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Old 08-26-2018, 03:09 AM   #1
Steveg
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Ashland
Posts: 18
Default Adding bikes on rear made tongue lite tongue weight

I recently welded a 2” trailer hitch on the back frame of my 24’ Alumilite. I also added 2 frame skid rollers, and added a bike rack. The hitch, rollers, rack and bikes come to 205 pounds. This changed the towing stability dramatically. My TV is a 2014 F-150 crewcab with the 5’5” bed,rated to tow over 8000 pounds. My Alumilite dry weight is 6000 pounds. I was waiting until we got the camper fully stocked with cookware, etc., before I had it weighed at a certified scale. I had about 700 miles of previous towing before adding the bikes on the rear. Previously we carried them in the truck bed. The stability was fantastic until this trip. In fact, we got in a thunderstorm coming home on a previous trip, with 45 mph gust, and only a slight sway. After getting a certified weight to check tongue weight, and the gross weights, I plan to install a weight distributing hitch for maximum safety. I’m right at the point of TV and trailer weighing about the same.On this current trip, I could feel every passing truck, and 50 mph was the highest speed I felt safe driving. It was only a 75 mile trip, but before returning home, I plan to put about 200 pounds of water in the freshwater tank, which is located under the bed, near the front, just to balance things better. Has anyone experienced this? What options are available to allow me to keep the bikes on the back? Seems a waste to haul 200 pounds of water, just for stability. This was just a 3 day trip, so not a lot of clothing or food, but we plan to do 8 months of full time starting December 2019. I do plan to add one more battery on the tongue. Thanks for any and all input. BTW, Growing up on a farm, I’ve had a lifetime of towing all sorts of trailers, but you can’t reposition loads to get a 10% tongue weight in a travel trailer.
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