2022 Ford Expedition Timberline - HD Tow

[jjackkrash]

1 hour ago, Surf4FamFun said:

Not going to debate the point other than to say (in my opinion) that working the numbers is better than not, the red flag is those that don't even check.  If you are really want to be sure if your rig is by the numbers you need to check what your tow limit is with and without a weight distributing hitch (WDH), they don't make that table easy to find.  There are a fair number of 1/2 ton and a few 3/4 ton trucks that are rated to tow 10,000 or so pounds but only 5,000 to 7,000 without a WDH.  This especially true of older vehicles and has been discussed at length in other threads.

My experience has been that too much tongue weight is very dangerous as it takes weight off the steering wheels (front) and you loose directional control.  This is what a WDH is designed to prevent and what the trailer towing standards check for when determining how much can be towed without a WDH.

 

I agree with pretty much everything in this post.    Which is why I don't like to tow much more than my ski boat with a 1/2 ton or SUV.  

 

 

[JeffK]

On 5/28/2022 at 12:37 AM, Surf4FamFun said:

I think as long as the trailer was sitting at the same level as when on the hitch it would be more accurate.  

The flaw in the method I used is that when the hitch takes a load it is a lever behind the rear axel and lifts the front end of the truck.  Think a seesaw with one end being the hitch, the fulcrum in the middle being the rear axel, the other end being the front of the truck.  What reads on the scale is going to be some higher than the actual tongue weight.  This ignores how much weight is on the drive and steering axel which is another consideration. 

When I asked about doing what you did he said no.  I presume that blocking the scales with a dropped trailer was not of the employee handbook and did not press the issue.  It would be fun to try It and see but given the amount of driving that I would have to do will not volunteer.  

If you are a bit of a gear head this is a good watch that makes a lot of sense to me.  When you put weight on the hitch a lot happens other than just adding the hitch weight to the payload.  WDH vs Airbags and axel loading 

disregard- I reread your post one more time and got it. I was the only one there and the nice older lady couldn’t have been more patient with me. She let me drop the trailer, pull off the scale, then backed up and grab the trailer and get out of the way. 
 

I’m not sure if I was clear in my post, so if you caught this, please disregard. If not, sorry for not being clear.  I pulled the trailer on the scales to the point where the jack stand was on the front-most scale, then unhitched the boat and pulled my truck completely off the scale. The 4 trailer tires were on the second scale back, so the trailer straddled the two scales. 

Edited May 30, 2022 by JeffK

[jjackkrash]

FWIW, new Sequoia towing a "ski boat" vid:

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by jjackkrash