Calculating moving rear axel to shift front weight

I have the mechanic at my brother's work helping me out. We can move the axel 23" max. Everything on the rails needs to come off and be relocated. It's a big job. Luckily this guy disassembles then reassembles concrete trucks on a day to day basis so he had a good game plan.
We could do 24" instead of 23 but it would have involved drilling more holes in the frame so we will just settle.
 
Sure. Rig up something to stick out the right rear of the truck the same distance you're going to move the axle; 23" I believe (open the rear door and have a pole saw against the right side sticking out 23") In your yard, with the truck stopped, turn the wheel all the way to the left. Mark where the left rear wheel is (in the dirt) and have an assistant drive slowly forward thru the turn. You can stand behind the truck and watch the end of the pole. It won't be exact because the wheelbase has yet to be shortened, but close enough to give you a good idea. Make sense?
 
Jeff said:
Sure. Rig up something to stick out the right rear of the truck the same distance you're going to move the axle; 23" I believe (open the rear door and have a pole saw against the right side sticking out 23") In your yard, with the truck stopped, turn the wheel all the way to the left. Mark where the left rear wheel is (in the dirt) and have an assistant drive slowly forward thru the turn. You can stand behind the truck and watch the end of the pole. It won't be exact because the wheelbase has yet to be shortened, but close enough to give you a good idea. Make sense?
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Good idea Jeff! But that's why I pay you what I pay you.
 
What practical use will that information have?


It will also change the way the chipper tracks behind the truck and make the chipper more "twitchy" backing it up... but again, not much practical use trying to quantify it at this point.
 
Tail swing is important to be mindful of when maneuvering in tight situations. Like if the back of the chip body is next to a house or fence. Turning sharply will cause it to swing out and damage what's next to it.
 
Yes I understand the idea, but do you measure your turns or do you just drive the truck?


My grapple truck has ~10-12' of tail swing when the pusher axle is up. The debris trailer follows the truck very well which is the relationship of the tail swing to the distance from the trailer's coupler to the axle(s).
 
I like having the rear axel forward on my trucks. Makes the trailer track much nicer so I don't have to worry much about swinging wide for corners.
 
So I've been working on this for the last two months and have made very little progress.

The guy I had to do his backed out because of issues with the hoist knuckle interfering with moving anything.

I talked to the dealer and they didnt move the the axle in the first place. It was the company that mounted the body. I may get this done at a discount of some sort but it is very difficult to get a hold of people.
 
Have a friend call them up and say how much he has been wishing he could have a new truck put together. Presto easy to get hold of people - your friend hands phone over to you.
 
The salesman went on vacation so now I have to deal with the sales manager. I have all the paperwork easily accessible since everything was emailed. This is getting fixed one way or another. I'm also calling my lawyer tomorrow too. Just as a back up.
 
I took the truck in to get inspected for the first time and it failed due to the front springs being bent and the front shocks no longer work.

I'm still trying to get a hold of the sales manager to see what we can work out. I also got a hold of my lawyer. I have a good record of the email communique where I voiced a concern over overloading the truck and I was assured I'd be fine. Let see where this goes.
 
I am talking to the sales manager. He was cordial and new exactly who I was. Maybe they were expecting this phone call. They are brainstorming what can be done.
 
So now I'm told they could only shorten it 9 inches to maintain a "minimum wheelbase/ cab to axle ratio". Which won't do any good. What they are pushing is beefing up the front end suspension which doesn't do anything for the weight distribution. Technically they sold me an illegal truck because of how the front is loaded. If I beefed up the front I'd have to have the gvw re-tagged.
 
Gorman said:
So now I'm told they could only shorten it 9 inches to maintain a "minimum wheelbase/ cab to axle ratio". Which won't do any good. What they are pushing is beefing up the front end suspension which doesn't do anything for the weight distribution. Technically they sold me an illegal truck because of how the front is loaded. If I beefed up the front I'd have to have the gvw re-tagged.
Click to expand...
Tell them to buy the POS back and sell you a proper truck....

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