can you just load the camper to redistribute the weight to the rear?

 

Not really because all stockage areas inside the camper are located in the front part... But the very small quantity of luggages (camping chairs, a mini-BBQ, a portable toilet, etc) I put inside the camper when driving are on the flood behind or over the axle but I don't think it redistribute weight very much!

The reason of the high tongue weight is because it's a 10.5 feet long camper (folded) or 20 feet completely deployed and 80 inch wide (widest available). All 10.5 feet long campers I shop have high tongue weight if you compare to smaller like 8 feet campers which is about the half (125 lb).

But I choose to buy a 10.5 feet camper because I have two children, so I need that space... we can't fit a 4 peoples family in a smaller camper... my father-in-law had a 8 feet camper and it's very small inside with only two RV-sized beds (42 inch wide). In my own camper I have a true queen bed (60x80) on front, a true full-XL bed (54x80) on rear and the dinette make a true twin bed (39x74).

As I say, the Jeep is VERY stable with that load even on ruff roads. The camper have a high tongue weight, but the entire unit is pretty light weight (1400 lb) so the Jeep is comfortable with it. The only point is the rear suspension which is pretty low compared to the front, so I just need to level it if possible.

 

You could always have someone move the axle on the trailer forward a few inches. This would reduce the tongue weight. Depending on how the axle is attached to the frame, it may not even require welding.

 

I thought about that, but the problem is that the wheel is inside a tight wheel well and I can not move forward the position of the axle because the wheel will be no longer inside it or rub it.

 

Would a weight distributing hitch assist in this situation?

http://www.howstuffworks.com/auto-p....com/auto-parts/towing/equipment/hitches/towing-weight-distribution-systems.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=HRoQ_yQZQwQ

 

Anybody ever use the "supersprings"? Seems kind sketchy?

 

I like the idea, might work good. I haven't heard of any ones experience with them though. Not bad for about $120 per axle.

Here's the part # and info for the rear sumo spring

COIL SUMO SPRINGS (rear only)
Part # CSS-1125
$114.30

 

Well, only other thing I can think of is to add some weight to the back of the trailer then. Maybe have a custom trunk/storage box mounted to the back of the trailer to load gear into? Get a nice marine grade dock box that can handle the elements, hold 100 or 2 lbs of gear and probably not look out of place on the trailer.
http://www.starmarinedepot.com/Tayl...ot.com/Taylor+Stow+N'+Go+Dock+Box+-+White.html?gclid=CNvkrMeD9bcCFcye4AodEC0AIw

 

I'm just trying to figure how I could install my bike rack (2" tube hitch mounted) on the rear bumper of my camper. I know there are 2" tube that attach to the rear bumper of a camper with large U-bolts but when I look at the rear bumper of my camper I wonder if it is strong enough to support the weight of 4 bikes (2 adults + 2 young children) and the weight of the bike rack itself (approx 25 lbs). I think I'm going to need to find a way to link the top of the tube of my bike rack with the body of my camper also to prevent it from bouncing on bumpy roads... because that kind of bike rack is bouncing A LOT when installed on the hitch!

I have this type (not this exact brand) of bike rack :

 

I use STU coils, and they fixed the rear end sag when pulling a trailer. They work great for towing, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Its a bit pricey though

 

I'm gonna take a chance (a not too expensive chance) with the "COIL SUMO SPRINGS", but one more question for you folks... "SuperSpring" only list the PN# for 07-10 Patriot and no trace of the Compass. Do you guys are 100% sure the rear suspension is identical on both Patriot & Compass? To my knowledge they are identical but I just want to be 100% sure...

For the good of the community I'll take the time to attach my pop-up camper and take a picture before installation and attach it again (at the same place) after installation to take another picture.

 

Thank you! I look forward to seeing your results. I would be tempted to try right now but lately my budget is gone at the moment. I don't plan on towing anytime soon but I sometimes load up my entire cargo area and with a full tank of gas it tends to sag in the rear.

 

I just ordered my Coil SuperSpring this afternoon from etrailer.com and they already shipped them out. I pay 114$ for them and shipping to Canada was only 4.99$.

Once I get them and install them, I'll post pictures! :banana:

 

Let us know what you think - especially any changes in handling characteristics. I really want Stu Coils, but they are out of budget for awhile.

 

Awesome! Hope they work


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Interested to hear about the Sumo Springs, I might have to grab a set

 

They are on their way from Texas right now... hope to receive them somewhere this week and install them during the weekend!

 

Sounds great, I hope it's an easy install too. Best of luck!

 

I have to guess that the FDII has stiffer springs. I've loaded the back of mine up with heavy stuff, rocks, logs, etc, and never had a sag. I also load the back up going home on weekends, with coolers, water bottles, buckets of gravel, etc and never noticed any difference on the roads.

 

I'm not sure this is the reason because you must consider my camper is VERY HEAVY on tongue weight. A lot more than a cooler full of beer and campfire wood. Heavy like: 240 lbs dry + LP gas tank full (20 lbs) + marine battery (40 lbs) + luggages.

I don't think it's even possible to load 300 lbs into a Patriot trunk, unless you load a full palette of brick maybe! LOL

 

I know a load of logs in the back is way more than the 300 pounds you describe, and a load of rock is much more than that.

 

Sure, but don't forget than pulling a trailer is not the same as putting weight in the trunk. When you load your trunk you put weight right over the rear axle, but tongue weight of a trailer is completely at the end of the trailer hitch which is like 24 inch distance from the axle if you consider the ball mount tube length...

When I load my trunk with very heavy stuff (like 40 bags of black soil) it doesn't lower the suspension that much, but it's definitely not the same with my camper or my trailer.

 

I understand, but I still think the FDII springs are stiffer than the FDI's

 

I don't think it's even possible to load 300 lbs into a Patriot trunk, unless you load a full palette of brick maybe! LOL

I've loaded 20 box of Costco interior stone veneer at 50 lbs a piece. I sure was glad I had Stu's rear HD coils.

 

Wow


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Those are a total of 30 boxes of bingo paper weighing 22lbs each. Total weight combined 660lbs for a very short trip to a storage unit.

This next photo is with a similar but lighter load inside. Not the best angle for seeing how much rear sag there is. I bet those sumo springs would help my headlights stay angled lower if I have a full vehicle on a road trip or just moving cargo.

 

Those are a total of 30 boxes of bingo paper weighing 22lbs each. Total weight combined 660lbs for a very short trip to a storage unit.

This next photo is with a similar but lighter load inside. Not the best angle for seeing how much rear sag there is. I bet those sumo springs would help my headlights stay angled lower if I have a full vehicle on a road trip or just moving cargo.

My Compass suspension look very similar to yours with a 300 lbs tongue weight attached on it. It make sense because your load of 600 lbs is half of the weight over or in front of the rear axle.

As I told, the heavy tongue weight is barely noticeable when I drive, this is mostly because I do not like the look of my Jeep when loaded with the camper!!

Here's a picture of my Jeep loaded with the camper on a level surface :

 

BTW I just got a notification of USPS than my package (the Sumo CoilSpring) reached Canada's customs in Mississauga (ONT), so if there's no extra delay I can count on receiving it tomorrow or friday!! Yeah!!

 

I just looked up a Rockwood Freedom 1940LTD and the dry hitch weight is 174 pounds. Well within the 200 limit for a patriot/compass. I would venture to say that you're not distributing your load as evenly as you could. The gvwr is 2274 which is 274 over the max of 2000 allowed for a compass/patriot - which could also mean that you may be over packing the trailer. A dry weight of 1493 only gives you a 507 payload. You had better not be towing full water tanks instead of only filling up when parked.

 

The specs you describe is for the new 2012-13 1940LTD, my old 2008 are more heavy! The specs of mine are clearly written in the door which are 1459 lbs dry weight with 239 lbs tongue weight! But tongue weight is dry I THINK (not sure yet), I think you must consider the LP gas tank weight and the marine battery weight, so add at least 50 lbs tongue for both! The "revisited" version of the 1940LTD have a lot lighter tongue weight, I guess they move the axle position forward to level the weight and reduce tongue weight...

The GVWR are calculated by adding the dry weight and the carrying capacity of luggage which is 815 lbs for the 1940LTD. But there's absolutely no way I can put 815 lbs of luggage inside the camper. I barely put like 100 lbs inside what give you the dry weight of 1459 lbs + 100 luggages = 1559 lbs which is pretty far from the max towing capacity. And don't be afraid about the water tank weight because I remove it completely (and pump) to free-up some space because I never do dry-camping!

BTW my father-in-law pull a 1900 lbs DRY 16-feet travel trailer with his 2011 Patriot 2.4L CVT2... with any problem and he does some SERIOUS mileage with his travel trailer, like 500+ KM rides on EVERY weekends.

 

In that case, you now have a trailer for sale

 

Duh??

 

I thought all years had 150 lb tongue weight


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Nop... it's definitely 300 lbs! Here's a capture of my owner manual... I have the towing prep group installed BTW.