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Trailer pitch advice

Discussion in 'Towing' started by Disco850, Apr 30, 2012.

  1. Apr 30, 2012 at 10:51 AM
    #1
    Disco850

    Disco850 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Disco
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    Ok a little back story here...

    I used to tow my little race car to the drag strip with a car dolly and my old 99 f150 v6. The truck had no power and was getting to be a bit unreliable so I ditched the f150 and the dolly and got my 08 prerunner sr5 and a home made regular style car trailer. The car trailer was a serious POS so I cut it up to better suit my needs. My "race car" is a 91 crx hf fully gutted and weighs around 1700lbs maybe a little less. The trailer in its current state weighs around 1k. After rebuilding the trailer over a period of a couple of months its finally done and were are ready to get back out to the drag strip for some fun!!! My question is how much load angle should there be on the ball of the truck? Should it be just below level or level? How do you guys feel that the truck handles the best? I did load up my much heavier street car yesterday to see how the truck and trailer did around the neighborhood and after backing the car up a bit on the trailer to reduce the load on the ball I got the truck squatting just a touch. I never got above 30mph on my test drive but at lower speeds it towed perfectly. Here are a couple pics. Thanks for the help!!:thumbsup:

    Cutting up the old trailer
    [​IMG]

    rebuilt without fenders
    [​IMG]

    Almost done with quick release fenders
    [​IMG]

    Race Car
    [​IMG]

    First time towing with the new truck. My street car on the trailer.
    [​IMG]

    Another angle. you can see the car is about a foot back on the trailer.
    [​IMG]

    Im hoping that with the race car being close to a thousand pounds lighter than the street car that I will be able to put it all the way forward on the trailer which is why I cut two feet off the trailer to begin with. Plus the trailer was very tough to get into my back yard and around a corner when it was full length. Now its a breeze to back in around the corner.
    Im also having a tough ttime finding the right 7 pin connector for the trailer to mate to the truck. I bought a 7 pin connector that wasnt even close to right. Any help on that would be greatly appreciated too.

    Thanks again guys and gals.

    Disco
     
  2. Apr 30, 2012 at 11:10 AM
    #2
    Pugga

    Pugga Pasti-Dip Free 1983 - 2015... It was a good run

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    Load the trailer so at least 60% of the weight is in front of the trailer's axles (usually not a problem with a front engine car) and you want the trailer level, or close to it. Slight rake is ok but I try to get the correct drop ball mount to make the trailer ride level.
     
  3. Apr 30, 2012 at 11:19 AM
    #3
    dexterdog

    dexterdog My pee parts itch

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    I wouldn't go more than 60% up front then you risk exceeding the tongue weight. Tandem axle trailers are more forgiving when it comes to weight distribution compared to a single axle trailer but you want a good balance of weight over the axles.
     
  4. Apr 30, 2012 at 11:49 AM
    #4
    Disco850

    Disco850 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Ok Putting weight in front of the axles is not a problem lol!! My little CRX has all its weight up front. It looks like from what yall are saying its more important to have the weight right on the trailer than worry about the pitch of the truck and trailer combined. Now im thinking about moving ther axles forward on the trailer or just keep the car back on the trailer. Keeping the car back would be a ton easier. Any help on the plug delima?
     
  5. Apr 30, 2012 at 11:54 AM
    #5
    Pugga

    Pugga Pasti-Dip Free 1983 - 2015... It was a good run

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    Pitch does make a difference, just get the correct drop when you buy your ball mount. It doesn't have to be perfect but close to level with the trailer will make it trail better.

    Probably a lot easier to park the car a little further back rather than move the axles. Just my $0.02.

    If you have the OEM setup, it should just be a standard 7-pin connection, available at most auto parts stores :notsure:
     
  6. Apr 30, 2012 at 5:24 PM
    #6
    Disco850

    Disco850 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Am I missing something here? I know its broken off the truck but is it missing something?

    [​IMG]
    The connection on my truck hangs off the mount and has female slots.
     
  7. May 1, 2012 at 6:45 AM
    #7
    Disco850

    Disco850 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    ^^^^^^^^^bump for an answer please^^^^^^
     
  8. May 1, 2012 at 7:04 AM
    #8
    Pugga

    Pugga Pasti-Dip Free 1983 - 2015... It was a good run

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    The truck side should be male connectors, the one you showed in your picture looks like it should be the trailer side since it has female connectors. Look at the 7-pin below (disregard the 6-pin diagram). Check the center pin in the trailer harness, your trailer shows a blade connector, I'm not sure if the Tacoma's center pin is a blade or a round pin. That could be why they aren't mating.
    [​IMG]
     
  9. May 1, 2012 at 8:19 AM
    #9
    knucklehead

    knucklehead Well-Known Member

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    Hitch, nav header
    My first post, registered for this, very concerned.

    It is difficult to see in the pictures, but it appears that this trailer has no springs/suspension. In order to balance the weight across two axles, a tandem spring hanger kit is required. Without this, dips and bumps in the road will cause dramatic weight redistribution and possible extreme danger. It is also *extremely* sensitive to trailer pitch -- it must be balanced to equalize weight on the two axles. I would be highly inclined to add proper springs and hanger kit, if this raises the trailer too high, switch to drop axles.

    You can safely get away with no springs only on a single axle trailer since it can pitch about the single axle.
     
  10. May 3, 2012 at 10:14 AM
    #10
    Disco850

    Disco850 [OP] Well-Known Member

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    It looks like the trucks connector is a two piece unit. My guess is that it was torn off at some point in time and separated. Im going to make it work using spade connectors till I can find a part number to replace the harness and broken holder. Thank you for the help guys!!
     

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