Picking up our 21BHS!

[fasteddieb]

Quick question...

...when the trailer is running 12v (no shore power) is it capable of running down the battery of the tow vehicle if left plugged in?

And is there a schematic of the 21BHS somewhere? I don't recall seeing a detailed one in the owner's manual.

[charliem]

[quote source="/post/381/thread" timestamp="1396457668" author="@fasteddieb"]Quick question...

...when the trailer is running 12v (no shore power) is it capable of running down the battery of the tow vehicle if left plugged in?

And is there a schematic of the 21BHS somewhere? I don't recall seeing a detailed one in the owner's manual.[/quote][font size="3"][font face="arial"]That depends on the TV. MOST new TVs are wired such that the 12V line is disconnected from the 7 pin connector when the engine is off to prevent this. Therefore the TT will draw only from its own onboard batteries. I say most, but it's best to check with a meter while the TV engine is off to make sure. This can be done at the 7 pin Bergman on the rear of the TV.[/font][/font] [font size="3"]Of course, if the TV running lights are left on the trailer running lights will add to the discharge of the TV battery.[/font]

[fasteddieb]

Thanks - I will check that.

Played around just a bit this afternoon, kinda quick and dirty.

I pushed the hitch in all the way and scored where the new hole will go. Probably get it drilled tomorrow.

Measured the bumper height of the Flex, with just a few tools in the back:

Rear: 24 3/8"
Front: 22 3/8"

Hooked up the trailer with the two links hanging.

Remeasured:

Rear: 22 3/4" (1.625" drop)
Front: 22 3/4" (.375" raise)

So that confirms the visible sag seen in the photos.

Tried shortening the chains one link:






Remeasured:

Rear: 23 1/2" (.875" drop)
Front: 22 1/4" (.125" drop)

Car looked a lot flatter than before:






Note, there was about a 1/2" drop in height from the hangar to the asphalt. Doesn't seem like that should make a huge difference.

Did not change the tilt. It looks fairly straightforward to do so:






That arrangement with the adjusting wheel looks different from the setup shown in the EAZ-Lift installation manual.

Anyway, am I on the right track?

[tinkeringtechie]

This picture concerns me a bit:

[quote source="/post/383/thread" timestamp="1396474309" author="@fasteddieb"]
Of course I'm not familiar with your specific hitch, so please take the manufacturer's recommendations over my gut reaction.

[fasteddieb]

OK. I think I'm making progress...

Picked up the hitch from the shop with the new hole drilled.

Dismantled the hitch, inverted the shank and remounted it using holes to lower it. That moved it down from 18 1/4" to 16 1/2". I also increased the rearward tilt from 4º to 8.5º.

Handy that I have a propeller pitch setting device that worked well here:






I first tried two links hanging, which took a lot of effort. It looked like this:






With them in place, the Flex measured:

22" F
23 3/4" R

And the trailer seemed almost perfectly level.

I then tried just one link hanging. It looked like this:






Much less stress on the chains, and the Flex measured:

22 3/8" F
23" R

And the trailer was about 1º nose down.

I feel like I'm on the right track, and need to drive the rig to test it before making any more changes.

Thoughts?

[tinkeringtechie]

I was going to take a peek at the manual to see what they recommend, but the manufacturer doesn't seem to have any record of this product. Is it discontinued? The only thing I see is the "Trekker"

[fasteddieb]

Here's a link to the installation instructions:

http://manuals.adventurerv.net/Eaz-Lift-Weight-Distribution-Hitch-Elite-Instructions.pdf

[tinkeringtechie]

I wonder why Camco doesn't have this on their own website  :-/... Anyways, It looks pretty close to their recommendations. The only thing I would change is on Page 4: "To find correct location on trailer frame for Quick Hook-Up Bracket, hold chain straight up"

How hard is it to move the propane tanks?

[fasteddieb]

[quote source="/post/445/thread" timestamp="1396911965" author="@tinkeringtechie"]Anyways, It looks pretty close to their recommendations. The only thing I would change is on Page 4: "To find correct location on trailer frame for Quick Hook-Up Bracket, hold chain straight up"

How hard is it to move the propane tanks?

[/quote]I looked the other day and it does not seem too hard.

It seems like when Sunny Island RV installed the hitch they relocated the tanks a little forward:






One hose is already stretched a bit. I would have to move them back enough to move the saddles in front of them, if I can do so without interfering with the battery. It does look like the battery has some room to move back as well, if need be.

Looking at the photo below, Plan B could be to just raise the tanks about 3" or 4" on spacers to let the saddles move under the tanks.






I did attempt to measure my tongue weight, but my bathroom scale topped out a 280 lbs, already in excess of the 250 lbs. tongue weight listed for the BHS. FLEXIE's Class III hitch is rated at 450 lbs. Still, moving weight back could only help there.

I am not going to mess with any of this until after the SpringStream Rally in Hiawassee this weekend (our first outing). I want to see the effect of the new ball height and hitch tilt before throwing any additional variables in.

[tinkeringtechie]

Too bad they didn't use square u-bolts, it's a shame to have to poke holes every time you move it. It's probably a good idea to try it out before making any other changes. The chain angle is more the perfectionist in me rather than imminent danger. On a related note, that hole where the tanks used to be makes me twitch a little bit  :-S (I'd plug it with something...).

As for the tongue weight, even if their 250lb estimate is correct (which is probably a bit optimistic), your tanks and battery add about 130lbs to the tongue (probably 100lbs ends up on the ball). Don't forget that your hitch and sway control add around 90lbs. So you're at approximately 440lbs of hitch weight without any cargo in the storage compartment.  

[fasteddieb]

Situation much improved.

Details and photos in the morning.

[fasteddieb]

OK, you won!

I went out to the hangar yesterday to futz with things.

First instinct was to just raise the propane tanks, and I played with a 4x4 as a spacer.

Then my hangar neighbor stopped and suggested swapping the propane tanks and the battery. And viola!






I did have to drill two small holes for self-tapping screws, and after the photo I fabricated two aluminum brackets to help stabilize the tanks laterally. The battery cables had enough slack for the relocation as is.

I will put a dab of clear silicone in each abandoned hole.

One downside - it moved the Husky ball mount closer to the hitch, making it look like right turns will "pinch" it sooner:






I thought moving it back even an inch or so would make a difference, so I had a friend cut off about 1" from the left side with a torch and drill new holes on that side. While he was at it I had him cut off the extraneous bottom inch or so.

Plan today is to get it out and test it, both on the ramp at the airport to check turn radius, and a bit on the highway to be sure we're in the ballpark.

I'll report back how it goes.

[tinkeringtechie]

Looks much better and makes me wonder why they don't set it up that way to begin with.

[charliem]

[quote source="/post/469/thread" timestamp="1397064868" author="@tinkeringtechie"]Looks much better and makes me wonder why they don't set it up that way to begin with.[/quote][font size="3"][font face="arial"]If you opt for dual batteries including room for two cases the rack is about the same width as the two propane tanks. Almost mox-nix and affects ease of propane access and turning radius limits[/font][/font].

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote source="/post/467/thread" timestamp="1397043909" author="@fasteddieb"]
One downside - it moved the Husky ball mount closer to the hitch, making it look like right turns will "pinch" it sooner:
[/quote]
This would probably only happen backing up and sway control is annoying (and unnecessary) while backing up anyways. I'd suggest getting in the habit of taking it off before backing up.