Hitch capacity, springs, airbags, etc. [split thread]

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by ED-n-KEL

In regards to the comments about airbags and leaf springs...
I installed a set of Timbrens on the rear of my Astro a couple of years ago and very much like what they do.

Ed - I am thinking about getting these to simply reduce bouncing on "wavy" roads and to stiffen the rear end a bit. I already use a WDH and will continue to use it using the same chain links, but I am curious if you were towing the TM with a WDH before you installed the Timbren. If so, how does the ride compare?

Dave

Originally Posted by ShrimpBurrito

Ed - I am thinking about getting these to simply reduce bouncing on "wavy" roads and to stiffen the rear end a bit. I already use a WDH and will continue to use it using the same chain links, but I am curious if you were towing the TM with a WDH before you installed the Timbren. If so, how does the ride compare?

Dave, as my signature suggests, I'm currently "TM-less" so I can't answer your specific questions. I do hope to purchase within the next 6-8 months, once the "planets align". I have been preparing my Astro over the last few years for a TM. The Timbrens were added early because of our other activities (heavily loaded rugby and camping trips).
I do have 30yrs of boat towing experience, as well as being heavily involved in loading our delivery vehicles at work. I daily see the concept of "if it fits, shove it in there" without any concept of overall weight, balance, safety, etc.

It's important to understand that Timbrens do NOTHING until a load is present. Once loaded, the suspension is stiffer and travel is somewhat limited. In regards to your question about "wavy roads", I can only describe that you would get a "stiffer, cushioned ride, with limited travel". In other words, when you hit a "wave", you'll get a cushioned jolt versus bouncing like a boat down the road.

At this time, I'm only running them in the rear, but have plans to install a pair in the front for the TM and a WDH.
Timbrens are very easy to install, and do exactly what I want them to do. My only "con" with them is that they are a little pricey for what they are.

[ShrimpBurrito]

Thanks for the feedback, Ed.

Dave

[Mr. Adventure]

Originally Posted by T and C

...I don't want to use a WDH. The one I have weighs more than I want to handle....

I don't know if Bill split off this thread to a new one because he thought we're having an interesting discussion, or because he was thinking that exile to a harder to find place was a good thing. You decide.

Many of us resisted the WDH awhile before getting used to it, myself included. I became a believer some years ago when I was towing a travel trailer with a 650# tongue weight using a Ford full sized van. This was harveyrv's experience in his pickup during test stops, shortly after he first got a WDH: "...I tried a hard stop from 50MPH and was shocked that my front wheels skidded (note that I have never done this before). However, I then removed the spring bars and tried the same panic stop, in exactly the same speed and place. The skid was worse and I lost steering..."
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...dded#post59455

Granted, the WDH is more important for smaller tow vehicles, and I probably wouldn't bring the trailer home from the RV storage lot without it. It actually adds 100# up front for me, whereas most of the pickup scale weights are still showing a modest front axle weight reduction even with a WDH.

But the benefit can be a lot bigger than you might think, even in a pickup.

The hitch head (the whole thing, including shank, ball, and the locking pin) for my Reese hitch is 35#, perhaps a little lighter than some of the others because it's made from a steel casting instead of heavy hunks of bar stock welded together like some of the others. This is still more than the DW probably would want to handle, but it's important for me to have important jobs that she needs me for. Once mounted, it doesn't need to come off until the adventure is all over, the trailer is in storage, and the Adventuremobile is back in the garage (so it only has to be handled twice).