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Old 11-04-2015, 10:41 AM   #1
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First "Real" Trip and Weighing

We are about to embark on our first real trip in our new trailer, a Jayco Feather X254. I say real because all we have done so far was a few days at the campground down the street right after we got it.

Now, 3 months later, we're finally getting 'er out. We have 2 stops planned on our 5'ish hour journey. 1st will be at a local hitch shop to check out our wdh and set it properly when we are all loaded. Husband wants to have a professional do it the first time.

2nd stop I would like to make is at a CAT scale. I remember seeing a post on this forum for the proper steps to take at the scale but couldn't find it via my phone. Would someone be so kind as to share the link to that post please?

Also, any tips always appreciated. We'll have a full load of impatient kiddos in the car so want to make it as,quick as possible at the scales.
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Old 11-04-2015, 10:56 AM   #2
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Wishing you a safe journey!


...and no unpleasant surprises on the scales.
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Old 11-04-2015, 11:24 AM   #3
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Enjoy! We had our first "real trip" recently. The early short trips and culling info from the forum helped us tremendously!
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Old 11-04-2015, 02:33 PM   #4
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CAT Scale Instructions and discussion:

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f3...v-tt-3871.html

It's a "sticky" in the tech forum for future reference.

Have fun and be safe out there!
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Old 11-04-2015, 02:54 PM   #5
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If the initial CAT scale weighing turns up a surprise, you can rearrange your load and re-weigh at the same scale that sam day for a greatly reduced price.

Good luck and hope you have fun.
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Old 11-04-2015, 08:41 PM   #6
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Also, the CAT scale folks have a "how to weigh" on their website. I'm a visual learner and it helped to see how the scale is set up.
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Old 11-09-2015, 05:37 PM   #7
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Just hit the CAT scales. Because of impatient kids, my first time weighing, and nobody at scales having a clue of what I was trying to do we did not have time to unhitch this time around but we did get 3 different weights.

1st weight was just tv on front platform and trailer on rear platform.

7050# (only 50# shy of gvwr!]
Trailer axle was 4780#.

That was still hitched to trailer w/wdh engaged. Sticker on trailer says it's UVW is 4800#. It was loaded too. ??

2nd trip over scale wdh disengaged:

Steer axle 2440#
Drive axle 4700#
Trailer axle 4720#
Gross weight 11,860#

3rd trip over scale wdh engaged:

Steer axle 2640#
Drive axle 4400# (over rawr by 300#!)
Trailer axle 4780#
Gross weight 11,820 (not sure why that changed!)

So, does this look fairly normal? Am I in horrible shape? We will have to move more stuff to the back of the trailer I guess or leave a kid behind.

At least we are not over our gvwr of 14,500!

Still confused about how to calculate tongue weight though. Will I be able to calculate that after I get the TV front and rear axle weights without trailer attached now?
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Old 11-09-2015, 06:57 PM   #8
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I would not like to be that far over your drive axle GVWR.

I am surprised that your steer axle is so light. My Tundra is 3240# steer axle with just me and a full tank of gas. Rear axle is 2700# for a total 5940#. I have a cap on my truck and a heavy duty rug in the bed that adds 240#.

Since the Expedition is basically on a F-150 frame, I would think it would weigh about the same as a 1/2 ton pickup with a little more on the back.

Go weigh your truck with you and a full tank of gas to get a baseline to find out how much left over payload you have.
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Old 11-09-2015, 09:01 PM   #9
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I weighed just the Expy a while back with a few of us in it on a scale that just had one section so no independent axle readings. It was 5700#. If I add in the rest of the passenger's weight and the dogs plus 100# miscellaneous it would be 6400#.

Don't remember if I had a full tank though. We have a 28 gallon tank.
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Old 11-10-2015, 06:15 PM   #10
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So that, based on your previous post as I understand it, would give you a remaining payload of about 700#. That should be in the neighborhood of your trailer tongue weight.

So, something doesn't compute, with you being so heavy on the back axle and so light on the front axle.

Do you have a full water tank way forward of the TT axles or a real heavy load in the front of the TT?
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Old 11-10-2015, 08:39 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nighthawk 96 View Post
So that, based on your previous post as I understand it, would give you a remaining payload of about 700#. That should be in the neighborhood of your trailer tongue weight.

So, something doesn't compute, with you being so heavy on the back axle and so light on the front axle.

Do you have a full water tank way forward of the TT axles or a real heavy load in the front of the TT?
No. We had the tanks empty. We have quad bunks in the front with some bedding and two bikes. That's it!

We even stopped on the way out to have our wdh adjusted at a hitch place. The guy pulls trailers himself and seemed to know what he was doing. Didn't help space between rear wheel wells much though with everything we tried. Suggested maybe getting a wdh with chains instead of the Equal-i-zer as we couldn't raise the bars any higher as they'd rub on the A frame.

The weights seemed odd to me too. I appreciate your help. Hopefully some others will chime as well.

I put my two youngest kids (8 & 5 ) in the back 3rd row with one in a light weight booster and the dogs next to and behind them (a Lab and a Beagle.) Middle row was my two teenagers and front were my husband and I.
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Old 11-11-2015, 05:44 AM   #12
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Country_Mouse,

My thoughts noted............,

Quote:
Originally Posted by Country_Mouse View Post
snip......... we did not have time to unhitch this time.........snip
Not having the TV's "unhitched" F/R axle weights one can't confirm that the WDH is adjusted correctly when comparing to the TV's "hitched" F/R axle weights with WDH engaged (your 3rd trip over scale).

Also, you need the TV's "unhitched" gross weight to determine the TT's loaded tongue weight.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Country_Mouse View Post
snip.......
1st weight was just tv on front platform and trailer on rear platform.

7050# (only 50# shy of gvwr!]
Trailer axle was 4780#.

That was still hitched to trailer w/wdh engaged. Sticker on trailer says it's UVW is 4800#. It was loaded too. ??.........snip
The TT's axle weight of 4,780lbs "doesn't" include the TT's loaded tongue weight which is being supported by the TV, and the 4,780lbs includes a minimal amount of added weight transferred by the engaged WDH. The "as-shipped" TT UVW of 4,800lb includes the tongue weight.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Country_Mouse View Post
snip.......
2nd trip over scale wdh disengaged:

Steer axle 2440#
Drive axle 4700#
Trailer axle 4720#
Gross weight 11,860#

3rd trip over scale wdh engaged:

Steer axle 2640#
Drive axle 4400# (over rawr by 300#!)
Trailer axle 4780#
Gross weight 11,820 (not sure why that changed!).......snip
The difference in steering axle weights implies that the WDH is transferring weight off the TV's rear axle to the front axle......, but one needs the TV's "unhitched" F/R axle weights (from 1st trip across scale) to confirm if correct weight has been returned to the steering axle via the WDH adjustment.

A certified CAT Scale has a 40lb plus/minus tolerance, this may may account for the 11,860lbs and 11,820lbs readings.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Country_Mouse View Post
snip.......Still confused about how to calculate tongue weight though.......snip
(TV "hitched" F/R axle weights w/WDH dis-engaged) - (TV's "unhitched" gross weight) = TT loaded tongue weight

Quote:
Originally Posted by Country_Mouse View Post
snip......Will I be able to calculate that after I get the TV front and rear axle weights without trailer attached now?
Yes, but to be accurate the TV should be loaded under the same TV/TT CAT scale weight conditions previously presented....., or preform a new 3-stage TV/TT CAT weigh-in under loaded conditions (inclusive of TV unhitched, F/R axle).

Hope this helps.

Bob
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Old 11-11-2015, 05:56 AM   #13
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Country_Mouse,

Quote:
Originally Posted by Country_Mouse View Post
I weighed just the Expy a while back with a few of us in it on a scale that just had one section so no independent axle readings. It was 5700#. If I add in the rest of the passenger's weight and the dogs plus 100# miscellaneous it would be 6400#. Don't remember if I had a full tank though. We have a 28 gallon tank.
This isn't an accurate representation of your TT's actual loaded tongue weight at the time of your CAT Scale weigh-in, but ..............;

(TV axles/hitched/WDH dis-engaged; 4,700lbs + 2,440lbs) - (6,400lbs) = 740lb loaded tongue weight.

Bob
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Old 11-11-2015, 11:18 AM   #14
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Thanks Bob. That tongue weight would be exactly where I want it. Will definitely hit the scales again next time. Maybe on a shorter trip where kids are more cooperative. Maybe, just maybe with a new TV. Trying to convince my husband to get a Suburban. Wanted an Excursion but really surprised that their payload is,actually a little worse than my car now!
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Old 11-11-2015, 11:21 AM   #15
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And to all other newbs out there. What you read on here about 1/2 tons is true. The first things you will run out of are raw and payload. We still have a few thousand pounds left in our gcwr but over our rawr.
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Old 11-11-2015, 12:32 PM   #16
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If you have done all you can to adjust the WDH (including adjusting the ball height/pitch) then maybe consider a different WDH. You really aren't redistributing much of the weight off the back axle to front and trailer axles. Actually, almost no transfer back to the trailer axle at all (60 lbs), and that is where the capacity is.


The sticky on here that points back to the RV Forums, gives a really good explanation of the geometry involved, and how you can manage the WD characteristics by changing the setup.
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Old 11-11-2015, 01:13 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bankr63 View Post
If you have done all you can to adjust the WDH (including adjusting the ball height/pitch) then maybe consider a different WDH. You really aren't redistributing much of the weight off the back axle to front and trailer axles. Actually, almost no transfer back to the trailer axle at all (60 lbs), and that is where the capacity is.


The sticky on here that points back to the RV Forums, gives a really good explanation of the geometry involved, and how you can manage the WD characteristics by changing the setup.
That's a hard pill to swallow when we paid $600 for a hitch that got such great reviews on this forum. 😥
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Old 11-11-2015, 01:26 PM   #18
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We pulled our X23B with an '03 Expedition 5.4 and my weights are below. I expect your Expe's weights will be similar. You can also see that we were close on the GAWR. The weights were just the bride, wiener dog and myself in the TV. I figure with another couple and their "stuff" in the back we were over on the rear axle too.
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Old 11-11-2015, 01:49 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Country_Mouse View Post
That's a hard pill to swallow when we paid $600 for a hitch that got such great reviews on this forum. 😥
This doesn't make sense to me. I just went back and re-read the thread, and I still don't understand. The Equal-i-zer is a really good hitch, you should be able to transfer plenty of weight if it is properly spec'd for the weights involved.

Did your hitch shop guy tilt the hitch head at all (by adding washers)? Raising the WDH arms is only one adjustment. If you can't transfer enough weight with the bars riding parallel to the frame, you need to tilt the head. You can go up to 7 washers IIRC.

Have you read the instructions for adjusting/setting up your hitch?
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Old 11-11-2015, 02:07 PM   #20
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That's why I have a 1200 lbs. Pro Series WDH system for my 5900 lbs. GVWR TT
Found it more flexibility in adjusting. I had a 750 lbs. WDH which didn't much for me.


The way 1/2 ton trucks are designed is more like driving with a car like suspension and for occasional towing. You always can make some suspension improvements for towing like; Air-lift 1000, Timbrens, Airbags, tire upgraded etc. which all improve the handling of the 1/2 truck. It doesn't change the GVWR nor the GAWR op paper as set by the manufacturer. A payload of 1500 lbs. eats up pretty fast with some full passenger capacity, gear, TW etc. Wish the manufacturer would list all the weight ratings of each of their suspension components so you know were the weakest link is and can adjust accordingly. At least with TT you can figure this out easy.


Myself I'm not worried if I'm 200 lbs. over because I know from mfg. design they are overrated but give a safe weight rate on the sticker. Don't think authorities are worried about this to much either, otherwise why wouldn't we see more check stops of RV setups for that reason.


Use common sense; Travel as level as possible with your TV and also with your TT at least above the 90% range. Have a proper WDH with sway control. You have to feel familiar and comfortable with your combo.
We all have seen going down the road; TV ass down and TT nose down. And some you see with no WDH. Some 5ers nose way up high. Or the ones going 75 mph on 65 mph tires in 102 F summer heat. And they still think they go safe down road.
I guess so has everybody their own opinion.
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