Distance Between Tire, Outigger, and Wheel Well?

[Denny_A]

As per your suggestion I did check the sticker by the door it said 2775. But I put the trailer on the scale unhook it so that only the trailer was on the scale and the number was 3580, hooked it back up with a Reese WDH light setting and the trailer axle went to 3600. Needless to say I don't use the WHD now.

I'm wondering if the 2775 number is without options as is the number for my truck. Chevy book says #### plus options such as AC, 4WD transfercase, ect. If the 2775 is base trailer then the scale numbers could be very close. Which takes us back to the question, I wonder why TM did not put a little heavery duty axle and or wheels and tires on the thing in the first place?

Don't get me wrong I like the trailer but being able to carry a little something in it would be great.

WB,

Re weighing: With your trailer on the scale unhooked, did you mean with the wheels and the 'tongue support wheel on the scale (i.e., total wt of the trailer), or did you mean w/the tongue on the hitch w/o the WDH hooked up?

If the former case, 3580 lbs is very high for the 2720SL. If the latter, with the tongue load being taken by the tow vehicle, the trailer weight is likely to be another 500 lbs more, which is way out of line.

I say this since you say the weight went to 3600 when the WDH was hooked up. The ONLY way that could be so is if the tongue was supported on the tow vehicle hitch when 3580 lbs was measured!

Had the trailer been totally disconnected and weighed, it should have weighed *at least* 350-40 lbs more than when connected to the tow vehicle and WDH engaged.

Re Wondering: My placard says GVWR = 4075 lbs, UVW = 2965 lbs, Fresh Water = 216 lbs, LP-Gas = 400 lbs.

Therefore my dry Weight , with LP is 2965+ 40 = 3005 lbs. That placard in YOUR vehicle has UVW as manufactured at the factory. It is inclusive of FACTORY installed options. My trailer weighed in at 3020. I had full LP tanks added had a 25 foot, 30 amp extension and a few tools before weighing it the first time. So, the numbers made sense.

If you can't sort this out, call and ask for Jimmy Davis at TM: Phone #: 865-426-7426

Denn_A

[Denny_A]

Had the trailer been totally disconnected and weighed, it should have weighed *at least* 350-40 lbs more than when connected to the tow vehicle and WDH engaged.

Re Wondering: My placard says GVWR = 4075 lbs, UVW = 2965 lbs, Fresh Water = 216 lbs, LP-Gas = 400 lbs.

Denn_A

Correction: *at least* 350-400 lbs more.....

...............and LP-Gas = 40 lbs.

When correcting the original I added the zero to LP-GAS instead of to the weighed more #

Denny_A

My thanks to everyone. I may have reason for concern but will not know until I find another scale and weigh the trailer again. If the new reading is about the same as the old one I will call TM and see what they have to say/suggest.

Should there prove to be anything worth telling I will post the results here.

Again, Thanks

[Bill]

Bill, which brand of WD hitch do you use with your 2720SL?
We used the Euali-i-zer brand. The other day on a different tow vehicle we tried to lift the spring bars to a higher setting where they attach to the trailer, but the door side bar would hit the lower part of the pivot pin on the swing away hitch. So, we had to use the next lower setting on the bracket that attaches to the trailer. I'm curious if there is another WD hitch arrangement that provides more clearance from the hinge pin in order to provide greater WD capacity. What I like about the EQ brand is that it works well and doesn't hang far below the frame to impact ground clearance.

Wade

In response to Wade's query -

As identified on the Reese website, we have a Reese Trunnion Style High Performance Ballmount. It is overkill - rated at 12,000 pounds/1200 pounds hitch weight, I believe - but it is what the dealer had in stock at the critical moment. It has been great. A dual-cam sway control kit can be added to this hitch for minimal cost, but we haven't felt the need for it.

To get to your question re springbar clearance: On this hitch, the ballmount mounting angle is adjustable. The front end of the springbars are anchored in the ballmount, so as the ballmount leans forward or back, the rear end of the unloaded springbars rise and fall. [You need to see the Reese sketch for this to make sense.] If the springbars come up so high that the tips hit the swing-tongue pivot, you simply lean the ballmount back further, which lowers the rear ends of the springbars. This increases the unloaded clearance, enabling you to use a higher chain link as you draw up the springbars.

Did that make any sense? If not, contact me off list and I will send a couple of sketches that may help.

When I set my hitch up, I first measured the front and rear height of the tow vehicle with no load on the hitch ball. Then I dropped the hitch onto the hitch ball, and of course the rear end of the tow vehicle squatted and the front end rose. Then I experimented with different combinations of springbar chain links and ballmount mounting angle. The goal was to find the combination that would equalize the front and rear squat on the tow vehicle, and give me adequate-but-not-excessive clearance between the springbar tips and the underside of the trailer A-frame (including the pivot pins for the swing-away tongue).

The process wasn't hard, but took a couple of hours. In the end, it pretty much duplicated and confirmed what my dealer had already done when I bought the unit. But now, having done it, I understand what is going on a lot better than I did.

Bill

I'm looking at a set of Jeep style fenders from Northern Tool to install as blowout shields. They will fit inside the wheel well but only leave about one inch clearance between the tire and the fender on the diagonal. Is that enough clearance? I may consider a lift kit. The trailer is a 1994 3124. TIA

Myself, I would be concerned about shortening the space between your wheel wells. Especially since your trailer does not have the lift kit. It is my opinion that the lift kit was an attempt to solve the damage problem that results from a blow out. If so, it had little positive effect. I do recommend the lift kit for raising your trailer another couple inches for better clearance. It can't help but benefit and should cost so few dollars.

Also, many TM owners have retrofit their wheel wells. It is a simple fix that has proven itself to prevent damage to the trailer. You are smart to do something but if it were me, I would do the retrofit. The total cost is about an hour per tire and approximately $25.00 for materials. The result will appear like a factory job and is difficult to see when completed. It should also take away little or no tire/fender clearance. If you would like to request a free copy of the plans, please send me a message at [email protected]

Hal

The wheel well retrofit is free for the downloading at http://www.home.earthlink.net/~jwetherbee1/ This is a much easier and quicker solution to getting the plans. This concept of relining the wheel well and forming it to a curved style is the concept of Joe Wetherbee, the present editor of the National TrailManor Chapter. While traveling in Mexico a couple years ago, his TM blew a tire that resulted in a lot of damage to his trailer. In an effort to fill the gaping hole in the side of his trailer, he closed it up in this manner. On the way home, he lost a second tire. This time there was only black marks on the trailer. The plans you see were initially drawn by Joe. While our chapter was retrofitting wheel wells on our trailers, it became obvious there were differences in trailers and that certain steps would help simplify this project. I was able to compile these concepts into a final set of instructions. Please help your self to the plans.

Happy and safe trailering

Hal

Hal, you're a gem. Thanks so much for the materials you mailed to us. By the way, the link you posted here doesn't work. I removed the greater than sign at the end of the link and then I got to the Weatherbee site ok. I plan to modify my wheelwells this weekend!

Scott and Mona

There has been a lot of good information on this topic. I have a couple of observations and I’m also looking for some feedback.

I have a ’99 3023 and have had two blowouts using 205/75/14. I think the weight safety margin between my TM and the tires is too close for comfort. After checking the new models, it seems the factory has come to the same conclusion. New 3023s come with 225/75/15. The location of the outrigger on my trailer is flush with the wheel well, but on the new trailers it is located about two inches behind the wheel well to allow for the larger tires.

My plans:
1. I have already installed the factory lift kit to give me more clearance between tire and wheel well.
2. Perform the round wheel well conversion, to minimize damage to wheel wells.
3. Relocate the outriggers (cutting and re-welding) approximately two inches behind wheel well.

I currently have 1.25” clearance between tire and skirt as well as 1.5” clearance between tire and frame. According to the Goodyear chart ( http://www.goodyear.com/rv/products/..._marathon.html ) the difference in width between the two tire sizes is 0.8”. This should mean that I will loose less than 0.5” of clearance of either side of the tire.

4. The final modification is to create a skid plate to protect the plumbing in the event I suffer another blowout.

My question is: Have I overlooked looked something?
Thanks for your help in advance.