5er trailer angle- what's better

[Rockcrawler]

Tuning my new 38' toy box for the season.



Loaded for racing, it's got a slight upward rake. If you measure just the deck it's 32' long, twin axle centerline is 13' from the tail. The front of the 32' is 2. 125" higher from the ground than the tail of the trailer.



I'm using a superglide which has no vertical adjustment. The pinbox has several adjustments in 2" increments. If I slide the pinbox up 2 " I'll go from a nose high attitude to a slight nose down attitude.



Is there a preference for handling or other reasons? The trailer has twin 7k torsion axles with about 6k per axle.



Thanks in advance for your . 02

 

[EricBu12]

Nose up or down is not too bad. A big rig with doubles usually has a nose up when a 48' reefer has a slight nose down.



In your situation I'd raise it,... The pin-box... so the rear of the bed has more room. you'd have more room at the tail when going through driveways and when breaking over angles of the same driveways.

 

[Rockcrawler]

If I understand you correctly, you are suggesting that the pin be made to droop all the way out of the pinbox- giving me max bed rail clearance. This is where it is set now, giving the nose a slight upward rake as described. I have not measured rail clearance but I'd guess I'm about 9-10". I ran about 4" when I was a newbie years back (and the dealer set it up wrong) and pinched the bed corner- lessons learned.



The tail is 17+ inch of the pavement and I've fabbed a full width skid for the occasional light drag. Front corner is 2. 125 higher at 19. 5" off the concrete.



I'll be at RMR in April, come watch us play

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

No, he's saying RAISE the 5er PIN box, which will LOWER the front of the trailer and give more rear-end clearance over ramps and curbs...

 

[LEPage]

Keep in mind, that if the trailer does not sit level it is taking weight off one axle and transfering that weight to the other. This can cause an overload situation quicker than you think, and most 5er axles are at or near capacity already.

 

[Rockcrawler]

Keep in mind, that if the trailer does not sit level it is taking weight off one axle and transfering that weight to the other. This can cause an overload situation quicker than you think, and most 5er axles are at or near capacity already.

You're right, but it's pretty miniscule when you're talking 2" over 32'. (3/16" at 3' between the axles)



I'll probably invest an hour to try it the other way with the nose down 2" further and chose whichever is closer to level.

 

[klenger]

Given the choie of being a bit nose high or nose low, I'd take nose high as you get better bed clearance. If clearance is not a problem, then nose low will provide slightly lower profile and maybe better milage.

 

[GaryCarter]

Keep in mind, that if the trailer does not sit level it is taking weight off one axle and transfering that weight to the other.

This is not true of any trailer axle set with equalizers between springs.

Only a moderate influence on torsion axle trailers.



Every toy hauler I've seen has equalizers.



Mike

 

[Rockcrawler]

This is not true of any trailer axle set with equalizers between springs.

Only a moderate influence on torsion axle trailers.



Every toy hauler I've seen has equalizers.



Mike

Good point, but mine has torsions. It's actually a race trailer with living quarters- most race trailers have torsion axles.



I messed with it yesterday, dialed in pretty close, with a bit of nose rise, 8" bed rail clearanc- I'm happy

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

We frequently have occasion while traveling to stop for overnight stays - and having the trailer as level as possible with the truck is helpful in keeping the refrigerator, bed and stove level, also keeps doors from swinging open or shut on their own - less setup time when stopping, as well as leaving the next morning...

 

[LesStallings]

I've got a similar situation with my 34` GN. I have a slight nose up, but visually it looks worse since the trailer has a beaver tail.



I'm 2/3 through with a 4,000 mile trip and I am taking tire temperatures at each fuel stop. I've noticed about a 2-3 degree temperature rise from front to back on the triple axle tires. The rear tires are running hotter, but not much. I'm guessing that is due to the increased loading of the rear tires, due to the nose up.



????Is this an OK temperature profile or do I need to level the trailer????



I'm currently running loaded (12,000#) and the surface temperatures are indicating 82-84-86 degrees, front to rear. It's cold along I-40 right now and I get the temperature measurement within one minute of stopping for fuel.



What do you think???

 

[Rockcrawler]

Sounds good to me, I touch my tires and hubs every fuel stop too- calibrated fingers

 

[Sixpack]

We frequently have occasion while traveling to stop for overnight stays - and having the trailer as level as possible with the truck is helpful in keeping the refrigerator, bed and stove level, also keeps doors from swinging open or shut on their own - less setup time when stopping, as well as leaving the next morning...

Where from Gary, Walmart? :-laf :-laf :-laf

 

[Eric_77]

I go with the nose down as long as the bed clearance is not an issue. I think you have slightly better aerodynamics this way as you have less frontal area, plus I catch the tail of my trailer more often than getting close to bed contact.