Weight Distribution Hitch setup

[JimG_AZ]

I had the dealer weight it when we took it on for warranty work. I saw the scale that said 800lbs. The 3850 is the dry weight on the sticker. it was new.

Sounds like it is time to pay a truck stop with a CAT scale a visit. The CAT scale has 3 separate plates so it is very easy to get different weights like trailer tongue and axle, etc. If no truckers are waiting in line, you can unhitch on the scale where you have the truck on one plate, the trailer tongue on plate 2 and the trailer axle on plate 3. I would guess the weigh to cost @ $10 to $12.

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[Grumpaw]

I do get a float sensation when getting passed by a big truck or a gust of wind

Bobby, it simply sounds like your hitch is not set up right, and not knowing your background in towing we can only give you general info, but it is almost impossible for us to "tell you" how to do it.
For you to properly set it up you need...
To know the weight of the trailer loaded ready to go.
To know the tongue weight of the trailer ready to go.
Also. what type of hitch set up you have, and what are the bars rated for ? You need to know as you don't want to have bars that are too light, or too stiff for your rig.
As far as your rig "floating" when hit by wind or passing big rig....it could be the way your set up, or it being a single axle trailer which are more susceptible to wind, too much weight transferred to the front of your truck, low trailer tire pressure, the hitch head is too high or the front of the trailer is too high, or a combo of any .
You need to start with the weights I listed, and go from there.

 

[dtech]

Bobby, it simply sounds like your hitch is not set up right, and not knowing your background in towing we can only give you general info, but it is almost impossible for us to "tell you" how to do it.
For you to properly set it up you need...
To know the weight of the trailer loaded ready to go.
To know the tongue weight of the trailer ready to go.
Also. what type of hitch set up you have, and what are the bars rated for ? You need to know as you don't want to have bars that are too light, or too stiff for your rig.
As far as your rig "floating" when hit by wind or passing big rig....it could be the way your set up, or it being a single axle trailer which are more susceptible to wind, too much weight transferred to the front of your truck, low trailer tire pressure, the hitch head is too high or the front of the trailer is too high, or a combo of any .
You need to start with the weights I listed, and go from there.

Grumpaw , I have my E2 roundbar hitch, it weighs 85 lbs, does that weight get added to the the tongue weight rating of the trailer ? my trailer I think have a tongue weight of 520 lbs, it' has 2 propane tanks up front but some one mentioned that forest river accounts for them in the listed tongue weight but I wonder about that.

 

[Grumpaw]

Generally yes, the weight of the propane tanks are included in the "new dry weight" of the trailer.
Forrest River does include the tank weights in their trailer weight as it rolls off the assembly line as completed.
The 85 lbs of your hitch weight goes toward the "cargo" of your truck. Just think of it as 85 lbs of "stuff" you just added to the bed,

 

[brroberts]

If you really have a 4500lbs trailer loaded and rolling down the road, your tongue weight should be between 450-675lbs. There are threads detailing how to set up a WDH and weigh your trailer here. In a thread I linked an CAT scale worksheet. Until you do that, this sounds like an accident waiting to happen. Please study how to set up a WDH and get accurate towing weights. This is a safety issue. I tow a 4650lbs trailer and don’t “float” when trucks pass. I didn’t when I owned a single axle Forest River either. I don’t when I occasionally tow bigger / heavier trailers either. If so inclined, there are ways to get tongue weight without a CAT scale, but you can get more info at a CAT scale.

 

[brroberts]

I’ll try to attach the CAT scale worksheet here.

 

[BReeves61]

Sounds like it is time to pay a truck stop with a CAT scale a visit. The CAT scale has 3 separate plates so it is very easy to get different weights like trailer tongue and axle, etc. If no truckers are waiting in line, you can unhitch on the scale where you have the truck on one plate, the trailer tongue on plate 2 and the trailer axle on plate 3. I would guess the weigh to cost @ $10 to $12.

thanks!

 

[BReeves61]

Update.... I reweighed the tongue using the digital bathroom scale/pipe and a 4x4 method. The real number seems to be 655. I rechecked it 3 times to verify. 655 makes a whole lot more sense.

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