Featherlite Stacker

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Joe, I do attribute some of my loss of mileage to the fuel we get today. Three years ago when we first got this bus it was not uncommon to see 8.3, but I have not been over 8 recently. I think Roger is seeing lower MPG numbers also, and he has also had good mileage in the past.

Because of the hills around Branson I could see my Pro Driver go down to 7.3, but since our return leaving the hilly area it crept back up but at the high end of miles traveled it takes a very high average MPG to pull up a low number.

I use that display rather than the calculated MPG because i have no way to pull the Webasto and the generator fuel consumption out of the numbers.

Jack, my assumption on the hitch rating is that the center of the ball has to be 6.5 inches or less from the bumper to have the 1500 # toungue weight rating. Any distance greater and the tongue weight is reduced proportional to the increase in distance.

[phorner]

If I remember my physics basics and the lever formula correctly, the calculation is force times distance.

So, if I'm right, 6.5 x 1500 = 9750. So, if the distance was adjusted to 10 inches, the load would be reduced to 975 pounds.

[Petervs]

phorner
yes, your formula is right but the bumper is not the fulcrum, the design uses some point behind the bumper as the center point of the load on the hitch, we do not know what point the designers chose.

[Ray Davis]

phorner
yes, your formula is right but the bumper is not the fulcrum, the design uses some point behind the bumper as the center point of the load on the hitch, we do not know what point the designers chose.

But, doesn't that sort of work in our favor? For example. Let's say the real fulcrum point was 10 inches beyond the bumper. Then the torque would be 16.5x1500 inch pounds (don't know abbreviation) = 24750. But, if extended now to 10 inches past the bumper (as per Paul's example), then the corresponding tounge weight would be 24750/20 = 1237.5.

So it seems that by using the bumper point for calculation, you get a safer computed load (i.e. 975 vs 1237.5). It would seem that 975 would be a good safe number to work with, and depending upon how far back the actual fulcrum was, there would be actually more safety margin?

Or, are my calculations totally screwed up?

Ray

[rff105]

My stacker is up on RVTrader.com now. I still really want that trailer even though i have gone the way of the toad now.
I emailed them, they are still looking for 85K for it.
http://www.rvtrader.com/rvdetail2108548.htm

[garyde]

Richard. Have you seen Kevins Trailer. Its on the POG site. I think those folks will soon realise a Trailer with such specific graphics has very little resale value.

[rff105]

In October you could buy a brand new unpainted Featherlite stacker for 85K, they say prices have gone up because of Aluminum but i have not priced one lately. Granted this one does have a lot of options and a very expensive paint job but most people buying a 85K trailer will go with the new one. I am in no hurry i will see where this trailer is in a year or two. They have my email address and they know we have the matching coach and are interested.

[blacklab]

I need info on buying and the installation of a 20,000# hitch on my XL 40'
Any ideas?

[Kevin Erion]

Give me call, I did one on mine. 714-342-8588

[bonhall41]

We bought a 24' stacker trailer (2006) from Featherlite when we bought our coach several weeks ago. They said $28K - $30K to paint it to match the coach. I think we're going to like the plain black paint job really well.