Preference: Weight On Drives Or Trailer?

I don't know if this is correct, but it seems to be what happens with my truck at least. When I have the extra weight on my drives, my speed increases faster on down slopes and decreases slower on up slopes. When I put the extra weight on the tandems, my speed increases slower on down slopes but decreases faster on up slopes.

For me with Swift's retarded speed limit of 67, having the weight on the trailer makes my ride a little better meaning I have to brake and use the engine brake a lot less when going downhill, can just coast from 65 when I hit the down slope and maybe hit 67 by reaching the bottom of the hill before going up the next incline. The only problem though is then I suffer on the inclines with my speed dropping faster and having to shift down a lot more to reach the top.

So it depends for me on where I leave it as to what roads I'll be driving on will be like. Do I want to go uphill faster? Or downhill slower? If there's a lot of hills and maybe some passes to go through, I'd probably put the weight on the tandems so I'd have to brake a lot less on those downhills and just suffer with the excessive speed drop on the uphills. If we're talking about just rolling hills and flats, then definitely put the weight on my drives so I can keep a consistent 65 with every little up and down and just have to use the engine brake and brakes a little more.

 

Looks perfect to me,

 

This would be perfect for my truck. As you burn off fuel the weights become closer to even and I HATE having the trailer heavy, especially with the tandems slid up ( CA for example) because the porpoising on the rough roads is terrible. Also, in winter I prefer a little more weight on the drives for traction.

 

Depending on where I'm at, how much fuel I have on and where I'm going I may have run with that. If I knew I'd have a scale to cross or the load was going a long ways I'd go back and make them take some off.

 

More on the drives, all day long... I will put 5,000 more on the drives if I can legally do it and not even think twice about it... My tractor drives SOOOOO much better with more on the drive axle, AND I get way better mpg like so.... It will drag and slow me right down if I didn't do it like that...

 

If you really wanted to balance it's much as possible, you would have had to slide the 5th wheel forward a notch or two...

 

The closer the drives and tandems are weight wise the better.

As long as they're within a couple of k though my preference is to have the tandems as far back as legal for stability and backing.

 

Well in all honestly I was kinda in a goofy mood when i posted that--and just wanted to see folks reaction,,,and its funny--thats just what the guy in line next to me said as he butted in reading my scale ticket and TELLING me what I HAD TO DO...and when i told him I appreciated his concern..(he mega co driver)told ME he always tries to help newer drivers and it seemed to him I was confused as I was reading the ticket...Told him nope Im just waitin for them to print my fuel receipt...and when he saw I pumped 225 gallons of fuel and 35 gallons on refer fuel--The look on his face was priceless
Oh and I thought I corrected my OP w/wrong gross--just a typo

 

my calculator says that weighs 80,500

 

see above post--thought i corrected typo--was tryin to quote two posts at once and missed--LOL