I think this is the right fourm... So I have my new trailer home now and Friday I am gonna load up my trail rig fer da first time. Please give me advice on were to place my K5 on the trailer. Here is what I am thinking (tell me how far off I am): I plan to have the trailer hooked to my towrig, then stepping back to see how level I am, then drive up onto the trailer. I figure if I pull forward until the tongue weight pushes the hitch downward or sags it a bit. Strap it down then go for a test drive.....??? Total rookiee here, never have I loaded or towed this type of load... Any and all advice would be great waytogo Thanks Burt
That is probably your best bet. rotfl The top would probably be a good spot. First I would make sure you have the reciever dropped at the right level for the trailer. make sure the drop you choose levels out the trailer. Then, drive on the K5 and basically make sure there is more weight on the front of the trailer than the rear. I would just make sure the motor is just past the front trailer axle. That will ensure more weight is on the tongue. I don't remember how long your trailer is or how much room is between the tongue and front trailer axle but you'll make it work. I don't think PERFECT placement of your K5 is critical with a long bed CC HD. That should be an easy load for that pickup. But just make sure there is more tongue weight than tail weight, thats basically all that matters, but not too much tongue weight to where the trailer sags down hill and the pickup points up hill. Dangit, never mind all that.....just get most of the weight on the trtailer axles. Then make sure you are just a little heavier on the tongue than the tail. :doah:
I'd shoot for 1000 lbs of tonuge weight, that should ensure that it tows real nice since you'll have between 10 and 15% of the weight on the hitch. You can figure it out with a bathroom scale and a 5 foot long peice of square steel tubing or maybe a good quality 4x4. http://www.boatus.com/trailerclub/upkeep/backyard.asp http://www.hitchesonline.com/WD/tow_tips.htm
Burt, hook up the trailer, measure from a fixed point on the truck to the ground. Then get 1000 pounds of people (got any lasrge neighbors? ) up on the bumper of your truck, and have someone measure from the same fixed point to the ground. When you load your truck, shoot to match the loaded measurement. The bathroom scale method works well, but remember to weigh the trailer unloaded to "zero" your scale.
And please strap it down by the AXLES, not the frame...the frame moves up and down with bumps, and the strap/chain/binder may unhook with the slack...I see a lot of people, even towing companies tie down with the frame (a guy almost dumped my truck off a flatbed turning around in a median once), but it just doesn't make sense!
I use chains and binders to secure my axles to the trailer then use a strap around the front bumper to keep the truck from bouncing and leaning because of the soft suspension.
waytogo BTW i wanna see your K5 seen your avatar pic on ck5, like. I'm K10Andy's brother, I'll probably pony up the $25 and join b4 long...best forum around!
Mines actually a k15 shortbox. Here is an older pic of it on a trailer so not to be tooooo off topic. You can see the chains going to each axle pulling the truck front and back then a strap over the bumper to keep it from bouncing around. This is before the new body modifying.
I dunno...maybe cuz most of 'em don't have axles. They should make tie down points on the suspension or something though to reduce the chance of coming unhooked.
