3023 TW and Size Of WDH Spring Bars

03-21-2011, 05:48 PM

Hi All,

Lately, there has been alot of talk about WDH setups.I have been following these threads and have started to wonder if mine is setup right.

I have a 2010 3023 w/ electric tongue jack,dual 6 volt batteries and dual 20 pound propane tanks.I tow it with a 2005 Tundra (see signature below) and I am running 1000 LB max. tongue weight Eaz-Lift round spring bars.

This setup has not caused any failures to date.The TM tires are wearing pretty well and the truck and trailer sit pretty level when hooked up and loaded.The ride quality seems OK on normal roads with some irregularities.However,I do notice a harsh banging sound coming from the trailer when going over SPEED BUMPS at a slow speed.Could this be caused by too heavy of a WDH? Would I benefit by downsizing to 750 LB spring bars?Will lighter bars flex more creating a better ride and better WDH performance?

I do not know my actual TM tongue weight.The dry tongue weight is supposedly 409 pounds.It seems very heavy as my trucks rear springs are just shy of 2" from being on the bump stops while connected without the WDH and no cargo in the bed.So, a WDH is a MUST on my truck.

Any and all input will be appreciated!

Wavery · 03-21-2011, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrailGuy77

Hi All,

Lately, there has been alot of talk about WDH setups.I have been following these threads and have started to wonder if mine is setup right.

I have a 2010 3023 w/ electric tongue jack,dual 6 volt batteries and dual 20 pound propane tanks.I tow it with a 2005 Tundra (see signature below) and I am running 1000 LB max. tongue weight Eaz-Lift round spring bars.

This setup has not caused any failures to date.The TM tires are wearing pretty well and the truck and trailer sit pretty level when hooked up and loaded.The ride quality seems OK on normal roads with some irregularities.However,I do notice a harsh banging sound coming from the trailer when going over SPEED BUMPS at a slow speed.Could this be caused by too heavy of a WDH? Would I benefit by downsizing to 750 LB spring bars?Will lighter bars flex more creating a better ride and better WDH performance?

I do not know my actual TM tongue weight.The dry tongue weight is supposedly 409 pounds.It seems very heavy as my trucks rear springs are just shy of 2" from being on the bump stops while connected without the WDH and no cargo in the bed.So, a WDH is a MUST on my truck.

Any and all input will be appreciated!

I would suggest that you contact the manufacturer of your WDH. You will need to have a good idea of your trailer's tongue weight and the amount of load that you carry in the back of your TV.

My tongue weight is close to 500# (actual weight on the scale). It is 470# on my current 2720SL (batteries in rear) and it was 515# on my previous 2720 (batteries in front). My guess is, you may be looking at close to 550-600# on your 3023.

The heavier the spring bars, the more comfortable the ride that you will experience in your TV because there will be less flexing of the spring bars and you will have a much more "Secure" feeling. It will feel more like driving a single vehicle.

The one time that I used the 600# WDH on my truck I could feel the difference from when I was using a 1000# WDH. There was more action when going over bumps, uneven highways etc. When I use no WDH, that feeling is further exacerbated.

If you have upgraded the tires on your TM (or dual axles), it's probably a non-issue. However, if you are using tires that are pretty close to being maxxed out on their weight rating there may be an issue.........Is it a big issue???? I don't know. One thing is for sure, the WDH will transfer some weight from the trailer tongue to the trailer tires (as well as to the front axle of the TV). It seems to me (although not to some others) that the heavier the spring bars, the more weight that might be transferred while driving down rough roads. I would see what the manufacturer says and act accordingly if your tires are marginal..

Having said all that, if you have not upgraded your trailer tires, the $ might be better spent on that than changing your spring bars.

03-21-2011, 06:45 PM

Thanks HarveyRv (Wayne) for the input!

If lighter spring bars are going to cause more bouncing then I might want to hold on to my current setup.

My TM has the 5000 LB axle with 15" Goodyear Marathons in load range D.So far,they seem up to par.I am more concerned with the harsh sound when going over speed bumps.

I will try to find more info. from Eaz-Lift!

Wavery · 03-21-2011, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrailGuy77

Thanks HarveyRv (Wayne) for the input!

If lighter spring bars are going to cause more bouncing then I might want to hold on to my current setup.

My TM has the 5000 LB axle with 15" Goodyear Marathons in load range D.So far,they seem up to par.I am more concerned with the harsh sound when going over speed bumps.

I will try to find more info. from Eaz-Lift!

Have you put any grease on the bearing surface of the spring bars? If you are running the spring bars dry, you may here a "Grinding" or "Banging" sound when going over bumps and/or backing. Just a small amount of grease makes a big difference.

03-21-2011, 07:14 PM

Yes,I always keep the spring bar bearing surfaces greased.It sounds like the noise I hear is coming from the trailer itself.

Any other ideas? Could it be shock loading from the heavier bars coming from the TM suspension?

gmferg · 03-21-2011, 07:55 PM

Is it possible your WDH is not setup correctly? Things to look for:

1. Chains from end of spring bars to trailer frame are as close to vertical as possible, not slanted forward or back.

2. A minimum of 5 chain links between end of spring bars and trailer frame. This is very important because it's what gives your WDH the flexibiltiy required to take turns and bumps without the spring bars hitting the trailer frame.

3. The spring bars are pointed down slightly below level as they go back away from the TV.

**commodor47** · 03-21-2011, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrailGuy77

Hi All,

. . . However,I do notice a harsh banging sound coming from the trailer when going over SPEED BUMPS at a slow speed. . . .

One possible source - the folded-in entry stairs.

Dick

**Bill** · 03-21-2011, 08:01 PM

No, I don't think your springbars need to be modified, and "shock loading" is certainly not an issue at low speed. Unless you are carrying your rock collection, your tongue weight is somewhere in the 500-600 pound range, which is OK for your setup. I don't see any problem, except the BANG when going over a speed bump. Something is wrong there, and you need to find and fix it.

First question - when you say "going over a speed bump", do you mean the moment when the tow vehicle goes over the speed bump, or the moment when the TM goes over the speed bump? If you need to, set up an artificial "speed bump" in your driveway - maybe stack up a couple boards - and drive over it slowly while someone stands beside the speed bump, watching and listening. Figure out what is hitting what, and if it doesn't suggest a fix, take a picture of whatever it is, and get back to us. If it is hitch-related, I don't think it should be ignored.

Again if it is hitch-related, the question is, is it something about your hitch adjustment that is making the noise? In other words, is something hitting something that it shouldn't? Or, as Dick suggested, is it something entirely unrelated to the hitch, like the steps? If you have a second person watch the action, you will quickly find the answer.

If it is hitch-related, my guess - and it is only that - is that your springbar tips are too high, and when the back of the truck rises up on the speed bump, the tips contact the underside of the trailer A-frame. If this turns out to be the case, a simple adjustment will fix it. As gmferg asked, how many chain links do you have between the springbar tips and the lift hook? Somewhere on the order of 5-6 is proper, and 2 or 3 is too few. There are people on this board who are very experienced and willing to help. Get back to us.

But the more I think about it, the more I am with Dick - it is not hitch-related.

Bill

**mjlaupp** · 03-21-2011, 09:03 PM

Bangy things to look for:
WDH bars hitting swing hitch bracket pin if swing hitch is installed.
Loose items in the bumper storage compartment.
Folding steps bouncing.
Spare tire mount bouncing.
Play in corner support jack - jack only partially retracted.
Corner support jack bolts not tight to frame.
Right and left torsion bars touching each other.
Axle swing arm hitting frame at maximum deflection.
Broken bolt and/or cracked weld at axle mount to frame.
Cracked frame.

Mr. Adventure · 03-21-2011, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrailGuy77

Hi All,

Lately, there has been alot of talk about WDH setups.I have been following these threads and have started to wonder if mine is setup right.

I have a 2010 3023 w/ electric tongue jack,dual 6 volt batteries and dual 20 pound propane tanks.I tow it with a 2005 Tundra (see signature below) and I am running 1000 LB max. tongue weight Eaz-Lift round spring bars.

This setup has not caused any failures to date.The TM tires are wearing pretty well and the truck and trailer sit pretty level when hooked up and loaded. The ride quality seems OK on normal roads with some irregularities.However,I do notice a harsh banging sound coming from the trailer when going over SPEED BUMPS at a slow speed.Could this be caused by too heavy of a WDH? Would I benefit by downsizing to 750 LB spring bars?Will lighter bars flex more creating a better ride and better WDH performance?

I do not know my actual TM tongue weight.The dry tongue weight is supposedly 409 pounds.It seems very heavy as my trucks rear springs are just shy of 2" from being on the bump stops while connected without the WDH and no cargo in the bed.So, a WDH is a MUST on my truck.

Any and all input will be appreciated!

It's never a bad idea to check the mounting bolts for your hitch receiver for tightness. A speed bump can flex the components, possibly enough for the clunk sound you're talking about to be the hitch swinging up and down on the pin in the hitch receiver. A big speed bump might also make you bottom out (make sure the trailer jack is retracted above the hitch bars!). However, the only way to know exactly what you tow is to take it to the truck scale and get the axle weights with and without the WDH, And another one with just the tow vehicle. Then we can talk about any loading problems in the context of real information.

The 3023 with 15" tires and a 5000# axle has a huge carrying capacity that the 2720 doesn't have with 14" tires and a 3500#axle, where a heavily loaded trailer may have a more limited ability to absorb additional loads from the WDH without exceeding the trailer axle weight rating. The answer for that should be to reduce the load in a 2720 trailer if it's overloaded, or converting from 14" to 15" tires which have higher load ratings. With the 3023, you have a long way to go before axle or tire capacity is an issue.

My WDH with its 1000# bars adds less than 100# on the trailer axle. If some action of the trailer multiplied the WDH load by 5, you'd still be well within the trailer axle ratings for a static load, let alone the dynamic loads which any manufacturer would reasonably expect to be much higher.