Weight calculations

[PlayersZ28]

Anyone know how to calc the effect of shifting weight in a fiver? It's doesn't seem to be as simple as just ratios from what I can tell from the scales.

Thinking about moving my battery bank from the genny bay to the rear side of the basement. Looking to take weight off the pin (other than leaving all my wife's clothes at home).

Right now I have about 300# of batteries etc sitting 8' back from the pin & 16' from the wheels. If I move them they would be 14' back from the pin & 10' from the wheels.

[Fire_Instructor]

You would also need to calculate (and be concerned about) the extra weigh on just one side. Also, the generator / battery compartment is air-sealed from the rest of the unit. Moving the batteries to the basement puts battery gasses into the rest of the unit when charging (unless you have sealed gel-batteries). I have four 6v golf-cart batteries in my generator compartment. I also looked at moving them or somehow reconfiguring to reduce pin weight, but was unsuccessful, other than packing lighter....

[PlayersZ28]

My 6v batteries are AGM's so no venting issues. They're currently located on the door side of the trailer and if I move them they will be closer to the centerline, maybe a bit to the off door side.

Not much else of any significant weight that I can move to lighten the pin. Pretty much all the storage in a rear living fiver is forward of the axles and adds to the pin.

Maybe time to go Li and really drop some weight and they can go in the kitchen.

[vcbice]

Just for grins I calculated the moments and you should go from 200lb of pin weight to 125lb of pin weight just from the batteries.

It won't be exact since you have more than one axle. The true 'pivot' point cannot be calculated exactly without more information.

[PlayersZ28]

Originally Posted by vcbice

Just for grins I calculated the moments and you should go from 200lb of pin weight to 125lb of pin weight just from the batteries.

It won't be exact since you have more than one axle. The true 'pivot' point cannot be calculated exactly without more information.

I guess 75# off the pin is better than nothing

You're in Las Cruces NM? We were there late Mar boondocking @ Sierra Vista trailhead for a week.

[Fire_Instructor]

Originally Posted by PlayersZ28

I guess 75# off the pin is better than nothing

At least until you fill that newly emptied space in the nose with more stuff!!!

[vcbice]

Yep, it is better than nothing

Las Cruces is our base. Wife's family lives here. We stay at the Hacienda RV park. We've camped all over NM and eastern AZ (I was raised in Phoenix).

Have fun out there.