No problem at all. And thanks for coming back on it!

 

This is how it should be. I love it when we can find what is really going on and pin things down.

 

Barebones, Are you really cocky or is it just coming off that way? Everyone apreciates good infromation and most of us take everything with a grain of salt and filter it out ourselves. But after reading your post it seems to me that you have a superiority complex and are looking for a fight? Please let me know If I am wrong.

 

I guess I don't see where you're coming from.... I merely presented a conclusion, a supporting rationale, and indication of an interest in considering any conflicting information. If you perceive that as cocky, its your problem.

 

Guys? I don't think I see an issue here.

I'd about kill for a copy of that book, doing what I am about to get back into that I do these days. Those specs are based on factory design, engineering, and testing.

The F-450 if you read the artical linked to on the FTE home page has raised the bar again, being able to pull 18K. 3K pounds more than everything else out there....

I still wonder what hitch they used, likely a Blue Ox.

Sometimes unintended attitudes appear to be expressed, but if we have clean info from good sources, it's what we need in order to be safe out there.

I think what we are seeing here is a safety issue presented in plain nuts and bolts. Without an LDH, the capacity is half or even two thirds less than it could be with one.

That's all I really see here, and BareBones is right to be concerned. How would any of us like to be next to an overloaded rig that lost control?

 

After a reread, I renig my earlier coments. I may have been umm, lets say "happy" at the time I read and responded. Sometimes I get a little confrontational when I am in that state. My sincere apologies.

 

Hey - I went there too, many times. All forgiven.

It gets tuff sometimes, when we face nasty people everyday.

It isn't like that here.

GOOD ON YOU!

And good on your gut feelings, to see it, and do something about it.

YOU are a true blue man!

 

I agree, no problem....

 

Not to stir this back up but you can also consider getting a new hitch. Go 2 1/2 Reese Titan and all the numbers that Barebones talked about do increase. Your WD goes up to 17,000 (Not the Titan, 14,000 on the titan) on some models with hitch weight of 1700 (1400 titan). Without an WD you can apply up to 12,000 - 14,000 on some models. I have considered going that route since my stock V-5 hitch is only rated at 12,500 yet my trailer is rated at 14,000. I do run with an WD but only when I reach loads above 7500. My problem is my C-Channel on my 14k trailer is so darn big the chain rubs.

Just another option. Of course there is gooseneck.

 

Good to know. Certainly can't argue with a Reese. Mine's 14K too, though I've never pulled that much....

 

I dont know why you guys are telling him he needs a sway control when you dont know the characteristics of his trailer. I tow a 24' car trailer 10500 lbs, a 33' Alumalite Travel Trailer 10,500 and a 24' Chris Craft. None of these lash ups have a sway control and the pull great.

 

Afraid I have to agree on that one. If you can't take a large trailer with an adequate tow vehicle with WD hitch and set it up to tow without swaying, then something is wrong. Lets see:

1) Wrong ride height on trailer
2) Trailer not level
3) Trailer loaded wrong
4) WD hitch not adjusted right
5) One or more axles bent or misaligned
6) One or more tires bad
7) Brake problems - dragging wheel, uneven braking, etc
8) Trailer springs weak or broken leaves
9) Tow vehicle springs weak or broken leaves
10) Other tow vehicle problems such as misaligned or worn
front end components.

Case in point was a Chevy half ton that would drive beautifully going down the road, but when a tandem axle flat bed was attached it was all over the road. Believe it or not a front end alignment cured the problem.

All trailers will sway a LITTLE under certain conditions. A trailer with a large windcatching surface will sway in a heavy wind gust. He$$, An F350 with a load of bricks will sway in a high wind even without a trailer. If you want a sway DAMPENING device, thats fine. But using one to control sway induced by any of the above is a bandaid at best. Fix the underlying problem.

 

Yep your tow vehicle also helps with the sway. The longer the wheelbase the less sway you should encounter. Of course there is the wind. I tow a 27 enclosed and the only time I notice sway is in strong winds. Drove it from AK to OH to CA to AK and did not have one issue with sway this summer.

 

Sway control is one heckuva bandaid though. If you set everything up right the first time, it'll just ride there not being used. But as soon as you throw a bunk on the wrong side of the trailer or hit a bad windstorm (in West Texas or the Colorado mountains) it'll sure be nice to have. Even with a tiny little 2K trailer behind an equally tiny Ranger I'd ask for anything better than what I had, either on a 6.5% grade or dealing with a 25mph crosswind.

 

I wouldn't call it a bandaid - more like a wrist brace. I can only recommend however, what is done with that recommendation is someone elses choice.

Post #27 brings up some issues that are additional considerations too. Another one is high center of gravity on the trailer, and is why trailers made out of the back half of an old pickup truck are very dangerous. Especially if the shocks are shot...

My personal preference is always to have every advantage I can get.