Weight/Balance Question

J

Jim R

New member
Do you still follow the 10 to 15% rule for tongue weight with the Pasq? For a hitch setup like on the Super Tenere, I’m wondering if the fact that the weight is unsprung weight changes anything? Or do you still stick with the 10 - 15% rule?
 
As a professional truckdriver I prefer to load a bit heavier on the front. In winter on the truck it adds traction and keeps the trailer in line. About 10 to 15% is enough.
 
We've tested with lots of different weight distributions. The physics of the ADV1 seem to be quite different than, for example, a pickup pulling a camper. There are a ton of demo videos like this on keeping more weight in front of the axle:


And when all is said and done with the ADV1, I suggest having the classic 60% or more of the weight in front of the axle and 40% max on or behind the axle. I also suggest you try to balance side-to-side somewhat closely. We've tested with huge weight differences and it didn't seem to impact all that much, EXCEPT if at a standstill or barely moving, you start to lean a bit too far to the side with more weight...of course it's going to work with gravity to pull you down!
 
Where is the center of gravity for the ADV1? Directly above the axle at some point, or does the hitch have any influence?

Is there a graphic calculator out there that can input various shapes & weights to figure out the best loading patterns?
 
Hmmm...this is a good question. Currently (for the axle-mount version) the modeling software shows the center of mass directly at the pivot point of the swingarm. On the frame mount version, the center of mass is 2.5" towards the rear (center-to-center) of the swingarm pivot. However, for each model, the center of mass location is greatly dependent on the weight of the tire so just keep that in mind if you change the ADV1 stock tire for something else.

This center of mass calculation checks out in the real world as well because Rod and I would sometimes use a 5-gallon bucket or something similar under the skid plate area to work on the ADV1.

There's currently no graphic calculator to figure out best loading patterns although I can see how that would be helpful!
 
I'm reminded of the young Buddhist monk and the ancient Buddhist monk crossing a bridge over a river.
The young monk asks if enlightenment is like the river below or the sky above.
The ancient one throws the youngster into the river and says "Swim in it and figure it out"

Peter, I feel your (Is it Christmas yet? Is it Christmas yet?) pain.
But trust me, once you get the ADV1, ride the piss out of it empty, throw 50, 100, 150 pounds on it, move the weight RH, LH, front, back, toploaded, spread out, this will all come into focus.
All the momentum arm modeling in the world goes out the window with grooved pavement, minivans, off-camber curves, crosswinds and everything your lizard-brain already navigates instinctively, without issue.
It'll be fun, I'm looking forward to comparing notes :)
 
With my initial question, I was wondering if it makes sense to add a little more weight up front when using an axel mounted hitch. I was thinking that you would just be adding more weight to the rear tire without stressing the suspension and that would provide more traction for acceleration and breaking. Win, win! But as I read more, the additional unsprung weight will negatively affect the suspension’s ability to keep the rear tire smoothly on the ground. I don’t really plan to heavily work the suspension when I have the ADV1 hooked up, but it still seems safest to just stick with the 10-15% rule for tongue weight.
 
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