Athearn2, yes, I use my Scamp that way. Sometimes I just get sleepy on the road. When I'm driving just the car with no Scamp, I pull over and recline the seat. But the best midday nap I ever had on the road was when I stopped in a big parking lot and climbed into the Scamp. There's nothing like really laying out flat and knowing there's no need to go anywhere in a hurry. :D The only problem is how hot it can get in summer when you can't find a shady place to park, temporarily.
I'll check my levels and see if I can find a tow bar to make it better than it already is. Probably need to go to a special shop, to get access to all the options. Maybe while pulling the Scamp.
Here's a photo I took at a rest stop last summer, for the entertainment of my kids. Heh heh. (You can see that the hitch is a little high. My mechanic suggested I use my higher one so the ball/hitch connection wouldn't rattle so much. But maybe that was not the proper fix for that.)
I can't think of how raising, or lowering the hitch would affect the hitches movement on the ball. I hope you are not using an inch and seven eights ball for your Scamps two inch hitch.
Hi athearn2. Definitely a 2" ball of course (1-7/8", SCARY THOUGHT), and I have used three different ones. I can always get some "rattle" in the hitch, but it's less when I use the arrangement that places the ball maybe an inch higher than keeps the Scamp level. ?? I wonder if it's the bar (whatever the technical name is for that piece, feel free to enlighten me as it will make explaining things to Trailer People easier) rattling around inside the receiver? Maybe this summer I'll slide a sliver of wood in there, next to the bar that goes into the receiver hole, and see if that makes a difference.
Maybe the receiver is just a little oversized, since it doesn't matter which bar plus ball I stick in there, the rattle remains when we go over any sort of bump in the road.
With my 2017 Subaru Outback (no fancy tire/wheel mods, just stock), I find that the assembly that makes the Scamp ride almost perfectly level is a straight bar. I know there are lots of Outbacks used for towing 13's, and am wondering what others' experiences may be.
I think you're on to the source of the rattle with the "bar" which I think is referred to as a ball mount. I tow with a 2013 Outback and mine will sometimes rattle with the Scamp hitched and usually rattles with my open utility trailer hitched since I often use that for lighter loads. When I have more tongue weight there is less potential for bouncing and it doesn't rattle. The rattle is disconcerting, but if the ball mount were tighter I'd never get it out of the receiver when I want to take it off to avoid bruised shins when I'm not towing.
OK, this seems a good time to mention that when we picked up our 16' Std Scamp a couple years ago I thought I had a 2" ball and the trailer towed quite well on the 1100 mile trip home. Only later did I discover that the ball was 1 7/8". I replaced it with a 2" ball "to be correct" and found that the locking clamp on the tongue would not close around the ball unless I ran the adjustment nut out so far that only half the threads were in contact. IMO you lose the strength of the mechanical attachment unless the threads are fully engaged. Since I couldn't even get close, I decided to keep using the 1 7/8" ball and have since put on another 5000 miles with absolutely no problem. Both balls are rated for several thousand pounds so that wasn't a problem either.
I also was annoyed by the hitch/receiver rattle and tried a number of "spacers" to keep the bar from moving around in the receiver. I accidently found a solution on Amazon for less than $20. It's called a Hitch Tightener and it's a stainless steel device that is a squared "U" bolt with a bent plate that puts pressure on the hitch/receiver unit and so far has eliminated the movement and hence the rattle. I do have to remove it when I remove the hitch from the receiver when not towing, but it's a "bolt-on" device that only takes a few minutes to install or remove.
By the way, the folks at Scamp didn't notice the smaller ball either, but I've had no problems with it and I don't feel "unsafe at any speed" to paraphrase Mr. Nader. And I am really happy with not being stressed by all the mechanical noise coming from the towing.
I agree, the rattle is most likely the hitch bar in the receiver.
For RamRod: I would figure out what's wrong with the hitch. There is either something wrong with it or it is an 1 7/8" hitch. There should be printing on top of the hitch that states the size. I wouldn't put it past Scamp to have put an 1 7/8" hitch on your trailer. The strength of the 1 7/8" hitch and/or ball should not be a concern.
Thanks to athearn2, RochACri woods, and Ramrod for all these helpful comments and stories of experiences. Of course there's such a thing as a hitch tightener, and of course I'm not the only person to experience this kind of rattling... It's just that I've never heard anybody mention it before, nor had I any idea that there was such a thing as a hitch tightener. It turns out that hanging out on SOI forums and chatting about stuff can get you some VERY useful information.
Just to get back onto the original topic, which was tongue weight and how to measure it: I'll be combining both new ideas when I get Freya moving this spring. Check the tongue weight and adjust cargo; and a hitch tightener is on the way.
Athearn2, yes, I use my Scamp that way. Sometimes I just get sleepy on the road. When I'm driving just the car with no Scamp, I pull over and recline the seat. But the best midday nap I ever had on the road was when I stopped in a big parking lot and climbed into the Scamp. There's nothing like really laying out flat and knowing there's no need to go anywhere in a hurry. :D The only problem is how hot it can get in summer when you can't find a shady place to park, temporarily.
I'll check my levels and see if I can find a tow bar to make it better than it already is. Probably need to go to a special shop, to get access to all the options. Maybe while pulling the Scamp.
Here's a photo I took at a rest stop last summer, for the entertainment of my kids. Heh heh. (You can see that the hitch is a little high. My mechanic suggested I use my higher one so the ball/hitch connection wouldn't rattle so much. But maybe that was not the proper fix for that.)
I can't think of how raising, or lowering the hitch would affect the hitches movement on the ball. I hope you are not using an inch and seven eights ball for your Scamps two inch hitch.
Hi athearn2. Definitely a 2" ball of course (1-7/8", SCARY THOUGHT), and I have used three different ones. I can always get some "rattle" in the hitch, but it's less when I use the arrangement that places the ball maybe an inch higher than keeps the Scamp level. ?? I wonder if it's the bar (whatever the technical name is for that piece, feel free to enlighten me as it will make explaining things to Trailer People easier) rattling around inside the receiver? Maybe this summer I'll slide a sliver of wood in there, next to the bar that goes into the receiver hole, and see if that makes a difference.
Maybe the receiver is just a little oversized, since it doesn't matter which bar plus ball I stick in there, the rattle remains when we go over any sort of bump in the road.
With my 2017 Subaru Outback (no fancy tire/wheel mods, just stock), I find that the assembly that makes the Scamp ride almost perfectly level is a straight bar. I know there are lots of Outbacks used for towing 13's, and am wondering what others' experiences may be.
I think you're on to the source of the rattle with the "bar" which I think is referred to as a ball mount. I tow with a 2013 Outback and mine will sometimes rattle with the Scamp hitched and usually rattles with my open utility trailer hitched since I often use that for lighter loads. When I have more tongue weight there is less potential for bouncing and it doesn't rattle. The rattle is disconcerting, but if the ball mount were tighter I'd never get it out of the receiver when I want to take it off to avoid bruised shins when I'm not towing.
OK, this seems a good time to mention that when we picked up our 16' Std Scamp a couple years ago I thought I had a 2" ball and the trailer towed quite well on the 1100 mile trip home. Only later did I discover that the ball was 1 7/8". I replaced it with a 2" ball "to be correct" and found that the locking clamp on the tongue would not close around the ball unless I ran the adjustment nut out so far that only half the threads were in contact. IMO you lose the strength of the mechanical attachment unless the threads are fully engaged. Since I couldn't even get close, I decided to keep using the 1 7/8" ball and have since put on another 5000 miles with absolutely no problem. Both balls are rated for several thousand pounds so that wasn't a problem either.
I also was annoyed by the hitch/receiver rattle and tried a number of "spacers" to keep the bar from moving around in the receiver. I accidently found a solution on Amazon for less than $20. It's called a Hitch Tightener and it's a stainless steel device that is a squared "U" bolt with a bent plate that puts pressure on the hitch/receiver unit and so far has eliminated the movement and hence the rattle. I do have to remove it when I remove the hitch from the receiver when not towing, but it's a "bolt-on" device that only takes a few minutes to install or remove.
By the way, the folks at Scamp didn't notice the smaller ball either, but I've had no problems with it and I don't feel "unsafe at any speed" to paraphrase Mr. Nader. And I am really happy with not being stressed by all the mechanical noise coming from the towing.
I agree, the rattle is most likely the hitch bar in the receiver.
For RamRod: I would figure out what's wrong with the hitch. There is either something wrong with it or it is an 1 7/8" hitch. There should be printing on top of the hitch that states the size. I wouldn't put it past Scamp to have put an 1 7/8" hitch on your trailer. The strength of the 1 7/8" hitch and/or ball should not be a concern.
Thanks to athearn2, RochACri woods, and Ramrod for all these helpful comments and stories of experiences. Of course there's such a thing as a hitch tightener, and of course I'm not the only person to experience this kind of rattling... It's just that I've never heard anybody mention it before, nor had I any idea that there was such a thing as a hitch tightener. It turns out that hanging out on SOI forums and chatting about stuff can get you some VERY useful information.
Just to get back onto the original topic, which was tongue weight and how to measure it: I'll be combining both new ideas when I get Freya moving this spring. Check the tongue weight and adjust cargo; and a hitch tightener is on the way.
Again, thanks to all.
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