THSCC Forums

Cool. I didn't realize we had it. People need to use it! Also didn't realize he was towing something that heavy. I agree with the 500lb assessment, and that is probably at least at, if not over, the hitch capacity (some of those are only rated to 350!). If you're very close to (or over for sure), I'd agree with doing the WD hitch. Depending on how much stuff you cram in the back of the Explorer you may still find you need help back there, too.


--Donnie

5000 lb was just a worst-case guess BTW. I know that's about what I'm dragging around with the empty M3 on a full-deck trailer.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

I admit I haven't tested the tongue weight. We try to load all our heavy tools, toolboxes, jack etc. in the Focus and keep the Explorer fairly lightly loaded. Don't know if that helps or not. The car is just under 2900lbs but we probably put a couple hundred pounds of stuff in it when we tow, maybe more. The trailer is metal frame with a wood deck.

The front tool box is plastic and doesn't have much in it: two short wooden ramps, two jack stands, a couple of focus trailing arms, tarp. I'd guess 100lbs max.

Are you allowed to pull into one of the interstate weigh stations to get a total weight?

Wouldn't a WD hitch still be useful even if it turns out I need to do something with the rear suspension?

Simon

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< http://usukracing.com >
2011 & 2010 Atlantic Rally Cup 2WD Champion
2010 Rally America Eastern Regional 2WD Champion
2009 Atlantic Rally Cup M2 Champion
2008 New York Rally 2WD Championship 2nd Place
2007 Rally Spec Focus Champion

I seem to remember a commercial showing a K car towing a loaded trailer. Nothing special, right? Well they had removed the rear axle on the K car and it was still driving down the road.

I guess those WD hitches really work, don't they.

I know this doesn't really add anything to the conversation, but thought I'd throw that out there just for giggles.

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Todd Breakey
STS 42 - 1992 Sunburst Miata
Dammit!
"You souldn't play leap frog with a porcupine. You might get hurt." - Eliza

What was the commercial for ?!?!? Uninsured motorist liability insurance?

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

As a reference to how heavy a trailer can get:

My single axle built for lightness open trailer weighs about 1250 lbs including the weight of two 40 lb boxes in the front tire rack.

The trailer loaded with 940 lb car and stuff in the two boxes, plus a set of rain tires/wheels, and some extra stuff on the tongue area for Nationals weighs about 2500 lbs NOT counting the tongue weight since that was on the van's rear axle.

Think what a real car on a double axle trailer which isn't built for lightness weighs.

FYI one reason I could tow with the Mustang was that the tongue weight with race car was about 200 lbs. With Koni shocks, short overhang, performance tires, and airlifts the rig was a LOT more stable than a "normal" car would have been. we won't talk about the fact that the hitch mounted to a bumper frame which connected to the car with two energy absorbing shock absorbers.

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

Likely not. But it only costs about $12 to pull through the scales at any truck stop. Some sort of require you to have a CB radio, though, to talk to them inside. Or you can just run in and tell them you're about to go across and you'll pay when you get your weight ticket when you come back in.

Those scales are setup to tell you total and splits between truck and trailer, but you may not be able to get your length vehicle to work properly (for semis they actually split front axle, rear truck axles (together), and trailer axles (together)). So look for the plate breaks as you drive on and you may get separate weights.

My toter, for example, had a wheelbase too long on the truck. I could only get front axle and then it had my rear truck axles and trailer axles all together. Which still gets you a usable total...



They're useful, yeah. I just find them aggravating.


--Donnie

I weighed the mustang with trailer once at the weigh station on I-85 south in VA . . . but that was about 1994.

We weighed the camper van with trailer on the way to Nationals one year at a truck stop in western IN or eastern IL as I recall. FYI the combo weighed ust 10K with the trailer with race car being 2500 lbs. As I recall it was done one axle at a time but that too was a loooong time ago. I don't recall if they even charged for the service but it so it wasn't much.

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

You can get the weight of your rig at any of the metal recycling places around town- though most are in Garner/Clayton.

At these places, you pull in across the scale, unload your scrap and then pull back out across the scale. For small/high value metal, they weigh it separately on another scale inside the building- but for large (usually steel) loads, they just subtract your "out" weight from your "in" weight to figure how much you dropped off.

OHHH, just thought of another place that would be much less busy- LKQ Self-service junkyard on Hwy 70 between Garner + Clayton buys cars, and they have a scale with a weight readout visible from your vehicle. Just pull up on the scale and get the weight- you'll probably have to back it off the scale though. If they ask WTF you're doing, just tell them you were looking for the junkyard, and made a wrong turn onto the scale.



Bret.

Sounds like we need a sticky thread on weights we've all gotten. I'll try to hit a scale on my way to Nationals in the coach.


--Donnie

If you go to the Raleigh landfill and go to where you drop off anything but to the dumpsters you have to enter a scale. The display is constantly on so you can note the weight as each axle gets on the scale. I do not know what will happen when you tell the scale person you just wanted a weight and are not bringing anything to the dump.


Just a thought.

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George Bright Member # 141
One of the youngest of the old farts.
Yes I voted against you joining the club.