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Old 01-05-2005, 07:06 PM   #1
Starchmill
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335rlbs bottoms out on slight grades

I took my new 335 out for a little test tow the other day and pulled into a parking lot to check on something. When I was pulling out of the lot, there was a slight grade going down to the main road and the rear of the TT bottomed out on the pavement. My last TT was a 30ft and I never had a problem. Is this a common problem with this unit because of the length? I'll certainly have to keep a good eye out for similar conditions so this doesn't happen again.
 
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Old 01-05-2005, 11:47 PM   #2
Montana_2627
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Purely a matter of geometry. If the angle of the parking lot grade is steeper than the angle btween your rear tire and the rear bumper(or lowest point nearby) then you will bottom out. One way to avoid this is, if possible, to go down the grade at an angle. The other is just to only go in flat parking lots.Have also seen TT's with industrial casters mounted on the rear bumper.
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Old 01-06-2005, 12:21 AM   #3
Montana_2627
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Sorry to double you up but was just reading on another thread about flipping the axles to get more ground clearance (might give you a little more wind resistance while towing). Take a quick look to see if it's feasible - shouldn't be too hard to do.
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Old 01-06-2005, 02:31 AM   #4
CountryGuy
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We had same problem with our last TT, put the casters on the rear. These work, BUT, please still go in and out driveways slowly and at an angle whenever possible. The wheels keep the bottom from dragging, but also PUSH UP the back end of the rig, placing some forces on the entire frame and rig.

We had lost camber on that TT and the manufacturer told us that if we had damaged the frame BECAUSE of the wheels that they would not pay. They can tell from examining the frame and springs and such, there is one place they look for damage (sorry this was 15 years ago and I cannot remember the exact location) but it was near the springs and axles. When you take a unit over driveways too fast with wheels on it will make a very definate mark on the frame.

Well, we had no marks, and in fact we had very little wear on those little wheels. The company was amazed when we told them how many miles we had on the unit (at that point over 10,000) with so little damage to the wheels. Their remark was something like, "Wow, you must really go in and out of driveways slow and careful, we have seen people wear out those wheels in 2 or 3,000 miles."

Be sure your unit is sitting level when hitched and if you go with the wheels, you are still want to be very careful with those driveways.

Good luck, enjoy your unit and let us know if you find out more.

Cheers,

Carol
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Old 01-06-2005, 02:40 AM   #5
azstar
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Yep,

It'l drag. A little something to remember when pulling your RLBS. You've got to plan ahead. As the others have stated, going out on an angle and slowly is a good way to minimize the impact. Don't be afraid to block a little traffic by going out slowly or by using as much of the road as necessary to minimize this. Most Drivers are understanding and the others will get over it. We have passed on some gas stations because of this. Just went to the next one. Ticks you off when you have to pay a penny more on the gas. LOL

Happy Camping
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