Will Spring Bars Rated Above Trailer Tongue Weight Make for a Stiff Ride
Question:
Greets from Burlington, Ontario Last week I had a Husky round-bar weight distribution hitch with sway control barmodel #07023/34715 installed on my 2011 21foot Keystone Passport 199ML travel trailer by a local dealer. All they had in stock was the 800-1200lb spring bar model. I did mention the dry, unloaded tongue weight was listed in the trailer product information at 322lbs but I was assured that with the addition of the usual camping necessities water, clothing, food, beer, etc all would be good. Because of the position of the propane tanks on the trailers a-frame, they had to substitute a manual, clamp-on bracket and I have to lift the whole assembly using the trailer jack to remove the bars, rather than being able to use the lift bar provided in the kit - its a little awkward, but I can deal with that...the trailer and truck seem to be level and the way its set up there are 5 links in use and three spare. Please advise if you feel theres any issue with any of this. Using the calculator on the Husky website I tried to arrive at an actual tongue weight, and even with all the incidentals accounted for, full fresh and hot water tanks30lbs each, 25 lbs in each of the black and gray tanks Im not really that likely to travel with this loading, the trailer GVW is 4321lbs and at 15, I get a tongue weight of 648lbs its just less than 620 without all that water. Everything Ive read about weight distribution hitchesthanks for all the info you guys post on the website! indicates that the sweet spot is in the middle of the spring bar weight range - which would be 1000lbs for the 800-1200lb bars and Im almost 400lbs shy of that. Ive only driven it home from the shop about 5 miles and I would have to say I wasnt at all impressed with the ride Im towing with a new 2011 Ford F150 5.0L v8 w factory tow package - it seemed very bouncy - as if the trailer was pushing down too hard, especially going over bumps in the road - it seemed to keep bouncing up and down long after the bump - as if the shocks were gone... I need to know if I can expect improvement in the ride and handling if I order in a set of 501-800 spring bars. Would they have to set the whole thing up again, or is it just a matter of moving the hardware from one set to the other? Would it likely still be 5/3 chain link setup or would that change as well? I dont know a lot about this its our first travel trailer, thats why I had the hitch installed professionally. I wrote Husky and didnt really get any clear direction on ride and handling improvement, only suggesting I go to 4 links under instead of 5. I would appreciate any assistance/advice/guidance you folks might provide, it would be very much appreciated!
asked by: Mike
Expert Reply:
First, when calculating tongue weight, after you have the tongue weight of the trailer, loaded and ready to tow, you then have to add to that the weight of anything you are carrying behind the rear axle of the tow vehicle. If you have 200 pounds of gear at the very back of the truck, you add that in as tongue weight.
What you are experiencing is a stiff ride because the spring bars are rated much higher than are needed based on the information you have provided. Your tongue weight is way under the range the system is rated for. While it is better to have a system rated too high than to have one rated too low, the end result is that you have a stiff, rough ride and are not getting all of the benefits out of the system that you could.
The bracket placement and the fact that you need to use the jack to install and remove the bars is something that comes up when there are items on the trailer tongue. It takes some getting used to but it is still a viable method. The chains at 5 links is the norm but some setups do require more or less. Basically, you want the spring bars parallel to the trailer frame and not angled up or down.
I recommend going down to the next lowest size in spring bars so you will have your tongue weight more in the middle of the range, just like you have said. You will experience a much better ride this way. I am not too familiar with the Husky systems but a lot of the systems we carry you will not have to replace the head, just the spring bars. Confirm that with your dealer.
I do recommend having the system re-set as if it had just been installed after replacing the spring bars. That way you get everything level and you will know that you covered all the bases. What you have been saying is correct in terms of the spring bar capacities and tongue weight. I have included a link to our FAQ on weight distribution for you. Once you get the new spring bars installed and set up, let me know how the ride is for you.
