Forgive my southern stupidity down here, but what is the point of chains on non drive/steer wheels? are we just trying to prevent the trailer from sliding around and passing you on the outside next time you take a corner?
Tox's dream trailer
- Thread starter toximus
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Forgive my southern stupidity down here, but what is the point of chains on non drive/steer wheels? are we just trying to prevent the trailer from sliding around and passing you on the outside next time you take a corner?
OP
Yup. Having them on the trailer helps keep everything in line and allows more tires to brake.
Having them on the steer tires also helps with braking, steering, and traction since I have 4wd.
Here's what can happen if you don't:
If there's ever a terrible storm, my plan to is to wait it out for a day. But if something unexpected brews up while I'm at the top of the mountain I want to be able to not get stranded.
You could always add more cross links. Even if you don't it's always a good idea to have spare cross links and the tool to install and/or remove them.
https://www.etrailer.com/Accessorie...34YFmOMGHxDOP9PJOK9Rl_Kjc-J7TTJ8aAhymEALw_wcB
Just another observation, only 1 of the camlocks is "locked". If you were to turn the cam locks you most likely wouldn't need the bungies to take up slack.
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OP
Under CO laws, I'm at the weight where I'm considered a commercial truck as far as chain up laws are concerned. So legally I'm required to carry chains even if there's no snow or ice. I'm pretty sure I only have to have chains on 1 axle on the truck and 2 tires on the trailer placed on alternate axles, but if I figure if I'm doing it I might as well do it well.
I've never installed chains before and I was pleasantly surprised by how quick and easy it was.
OP
I had to actually remove a cross chain to make them fit (per the manufactures recommendation). So I have a spare set already. 😁
The bungies I learned aren't actually designed for taking up slack (well, they are..but hear me out) but actually so that if a link breaks they'll pull the chains toward the outside of the tire reducing the chances of damage to a brake line. I tightened as many of the cams as I could first and then put the bungies on.
Did you drive on them after you installed them? If not they will loosen up a lot more than one might think after few hundred feet, (and then again after a few miles for brand new chains).
OP
Good to know! I only went a few hundred feet. They loosened up enough to tighten up by one more link. I initially only bought enough for one axle to test fitment. Once I have enough for all the tires I'll drive a few miles for a shake down run.
Instead of tightening up one more link you might have been better off turning the other 2 cams. (If the pic you posted is representative of after the drive).
Oh and if you haven't already gotten the chains for the trailer you might look into a constant contact style chain to reduce the heavy vibrations normal chains create.
Something like these. They're not as heavy duty but the ride quality is night and day compared to ladder style chains.
OP
I seriously was considering those until I realized that if a chain breaks on the trailer I won't know about it until I go to take them off. I also think that type could be better at preventing sliding.
If it feels like rumble strips on the side of the highway, I can barely hear them when the trailer goes over and feel nothing. It's almost scary how detached the trailer feels from the truck at times. When I jumped a curb at an intersection that was way too tight I couldn't feel it, I only saw it in the mirror.
Once the order books open back up for the F450 I'm likely going to trade and then my trailer tires and truck tires will match so chains will be interchangeable too (except maybe dual chains for the rear).
Time and experience will adjust your "rump sensor" as to what you're trailer is doing
. Something I thought very seriously about for a future toy hauler, was to put wireless cameras on both sides of the trailer just in front of the axles to help keep an eye on the tires as well as anything else that I couldn't see due to turning.
OP
More diesel powered goodness. Makes more power than plugging the trailer into a campsite.
Can't even hear it when the AC is running.
Can't even hear it when the AC is running.
How can it make more power than plugging it in? Not saying they don't make a lot of power but if you're plugged into 50 Amp service shouldn't you be able to get the same amount of energy?
OP
OP
If you guys want to get technical, it's rated to operate with a load of up to 66.6 amps at 120v below 500ft of elevation and below 77F ambient temperature.
I've put a constant load of 58 amps on it for a couple of hours as per break-in instructions with absolutely no voltage drop and it otherwise hasn't complained so far.
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Not trying to be critical I'd just never heard of a generator being put as making more output than you could from shore power.
Since I was a generator mechanic in the Army I used to compute the load that would be placed on each generator and how to properly distribute the load.
I really wish my generator was a diesel unit instead of propane. Good luck with it all.
OP
No worries, I don't know enough about generators to say how it makes that much power aside from bigger = more, I only know what the spec sheet and instructions say — which are clear that it's not a peak rating.
I was deliberate in my gen choice because we don't plan on being at campgrounds much so we need to rely on our gen to power everything. I think the main benefit isn't necessarily powering everything at once, but rather at elevation or higher temps that the generator won't be working beyond its limits or ever be overloaded. My hope is that this means it'll last a long time without wearing parts out. The maintenance schedule on these diesel generators are also very minimal, next major service is at 1,000 hours but the tech at Cummins told me that if I hit that before 5 years to just keep going.
It's certainly a big boy and weighs a lot. Smaller normal RV size units don't put out that much power.
It also sips fuel at 0.1 gal per hour at idle. Or 1 gal per hour fully loaded. The fuel tank is 40 gallons iirc so that should last us a long time before refueling.
The down side to diesel is that I can't share the fuel with the Jeeps.
You mentioned wishing yours was diesel powered. I don't have any experience with RVing to know if it's good, but they do make a smaller 3000 size diesel generator that they can stand pipe from a RV main fuel tank that could be an option for you.