by Nobody » Thu Jul 10, 2014 3:19 pm
As Bob said, I too used the HF 1800# (that's what they said at that time, 2006, tho now I believe it is listed as 1720# ??). I moved the axle toward the rear approx 4", at least as much as I could do without changing location of the cross member. My TD is 60" wide & 117" long. The floor frame over hangs the chassis at the rear about 3" & front about 6". The curve of the profile (combined Gruman/ultralight) adds another half inch or so at rear & about another 8" at front. For years I'd estimated my total weight (TD only, no contents except mattress & battery) at 1150#. Last September I took it to the local Pilot truck stop & put it on the certified CAT scale. Our normal galley gear(coffee pot, tea kettle, 1-burner butane stove, propane oven, staples, utensils, etc., approx 45-50lbs) was inside as well as a couple of folding chairs in cabin, & tongue box contents (Ext cord[s], chocks, lug wrench, misc blocks, stabilizer jack handle, etc., approx 30lbs). Certified weight on wheels was 980#, & tongue wt on a bathroom scale was just under 200# so my estimate of 1150 is pretty close without gear. Loaded for a trip, I estimate rolling weight (including tongue) is 1250, 1300 max. I carry my spare tire, Honda EU2000i generator, ice chests, water jug, small charcoal grill, etc., in the shell of my p/u. I've towed the TD over 22K miles since 2006, beginning with a 4cyl, 5-spd, 1995 Nissan Hardbody, King Cab, 4wd p/u. Probably towed it close to 10K miles with that rig & changed in 2008 to a Toyota Tacoma, V-6, Auto trans, 4wd, crew cab p/u with hi-rise fiberglass camper shell. The Nissan performed well except at high elevation & when facing a medium strong headwind. The Tacoma has met or exceeded ALL my expectations at elevations up to 10K ft & 'bucking' 20-30mph headwinds.
I devised my tongue extension because I simply couldn't abide the 'clunky' HF coupler, & I like the easier backing maneuverability with the extended tongue.
Harvey -
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Doing the right thing ain't always easy but, . . . it's always right!