Towing with golf cart on truck...
#16
01-11-2019, 08:52 AM
First if you back the golf cart into the truck more of the weight will be forward of the rear axle and easier to compensate for. The front of the cart is super light as all it has is the front axle. All the weight is towards the rear of these carts.
I would then highly recommend air bags. Air bags will give you better control of the weight on the truck itself. If you're not loaded 5 lbs is all you need in them.
I would then highly recommend air bags. Air bags will give you better control of the weight on the truck itself. If you're not loaded 5 lbs is all you need in them.
#18
01-11-2019, 06:46 PM
First if you back the golf cart into the truck more of the weight will be forward of the rear axle and easier to compensate for. The front of the cart is super light as all it has is the front axle. All the weight is towards the rear of these carts.
I would then highly recommend air bags. Air bags will give you better control of the weight on the truck itself. If you're not loaded 5 lbs is all you need in them.
I would then highly recommend air bags. Air bags will give you better control of the weight on the truck itself. If you're not loaded 5 lbs is all you need in them.
#19
01-17-2019, 03:35 PM
I agree completely. I have WDH and then added air springs on my old Excursion, it was night and day, hardly needed the WDH afterwards. Probably slightly cheaper as well.
#20
02-20-2019, 11:07 AM
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Ya know that the rear springs, axle and tires don’t know where the load is coming from.
#21
02-21-2019, 10:47 PM
The WDH doesn’t know where the load is coming from either, but can be misused to distribute cargo weight in the bed, rather than just the tongue weight of the trailer. If you watch the video above that is exactly what was going on. He was using the WDH to level the whole rig, rather than just distribute the trailer tongue weight. The result was an overloaded trailer axle.
The WDH is for weight distribution, not leveling. Leveling is a byproduct of weight distribution. Airbags are for leveling, but not for weight distribution. You can make it look well balanced with airbags, but the axle weights remain largely unchanged.
That was my point. Don’t load the bed with a golf cart and use the a WDH to level the whole thing out. Doing so is a misapplication of the WDH. Set your hitch to restore your front axle weight (as indicated by front wheel well height or scale) and forget about what the rear is doing or if it looks level. If you try to level everything out with the hitch you are going to break something eventually. If you need to level it, use air bags or helper springs and reset your hitch accordingly to restore your front axle weight.
#22
02-22-2019, 05:27 AM
You don't get it.
It doesn't matter whether the tongue or the load in the bed is causing the truck to squat too much. You can use the WDH to redistribute some of the weight from the tongue in order to get the truck to squat an acceptable amount.
Of course you could break something if you go overboard but there's a simple solution, just don't go overboard with the WDH.
It doesn't matter whether the tongue or the load in the bed is causing the truck to squat too much. You can use the WDH to redistribute some of the weight from the tongue in order to get the truck to squat an acceptable amount.
Of course you could break something if you go overboard but there's a simple solution, just don't go overboard with the WDH.
#23
02-22-2019, 07:39 AM
Lead Driver
I feel like you guys are saying 99% of the same thing, and fighting over the remaining 1%.
However, I will throw in my two cents and say that once your WDH is adjusted to give your steer axle sufficient weight, you may still have some squat with very heavy cargo like this golf cart. In those cases, you probably either have to live with some rear axle squat or get some mechanical rear suspension assistance, like air bags.
Myself, I think the fixation on "curing squat" is misguided. As long as you aren't over your rear axle rating, let it squat away! Squats are a great exercise!
However, I will throw in my two cents and say that once your WDH is adjusted to give your steer axle sufficient weight, you may still have some squat with very heavy cargo like this golf cart. In those cases, you probably either have to live with some rear axle squat or get some mechanical rear suspension assistance, like air bags.
Myself, I think the fixation on "curing squat" is misguided. As long as you aren't over your rear axle rating, let it squat away! Squats are a great exercise!
#24
02-22-2019, 07:50 AM
I agree with 77, as long as you have the weight on the steer axle if it squats and you can live with it . Just adjust your headlights as they will be high.
nothing more aggravating then to get stuck with somebody behind you with their headlights set to high and you can’t do nothing with your mirrors and you can’t see.
nothing more aggravating then to get stuck with somebody behind you with their headlights set to high and you can’t do nothing with your mirrors and you can’t see.
#25
02-22-2019, 02:06 PM
You don't get it.
It doesn't matter whether the tongue or the load in the bed is causing the truck to squat too much. You can use the WDH to redistribute some of the weight from the tongue in order to get the truck to squat an acceptable amount.
Of course you could break something if you go overboard but there's a simple solution, just don't go overboard with the WDH.
It doesn't matter whether the tongue or the load in the bed is causing the truck to squat too much. You can use the WDH to redistribute some of the weight from the tongue in order to get the truck to squat an acceptable amount.
Of course you could break something if you go overboard but there's a simple solution, just don't go overboard with the WDH.
and I’ll say it flat out, if you are using your WDH to redistribute weight in the bed of your truck, you are going overboard with your WDH. Plain and simple.
Do do not use your WDH to level the load, that is not what it is for. It is not intended to “cure squat” or “level the load” it is there to distribute the tongue weight and assure that the steering axle has not been unloaded.
Adjust your hitch to get your steering axle weight back to where it was, and forget about how it “looks”. If the rear is still too low, then add springs or bags to the back and readjust the hitch to get your steering axle weight back again. The only measurement you really need to worry about when adjusting your WDH is the front axle weight and forget About anything else. If your axle weight in the front is back to where it was befor your hooked the trailer, then the WDH is doing its job and if the rear is too low it needs a different solution.
I’ll use my own rig as an example:
Notice that the rear is squatting enough to notice. Not terrible but it is down 3-4 inches from unloaded and an inch or two lower than the front. But I’ve got my front axle weight restored plus an extra 50 lbs. the hitch is properly adjusted and it has noting to do with the ride height of the rear. If I were to tighten it up any more it would be over adjusted. I say this with confidence because I’m already transferring over 600lbs from the rear axle to the front and over 200 from the tongue to the trailer axles. If I were to adjust this so that the truck was level, it would be take transferring another 200 lbs or so from back to front and the hitch would be way too tight. (Physically impossible to hook up, actually). Now let’s throw another 500 lbs of crap in the back and use the hitch to level that out... terrible idea. I guarantee you that if you did that with my rig, something would break. Do you know how much torque at the hitch it takes to transfer 600 lbs from back to front on a 119 inch wheelbase? I do, I’ve done the math and it is a staggering number.
Adjust your hitch to get your front axle weight back,and then forget about the rest.
If you really want to do this right, load up the cart and hit the scales. Then hook up the trailer and adjust the hitch to get your steering axle weight back to where it was with the cart on board. That would be the best setting, regardless of how much it squats.
“I don’t get it” indeed .....
#26
02-22-2019, 02:21 PM
#27
02-22-2019, 07:17 PM
It can also make the difference between being adjusted just right and overloading your trailer axles, as seen in the video above. He adjusted it to level the rear of the van and put weight that should have been on the rear axle of the van and placed it on the trailer axle and overloaded it.
#28
02-22-2019, 07:48 PM
It can also make the difference between being adjusted just right and overloading your trailer axles, as seen in the video above. He adjusted it to level the rear of the van and put weight that should have been on the rear axle of the van and placed it on the trailer axle and overloaded it.
Screw the trailer. Trailer axles are dirt cheap.
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