Heavier Truck for towing a trailer?

[sharkattack99]

I was wondering if a heavier truck was better for towing?

after Driving my haul truck with the trailer and my mud truck or my wraith, i noticed that when i go to turn it likes to for lack of a better word jack knife on me. its kind of like the trailer pushes the backend around when i turn. i was thinking because the trailer doesn't turn that might be the issue, but i was also wondering if it was because i'm to light up front? any help with maybe how to limit that issue would be nice. i know the trailer is not super heavy but it not light either and then you add the mud truck or wraith makes it pretty heavy. thanks. if more info is needed please ask if it will help in your suggestions.

its basically a stock Deadbolt, i have a build thread on it if that helps mud truck hauler is the title.

 

[Mike Flea]

Post up some pics of Deadbolt, trailer, and one with body off.

Is your truck weighted at all?, front?, rear?

 

[sharkattack99]

here is one with it attached as it is now, only thing really that i changed was the wheelbase of the truck and moved the battery to the front, also added a 1/8th scale warn winch and an rc4wd metal front bumper (not pictured). no its not weighted at all i was planning to get some wheel weights for the front the axial ones and the extra weights that go with it too, but was waiting for a consensus on it first if weight might be an issue.



here is one you can kind of see through, i will get one with out the body when i get home from work

 

[bryantjt]

I don't follow your question, do you mean going forward or backward? If you're backing up a heavier truck should push it better. Going forward I don't see how the trailer pushes unless going downhill.

 

[tweeter79]

A single axle trailer might turn better. Other than that, start trying heavier weights all over the truck. Keep an eye on your motor heat though.

 

[sharkattack99]

A single axle trailer might turn better. Other than that, start trying heavier weights all over the truck. Keep an eye on your motor heat though.

i was thinking about making it a single in the beginning when i was coming up with how i wanted to make it but i figured a dual would hold the weight better, that picture was only a test run went to get gas for the lawn mower. i built the trail to haul my mud truck around the mud flats or just around, or my wraith, mud truck is pretty heavy so i wanted a dual axle.
i did put a fan on the motor (not sure it helps or not) and plan to drop the pinion to a 10t with the stock 56t spur, still want to keep the cover on it though so i can't go to much higher on the spur i have a 60t on my wraith an it rubs bad on the cover.
i was thinking just a single it would go around like it had a flat tire all the time somewhat does now i may have to get closed cell foams for it to help stiffen up the tires. so should i try wheel weights in the front first or the back? i was thinking the front?

I don't follow your question, do you mean going forward or backward? If you're backing up a heavier truck should push it better. Going forward I don't see how the trailer pushes unless going downhill.

it pulls the trailer just fine, going forward (sometimes i have to make corrections though) or backward. its when i turn i have to turn ever so slowly or it will "act" like the trailer just pushes the back end around doesn't actually do that just i turn and the next thing i know if i don't correct it fast enough the front of the truck is facing the back of the trailer.

so i was wondering if some weight on the truck would help with that a little, im sure i can't get rid of it completely.

 

[QuesoDelDiablo]

Have you tried adjusting the weight balance on your trailer? The way you've got it loaded in the picture above,it makes the trailer look nose heavy which would increase tongue weight which would then lighten the front end on pull truck.

Or, you've got the right idea. Adding mass to your front end should help.

 

[sharkattack99]

i did have the weight a little up front in that picture but when i have the trucks on the trailer i try and get them centered on the trailer, so i don't to much in either direction. but still have the problem.

although do i put the weights in the wheels and keep the weight off the shocks, and soften the shocks or do i put the extra weight on the truck and stiffen or soften the shocks? i think i have them screwed down cause there threaded quit i bit same with the back. should i put some stiffer springs in the back as well? im not rock crawling with this rig, its my scale/trail runner/mud truck/wraith rock crawler hauler.

 

[QuesoDelDiablo]

Could still be a balance issue, depends on where the tongue sits relative to the axle and load.

Have tried hauling an empty trailer? Does the front end still push like that?

Regardless, you should be able to get this set up working properly.

I would stay away from sprung weight and add weight to the wheels/axles and not to the frame or truck. Personally, I don't care for wheel weights because of the added penalty of rotating mass.

Slightly stiffer springs in the rear may be helpful. Up front, run those springs wherever you like them.


As an experiment, have you tried loading the rigs backwards? I mean as though they were backed on to the trailer instead of driven straight on. That could influence the weight bias to work better..

 

[sharkattack99]

thats possible wonder if i put the axles to far up to the front.

i think i have but don't remember i will have to try that again and see.

yeah i kind of thought so, i hoping that cause im not going to be doing anything that will cause me to use alot of wheel speed so i should be fine on that.....I hope *fingers crossed* :lmao: if i do weights is it alright to just have them in the front i wonder?

no i haven't tried to haul them backwards although the weight of both rigs i will haul most of the weight is in the center specially my mud truck with the dual brushless motors in it.

 

[bryantjt]

From a trailering standpoint, a real truck and trailer should have 10% of the trailer weight on the tongue. Probably hard to measure with a scaled down trailer but if it was 10 lbs all loaded up, you should be putting 1 lb of weight on the hitch.

 

[QuesoDelDiablo]

Added weight in just the front of your rig is quite common.




You could also try adding weight to the rear of your trailer and see if that helps.

 

[sharkattack99]

The without the body pic



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[QuesoDelDiablo]

Can't really tell from any of the pics, your hitch pivots right?

 

[sharkattack99]

No, just adjusts up and down

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[dr frankenstyle]

I'm just a loony in the boonies, but to throw out an idea .... the towing action you describe sounds similar to the way a 5th-wheel set-up pulls. You can turn your truck slightly past 90deg' with a 5th-wheel, and literally pivot the trailer on it's axles. Your pictures show that your hitch-point is almost between the tires, another similarity to 5th-wheel set-up.
You may need to move the pivot-point (the hitch) closer to the "bumper", somehow, to change how it tows.
I have lots more experience with 1:1 trailers, not that much rc towing, but it might be worth a try.

 

[Mike Flea]

I think what Queso was asking, is, is your trailer mounted to a ball or pintle type hitch, so it can move and swing....it's not mounted rigid, it has the ability to swing up and down, side to side, by pivoting on the ball or pintle.

In my experience with trailers, your truck needs to be heavier than the trailer, that way, the trailer isn't trying to pass up the prime mover. The trailer looks nice, and I agree with you, that towing around another vehicle, a tandem is better than a single axle.

When you weight the truck, you'll want to balance the weight front and rear, and keep it low. Some point out that rotating mass is a problem, but we're talking about a slow moving truck, you're not running 35mph on the trails. I use 2.5 oz stick on wheel weights on the inside of each of my Axial beadlocks. I should mention that they are 2.2's, and the total weight per wheel/tire is 9.2 oz., You may not need that on yours.

But if you don't want the rotating mass, TSS (The Scale Shop), just released brass knucles for the SCX-10, check them out in the New Products section.

 

[sig_p232]

I like the highlift for a tow rig.

You might try some heavier springs.

Nate

 

[sharkattack99]

I'm just a loony in the boonies, but to throw out an idea .... the towing action you describe sounds similar to the way a 5th-wheel set-up pulls. You can turn your truck slightly past 90deg' with a 5th-wheel, and literally pivot the trailer on it's axles. Your pictures show that your hitch-point is almost between the tires, another similarity to 5th-wheel set-up.
You may need to move the pivot-point (the hitch) closer to the "bumper", somehow, to change how it tows.
I have lots more experience with 1:1 trailers, not that much rc towing, but it might be worth a try.

i don't have much back and forth play with the hitch i bought might be able to move it a little bit more towards the bumper but not much. this is the hitch its a level 3 rc hitch

I think what Queso was asking, is, is your trailer mounted to a ball or pintle type hitch, so it can move and swing....it's not mounted rigid, it has the ability to swing up and down, side to side, by pivoting on the ball or pintle.

In my experience with trailers, your truck needs to be heavier than the trailer, that way, the trailer isn't trying to pass up the prime mover. The trailer looks nice, and I agree with you, that towing around another vehicle, a tandem is better than a single axle.

When you weight the truck, you'll want to balance the weight front and rear, and keep it low. Some point out that rotating mass is a problem, but we're talking about a slow moving truck, you're not running 35mph on the trails. I use 2.5 oz stick on wheel weights on the inside of each of my Axial beadlocks. I should mention that they are 2.2's, and the total weight per wheel/tire is 9.2 oz., You may not need that on yours.

But if you don't want the rotating mass, TSS (The Scale Shop), just released brass knucles for the SCX-10, check them out in the New Products section.

oh see yeah i miss understood him then yes its a ball stud and ball cup hitch point. it pivots nice and smooth. i will try some weight in the wheels cause its just a tow/slow trail rig i shouldn't have to much issue. we'll try just the main weights from axial won't add any just yet see if that helps can always add more. would like to avoid putting weights on the axles themselves as im trying to keep it scale as possible....i will check out those brass knuckles though, they sound pretty nice and keeps the weight hidden.

I like the highlift for a tow rig.

You might try some heavier springs.

Nate

i was looking at the f350 high lift but decided to get an RTR instead so i could have another transmitter, and it looked a little complicated to be to put together....:lmao: i am going to try the blue springs in the back. cause as you can see in that pic i have them pretty much all the way screwed down (preloads) lol.

 

[travis c.]

Does the trailer have "solid" axles? Meaning are the wheels locked together, if you spin the wheels on the right side of the trailer do the wheels on the left side spin? If so, maybe try making them spin independently from each other. Kind of the same principle as a locked front axle is hard to turn compared to an open diff.

Hope that helps, I don't know anything about pulling trailers. (disclaimer)