway control can do great things. That is what I had on a 26ft(10K) camper, it was great. The truck could do it just fine without, but made it so much more enjoyable and less effected by wind, roads, bridges, semi's, swerving, etc

You can even add a second sway control slider too.

1751482817365.png
 
CDA 455 II said:
Damn! :eek: :smokin:

So the 'drive axle' means both rear axles?
Click to expand...
Yes, and I run a 16 wheel trailer, I could of scaled it better if I moved the kingpin to the front hole, to get 20k on the steer, but I wasn’t that far over on my drives for Purple Permit weight here. It’s a 52k Neway in the rear, handles it easily, hell I’ve had 70k on my drives before and it’s fine.
 
1751548433573.png


1751548446690.png


1751548411028.png


I really need to lengthen the trailer and get more weight on the F550. Can't move the cruiser any farther forward with the counter where it is, and I'm at the limit of my trailer axles.

Open to other ideas too. The diesel genset is as far forward as it can go in the trailer chassis (between/in front of the jack legs), fuel tank is next to it. Fresh and grey tanks are in the floor under the counter, so they can't move forward either.
 
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