Overloaded Trailer or Weak Truck?

[WoodTick007]

I have a f-250 2x4 with a 5.8L engine and 5 speed.... I haul a Firewood trailer that is 8' x 16' with 36" tall sides. I would guess that the trailer weighs about 1500lbs and the loaded trailer weight is between 4500 and 7000lbs

The "issue" I would like to fix is that as I load the trailer the back of the truck starts Dragginass.
I am considering three options to resolve this issue.

1.) Add an additional leaf spring... $300. Problem is that I don't want the truck looking like is all jacked up in the back when I am not hauling the trailer.

2.) Add adjustable air bags to the rear. $300 The problem I see with them is that they might not do what I want and I don't know how long they will actually last.

3.) Add a set of helper springs... $365 I don't know if there is a problem with this setup as I know nothing about them.

Please share your thoughts, knowledge, and experience with these.

Thanks!

Greg
Aka Woodtick007

 

[clearance]

Once I had all four springs re-arched and two leafs added to the rear springs and one to the fronts springs on my 3/4 ton 4x4. Works great for hauling more, it is a truck after all. Who cares if it looks jacked up? I would get two sprrings added to the back spring pack. Also, maybe you could stack the wood higher over the trailer axles, taking some load off the tongue wieght, I believe the tongue is only supposed to carry about 10-15 percent of the trailers total wieght. Also a good idea to check the oil in your diff or diffs, tranny and all that. Also load range "E" tires, like at 80lbs., and so on, there must be a website someone here can recommend about pulling trailers?

 

[ericjeeper]

Reese load equilizing bars

Torsion hitches. go to an rv dealership and get set up.

 

[treevet]

another prob w adding leaf spgs is not just jacked up look (i like that) but get ready to hit ceiling if you hit a pothole if no weight is in the bed. helper set sounds like best option along w like said moving load away fm tongue.

 

[ddhlakebound]

If you're loading that trailer front to back, 3 feet high, stacked, I'd estimate your load to weigh closer to 13000 lbs.

384 cubic feet of space, using a nice round number of 50 lbs/cubic foot, and allowing 30% of the volume for air space it would weigh 13440. @ 40% air space it still weighs 11520.

If your'e hauling seasoned wood, it would be less, If your'e hauling green oak, hickory, or locust, it could be 20% or more than the 13k

Great advice from clearance, that'll help, especially moving the weight over the trailer axles as much as possible.

Sounds pretty heavy tho.

 

[drmiller100]

a good set of air bags is the best way to go. i kind of doubt you can do it for 300 bucks though.

anohter option is to load the trailer differently. don't use the front 2 feet of the trailer, and load the back a little higher.

if you have that much tongue weight, you might be exceeding the hitch capacities for tongue weight.

 

[Fordman99]

I have to agree with lakebound here.I believe your underestimating your weight.If I did my math right,your hauling about 3 full cord,if its oak,hickory or anything green there's alot more weight there than you think.BTW a friend of mine just put a set of those airbags on a F-250,they work great,air pressure is adjustable to different conditions.I believe he got them from J.C. Whitney for less than $200

 

[tawilson]

He didn't say he was stacking it. I assume it's loose thrown and he knows what he's talking about.
Try to distribute the weight in the trailer better and get the weight distributing hitch. A pic would help. Is it a homemade trailer? Maybe the axles need to be slid forward a tad.

 

[ray benson]

Is it possible the truck coupler is too high in relation to the trailer coupler? Putting undo weight on the truck when the trailer is loaded.

 

[WoodTick007]

Wood Load

Here are two pictures with a load of wood on the trailer. It is loaded with green Maple that is un-split..... Sorry about the tarp and it not showing the amount of wood, but its loaded pretty decent. As you can see I have the lions share of wood loaded over the axles.

 

[tawilson]

It's hard to tell for sure, but it does look like the axles are pretty far back on the trailer. Any way to measure how much tongue weight you have when unloaded. You should just about be able to pick it up by hand. Clearance was right on with the 10-15% of total weight for tongue weight. I've got the same truck, and it takes a lot to make it squat. If you go to a weight distributing hitch, it takes the tongue weight and distributes a portion of it to your front wheels and the trailer axles.

 

[WoodTick007]

Pickup By Hand

There is no way I can pickup the tongue by hand when the trailer is empty....

Is it easy to move the axles forward on a trailer?

I am going to split it on Monday, but before I do I will try to drive it over the scale at the nearby paving company.

 

[olyman]

on a very high percentage of the trailers ive seen that are factory built--they have both axles------WAYYYYYYYY to far back--ive built my own--and i have the center of the trailer--without tongue length---4 inches ahead of the center of the two axles--why--SO YOU DONT HAVE SUCH EXTREME TONGUE WEIGHT!!!!!! you still have the weight of the tongue holding the trailer down---and ive towed empty many times for distance--and no sway problem--and yes--the axles can be moved--the brake wires also--just find a welder that knows what hes doing--it aint rocket science---youll be moving fenders also---and with that much weight---and too much of it forward--taint no wonder butts graggin!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Limestone]

Try a set of Timbrens the will not effect the ride when the truck is unloaded.

 

[GLM]

Those axels look way to far back, I bet your tounge weight is way over what it should be :jawdrop: See if you can slide those babies forward a bit and see how much better it sits.

 

[tawilson]

Check underneath the trailer and see how they are attached. I'm sure it's welded. I have moved axles on boat trailers, but they were attached with u-bolts. If welded a welding shop should be able to take care of it for around what you were planning on spending on beefing up your truck, if that is the problem.

 

[woodfarmer]

a good set of air bags is the best way to go. i kind of doubt you can do it for 300 bucks though.

anohter option is to load the trailer differently. don't use the front 2 feet of the trailer, and load the back a little higher.

if you have that much tongue weight, you might be exceeding the hitch capacities for tongue weight.

there's some good advice, would you like to see some sway in your trailer load the rear end heavier and see what happens...ideal axle placement is in the center of the trailer, with the same length of trailer in front of the front axle as is behind the rear axle

 

[Freakingstang]

there's some good advice, would you like to see some sway in your trailer load the rear end heavier and see what happens...ideal axle placement is in the center of the trailer, with the same length of trailer in front of the front axle as is behind the rear axle

He didn't say to put all the weight on the azz of the trailer, he just said what most people that tow with a long tongue do...Distribute the weight. My 16' trailer is the same way. I can put 10K pounds on it, either in front of the axles, over the axles or on the tail. I choose to not use the first 1-2 feet of the trailer when I haul wood becuase of the tongue weight issue.

His post had very good info.

 

[Patrick62]

If I recall correctly!

I have built a few trailers, annd follow a few guidelines.\

10% of the weight should be on the hitch. I have managed to do this by putting the axle(s) at the 60/40 split on the trailer part. The length of the hitch drops in to 10%. This results in sufficient tongue weight to reduce pogo stick.

However! If the loaded trailer is 10,000 that would make the tongue weight 1000. Way to much for the average pickup.

Load equilizing hitch (think camper) would be the best solution. I have towed trailers that were balanced almost "perfectly" you bounce along
Very tiring, and dangerous as the coupler could release from the ball (oops).

-pat

 

[redprospector]

I think you're going to be a little surprised when you run her across the scales. I've got a 16' Big Tex car trailer with no sides, or rails that weighs a little over 1500#.
Personally I don't think the axle placement looks that bad, but what ever.
If you're going to get much over 10,000# look at the equalizer hitch, or a gooseneck pretty seriously.

Beef up them springs, and get rollin buddy!!

Andy