Left to Right Tilt

[traveler]

I need to put in a road at my place to get in and out of the barn where I store my TK3. The road needs to be placed on a sloping hill. Realizing it will depend on how the trailer is loaded and whether or not the tanks are full, I am wondering how much of a left to right incline would be safe , so that ther would be no danger of flipping over. I think that the incline might have to be 15 degrees or so, but I think that this will be quite ok. Any thoughts?

I tend to think that the center of gravity for the trailer is not too much higher than a foot or above the floor in the trailer. a great deal of the trailer wieght is in the frame, running gear, tanks, tires and basement load. I am guessing that the top four or five feet of the trailer amounts to not much more than 20 percent of the trailer. I suppose the ACs and the appliances, furniture, and the heavy cabinets could add up quickly though.

[bstark]

As it happens, I can attest to the 15 degree thing as that is the method (incorrect method of course) that my dealer used to change my suspension height.
He jacked up one entire side of the coach at a time and had people stopping as they walked by the service bays with open mouths in amazement. We noticed the commotion and went outside to see what was up and nearly had a heart attack at the sight!
That little episode cost us a few broken shock mounts and bent spring hangers but of course we didn't notice any of that until we were a few hundred miles down the road and I noticed the trailer wandering all over the place in the mirrors. Couldn't feel it in the steering as my truck weighs as much as the trailer when fully loaded with fuel etc.,

Dale Fenton and his crew at Trailair repaired all of that little boo boo. She tows like a "piece of rope" now.

She'll handle 15 degrees and then some. Just take the heavy stuff out of those upper cabinets though.

[traveler]

I am not sure if jacking up one side of the trailer, so that the trailer is tilted 15 degrees is the same as driving on a 15 degree slope--as regard stresses in the suspension system. However, if this is so, then it means that you damage the trailer suspension by driving on such a slope--even if you do not tip over.

Anyway, it is something to think about.

[bstark]

No, you won't impose the same kind of stressors onto the suspension as was done to break mine by towing it. Rolling ahead allows the axles to seek relief while simply jacking the thing from one side puts absolutly all of the stress on those spring hangers and shackles.

[Huck]

15 degrees = 33 percent grade....................