CAT scale axle weights for stock CCSB 4X4?

dieselfan1 · March 31, 2021

Mikey
Quit overanalyzing it. Now you're worried about hitting a deer.
Throw the bags on it if it makes you feel better. You don't need anyone's approval to do do this.
Hook up the trailer and go. Don't worry about your headlights or deer.

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mikeyk101 · March 31, 2021

2 hours ago, dieselfan1 said:

Mikey
Quit overanalyzing it. Now you're worried about hitting a deer.
Throw the bags on it if it makes you feel better. You don't need anyone's approval to do do this.
Hook up the trailer and go. Don't worry about your headlights or deer.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Sorry, I really wasn't trying to overanalyze. Well maybe I was but I have made my decision. After the subject was brought up, I was just trying to show why bags make more sense for me and easier to adjust over constantly having to correct the headlights each time. Sometimes my ability to ignore doesn't work so well... Thanks.

UnlimitedMatt · March 31, 2021

2 hours ago, mikeyk101 said:

Sorry, I really wasn't trying to overanalyze. Well maybe I was but I have made my decision. After the subject was brought up, I was just trying to show why bags make more sense for me and easier to adjust over constantly having to correct the headlights each time. Sometimes my ability to ignore doesn't work so well... Thanks.

Just am fyi - when I'm on a camping trip and have extra air in my airbags, I rarely deflate them when running around. I wait until I get home to deflate them. I also add extra air to my load range 'E' tires before the trip and lower after the trip. Aside from a much stiffer ride, there are no downsides.

mikeyk101 · April 4, 2021

Well bags are on. It went pretty smooth and I only lost one star washer. I would call that a win. Yesterday turned out to be the perfect day to do it. I didn't have time to hook up the trailer to check the results but it does seem a little cushier in the rear end. I have 10lbs psi in the bags for now to see how it does unhitched. I ended up mounting the Schrader valves into the side footsteps on the rear bumper. Very easy access. I did gain about an inch in the rear wheelwells as it went from 39" before to about 40". The real test will be when I get a chance to hook up the trailer but I now have some wiggle room. The bags can go as high as 100lbs psi but I have no intention of even trying half of that. Now I just have to take care of the other unrelated issue that popped up. If it's not one thing, it's another...

Edited April 4, 2021 by mikeyk101

asilverblazer · April 13, 2021

No one mentioned adding another washer(s) to the hitch head. This would add a bit more weight transfer, this would help balance the sag between the front and rear. This should have been done first since the rear axle is overloaded anyways indicating more weight needed to go to the front.

mikeyk101 · April 13, 2021

I am only shy 40lbs on front axle from unhitched truck to truck and hitched with weight distribution. Without WD, I had lost 280lbs on front axle. I gained back 240lbs on front axle from no weight distribution and with WD. The front wheel well is right at the height it was prior to being hitched. Everything I read said you don't want to put more weight on front axle that what it was unhitched. As far as trailer, the hitched trailer weight on axles is 120lbs more than without weight distribution. I also lost 320lbs from the rear axle with no weight distribution to having weight distribution.

But soon I will be able to see what effect the airbags will now have. They were installed last weekend but now truck is in shop for unrelated matter and they are waiting on backorder parts. I can play around with extra washers as well as maybe lowering hitch when I have air on the bags as that may change hitch height slightly higher. But I think the biggest thing is the 2" level on the front. If the level wasn't on there, my truck would be equal in height after WD and headlights would still be aimed straight ahead as they should be. Putting 700lb tongue weight on the truck is going to cause the rear end to go down no matter what. Even with proper weight distribution. If truck had not been leveled, the 2" drop in rear would match front end instead of being 2" lower than the front end which is where I'm at.

2 hours ago, asilverblazer said:

No one mentioned adding another washer(s) to the hitch head. This would add a bit more weight transfer, this would help balance the sag between the front and rear. This should have been done first since the rear axle is overloaded anyways indicating more weight needed to go to the front.

mikeyk101 · April 14, 2021

8 hours ago, asilverblazer said:

No one mentioned adding another washer(s) to the hitch head. This would add a bit more weight transfer, this would help balance the sag between the front and rear. This should have been done first since the rear axle is overloaded anyways indicating more weight needed to go to the front.

And the rear axle is still under the 3950lb rating by 410lbs. It is 660lbs over the unhitched weight but still well under the rating for the axle.

Edited April 14, 2021 by mikeyk101

asilverblazer · April 15, 2021

On 4/13/2021 at 9:00 PM, mikeyk101 said:

And the rear axle is still under the 3950lb rating by 410lbs. It is 660lbs over the unhitched weight but still well under the rating for the axle.

Sorry, I must have misread something in the topic regarding how your loaded weights were in relation to their weight capacity.

I gather then you are aware of adding/removing washer to the hitch head for additional adjustment if needed?

Like others, I tend to lean towards adjusting the weight distributing hitch rather than the airbags. I think it will add another variable to getting everything adjusted well. Not impossible, but more time spent at the scale adjusting the hitch setup and the airbags.

FWIW: On vehicles equipped with Automatic Level Control, like my wife's Yukon, It is recommended to let the vehicle level prior to adjusting the hitch. In other words, Inflate the bags to your desired level, then adjust the hitch.

mikeyk101 · May 31, 2021

Well I've been a bit busy trying to get several different projects done so I haven't been able to give any updates. But I finally got around to checking my setup with the airbags and it looks like it's a success. When first checking the measurements, I had tried using about 25lbs in the bags and had a nose high on the trailer with 18" in front with bottom of frame and 17" in rear. Measurements of the truck front and rear wheel wells weren't too bad. But I needed to adjust because of the trailer results. I ended up going with 15lbs in the bags and lowering the ball down 1 hole. I get barely any difference with unhitched, and then hitched with weight distribution. I end the same on the front unhitched or hitched with WD and just under an inch of sag in rear. And the trailer now sits about 17" in front and 18" in rear. I haven't tested the difference on my headlights and night driving yet but it should be greatly improved. It seems to drive just fine. I had to get this done because I have a week-long trip planned starting next weekend and that will be the final test. It will be about a 1200 mile round trip. Somewhere along the way, I will revisit a CAT scale and see what the numbers are now but I'm feeling a lot better about my setup now.