Using my truck today!!!

[DAVECS1]

My other toy is going in for a makeover, today I have a Jeep truck.

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[joeym7]

Its the "little" things in life that count...

 

[B1tPirate]

My Sport (manual w/ tow) does an excellent job being full on truck when needed. Hauled this cargo trailer 2,400 miles a couple of weeks ago.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

My other toy is going in for a makeover, today I have a Jeep truck.

I like your trailer winch setup. With my tilt-bed, I have to mount the winch onto the front of the tilt part. The bracket is 50% as expensive as an Apex winch.

 

[Labswine]

Is that a simple sway control bar or a WDH (weight distributing hitch)? Also, is that trailer's frame aluminum? Everything I've read (@ShadowsPapa might want to chime in here as well) was that you were not supposed to use a WDH on an aluminum trailer

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Is that a simple sway control bar or a WDH (weight distributing hitch)? Also, is that trailer's frame aluminum? Everything I've read (@ShadowsPapa might want to chime in here as well) was that you were not supposed to use a WDH on an aluminum trailer

Doesn't look like an Aluma trailer, looks like a Featherlite or some other make. Those have steel frames if it's Featherlite. Aluma is 100% aluminum except for the axles.

Looks from the pic (although the pic is small) like a really light WDH.
Either way, I spoke with an Aluma engineer, they said "don't do it", laid out the engineering reasons. The Gladiator does drop in the rear with tongue weight but air bags can deal with that.

 

[cdyoung9799]

My other toy is going in for a makeover, today I have a Jeep truck.

You have good taste in "other toys". I've owned more Mustangs than I care to say out loud. I know I have a problem, and I'm man enough to admit it.

 

[DAVECS1]

It is an H&H trailer, all aluminum. That is a weigh distributing hitch for 1200lbs. It is a recurve R3. I bolted the plates directly to the trailer with large 1/2" backing plates to the deck. This is me basically doing my own engineering. It is my investment and I firmly believe in what I know how to do. With that said I don't recommend people to blindly follow along. Understand there is a chance this could damage your trailer, if things are not checked and maintained, it could lead to catastrophic failure, which makes you dangerous to the public if you are on the road.

I am very particular about my equipment and safety, and my family moans and groans through pre-ops for almost every trip, and definitely when hauling or towing.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

It is an H&H trailer, all aluminum. That is a weigh distributing hitch for 1200lbs. It is a recurve R3. I bolted the plates directly to the trailer with large 1/2" backing plates to the deck. This is me basically doing my own engineering. It is my investment and I firmly believe in what I know how to do. With that said I don't recommend people to blindly follow along. Understand there is a chance this could damage your trailer, if things are not checked and maintained, it could lead to catastrophic failure, which makes you dangerous to the public if you are on the road.

I am very particular about my equipment and safety, and my family moans and groans through pre-ops for almost every trip, and definitely when hauling or towing.

The calculations I have seen in one example where someone was explaining how they work, say that with a WDH - in that example, you could add 2,000 pounds of downward force on the tongue, where the bars are. That's quite a downward force and I see why they don't want you to just bolt a WDH on and move along.
2,000 pounds also doesn't take away from the tongue weight on the thing. It's still there.

The plates are spreading that load out and sending it back along the tongue and frame.

The aluminum tongue and frame can handle the tongue weight fine, but load that thing up with a ton of force, using just the supplied attachment and you could rip things up.

 

[DAVECS1]

Aluminum has a finite fatigue cycle. No as to if the trailer was designed with that finite fatigue strength in mind or to whatever is the norm for dimensional grade structural aluminum is debatable. Putting a focused load using infinitely cycleable materials into an aluminum structure that is not, can create issues to the main load bearing member of a trailer. To minimize flexing or cycling I calculated I need material in the .4 thickness range with 180 ftlbs of retention. So to over kill it, I chose 3/4 grade 8 hardware double nutted with 3 fastners a side and used 1020 1/2 cold rolled steel that filled the c channel and went 12 inches back under the deck. My though is the material cycling will be spread out. Drawback is I probably added close to 100lbs to my trailer.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Aluminum has a finite fatigue cycle. No as to if the trailer was designed with that finite fatigue strength in mind or to whatever is the norm for dimensional grade structural aluminum is debatable. Putting a focused load using infinitely cycleable materials into an aluminum structure that is not, can create issues to the main load bearing member of a trailer. To minimize flexing or cycling I calculated I need material in the .4 thickness range with 180 ftlbs of retention. So to over kill it, I chose 3/4 grade 8 hardware double nutted with 3 fastners a side and used 1020 1/2 cold rolled steel that filled the c channel and went 12 inches back under the deck. My though is the material cycling will be spread out. Drawback is I probably added close to 100lbs to my trailer.

Adding cyclic loads well below the amounts that cause yield, over and over, eventually will cause failure as the microscopic changes lead to cracks.
I suppose in a way it's like vibrations eventually causing hardening and cracking of copper?

 

[vmiaptetr]

I’m sure it tows real nice with that Maggie. *sigh*

 

[Josh00333]

As noted w Aluminum trailers you should never use through bolt WD hitches.

As a normal person you should call the trailer manufacture and ask what they recommend (not the sales guy on the lot).

ATC trailers for example are all Alum trailers, toy haulers etc, the cream of the crop, yes you use WD hitches on them, but use bolted clamp type (like Dave) not through bolt.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

As noted w Aluminum trailers you should never use through bolt WD hitches.

As a normal person you should call the trailer manufacture and ask what they recommend (not the sales guy on the lot).

ATC trailers for example are all Alum trailers, toy haulers etc, the cream of the crop, yes you use WD hitches on them, but use bolted clamp type (like Dave) not through bolt.

Dave's is bolted through the frame, plates on the inside as he describes.
His jack is clamped on and not bolted through the frame.

I did call and talked to an an engineer at the factory. He gave all sorts of figures, numbers, calculations and what-not.
In the end, he says they've never found it necessary. (I haven't, either.)
The engineering last word was "don't do it, you don't need it".

If I ever felt that there was a need, I'd go through the engineering and add the proper steel structure in the frame/tongue area.
While the trailer can easily handle 6,000 pounds (I'd have to look at the number on the frame), the tongue is only going to handle so many hundred pounds. WHD turns that into thousands of pounds of force in some cases.

The forces that are involved would be roughly the same as hanging thousands of pounds on the point where the bar connects to the trailer and figuring on it increasing and decreasing with every dip in the road.


Apparently Dave has this backed by a heavy steel plate.......... that's the only way I'd do it on aluminum.

 

[DAVECS1]

Dave's is bolted through the frame, plates on the inside as he describes.
His jack is clamped on and not bolted through the frame.

I did call and talked to an an engineer at the factory. He gave all sorts of figures, numbers, calculations and what-not.
In the end, he says they've never found it necessary. (I haven't, either.)
The engineering last word was "don't do it, you don't need it".

If I ever felt that there was a need, I'd go through the engineering and add the proper steel structure in the frame/tongue area.
While the trailer can easily handle 6,000 pounds (I'd have to look at the number on the frame), the tongue is only going to handle so many hundred pounds. WHD turns that into thousands of pounds of force in some cases.

The forces that are involved would be roughly the same as hanging thousands of pounds on the point where the bar connects to the trailer and figuring on it increasing and decreasing with every dip in the road.


Apparently Dave has this backed by a heavy steel plate.......... that's the only way I'd do it on aluminum.

I thought about it for a long time, but ultimately between the RV and the Gladiator I just felt this offered the maximum amount of trailer control. The RV sits on Semi airbags so that fights the sag. But with the WDH I can set the bags lighter and the hitch has sway control, so using the whole trailer is not as scary. Lighter bags gives a better ride in the RV. Also the RV and gladiator already struggle with front end grip so why let the trailer be part of that.

The plates do kill some of the payload offered by the aluminum, but in my mind that was the less of two evils. With my added front brake ability I can slow it down a couple miles an hour to make up for the weight

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