Hey y'all,
So,in my constant quest to overcompensate, most of you know I bought a 1 ton
diesel dually, and also Bernie "Youse Guys" Nevoral's 28' Pace Shadow
trailer, with the idea of bringing 2 prepared cars to the races. Rather than
yank and replace a motor between sessions as I've been known to do, some
time this year, I'll just be able to instead, just roll another car off the
back.
Rick "Dr. Dreadful" Gurolnick had suggested that I take the new rig (loaded)
over to "our" guy at Master Hitch. John's an invaluable source of expeience
and good advice. After loading the tools, the generator, the compressor, and
the 2 Sprites, I saw that there appeared to be a fair amount of tongue
weight. (You know you're sporting some tongue weight when it causes the back
of a one ton dually to squat on its haunches.). So, I unloaded the cars, and
turned the front Spite around...loading it ass end first. There was a good
4'-5' from the rear of the car to the front of the trailer. The rear car was
nose first. It was my best estimation of proper loading and tongue weight.
Imagine our surprise when the thing weighed in at 1400 lbs of tongue weight.
I turned the rear car around, loading it ass end first too, and got it down
to 1240 lbs. The Reese factory hitch on the Dodge dually 1 ton is rated for
10000 lbs, and 1000 lbs of tongue weight. They took me into the shop and
showed me a factory hitch set up that had been towing a horse trailer and
been ripped right out of the frame.
So, I have a few choices. I can move my tool box and generator back, and
probably come in under the weight (and safety) limits. My trailer hitch guy
is so cool, he let me borrow his tongue weight scale for the weekend so I
can play around with the logistics.
But, the better solution, and one I'll opt for shortly, is a super heavy
duty hitch, new receiver head, and 1200 lb load leveling bars (I have 1000
lb bars now). The new style bars also eliminate that goofy anti-sway set up
that doesn't allow you to back up without disconnecting. Total cost will be
about $700, which, when you consider the cost of the truck, trailer, 2 race
cars, etc. along with the potential cost in lives... seems to be a cheap
investment.
So, y'all might consider getting your "race load' on over to your local
trailer/hitch guy for a tongue weight measurement. I see an awful lot of
motorhomes pulling things way over their 3000 lb limit, or V6 mid size SUV's
lacking the power to get up a hill, or to truly pull down all the weight
they're pulling if forced into a panic stop situation. Also, while you're at
it, take a moment to replace any worn straps or D rings. Double check all
the anchor points or e-channel where tou tie down to.
Y'all be safe out there.
WST
Flounder
Team Thicko
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