Why does my Ice Castle pull like a TANK?

[OutlawBiz]

I recently upgraded shacks from a 6.5'x14' to an 8'x16'Ice Castle. The 8x16 pulls LIKE A TANK compared to the 6.5x14! Anyone else have an 8x16 IC that could share how theirs pulls!? It literally jerks/pulls even on a smooth city street!

It's not like my pickup is undersized or anything...I pull it with a GMC Denali that has the 400+hp 6.2L, 6-speed tranny, tranny cooler and heavy towing pkg! I pull a 30' travel trailer camper all summer that pulls WAY easier than this IC.

Am I doing something wrong / missing something obvious!?

[outdoors247]

It could be because your 6 1/2 hid behind the truck and hardly created a drag. Now you have an extra 1 1/2 foot and it might not be as aerodynamic as the 6 1/2. Just a thought.

[Hoey]

Do you have adequate tongue weight? If not, bumps will cause the backend to bounce down, lifting the front.

[OutlawBiz]

I am referring to even pulling it around town at 25-30mph not at 65mph highway speeds! It's not that it is 'heavy' to pull, it's that it literally JERKS forward & backward making it rough as he!! to pull.

I didn't check...but I assume it is a 2" ball and not 2 5/16" or something where there may be 'slop' in the ball coupler!? My last one was 2" ball...

[aanderud]

Did you forget to disengage the parking brake on the Ice Castle? On models over 6.5 feet wide they were required to add a parking brake a few years back, starting maybe in 2010? Something like that. Not much else on there that could affect the towing, really -- so it almost has to be that.

[OutlawBiz]

Do you have adequate tongue weight? If not, bumps will cause the backend to bounce down, lifting the front.

How would I know? By just visually looking at the shack I would assume most of the weight is towards the front. Kitchenette, bathroom, storage cabinets & LP tanks all in the front. Only thing behind the wheels is the dinette/bed(s) and 2 batteries.

[OutlawBiz]

Did you forget to disengage the parking brake on the Ice Castle? On models over 6.5 feet wide they were required to add a parking brake a few years back, starting maybe in 2010? Something like that. Not much else on there that could affect the towing, really -- so it almost has to be that.

It is a 2010 model and it does have a brake module mounted to the front! How do you 'disengage' it!?

[Boar]

My castle has a 2 5/16 ball but its a 20'V something to check cause that will be a jerk factor

[Fishalittle]

You have to remember it is a lot heavier than a 6.5 x 14. It is also only a single axle and not a fifth wheel like a travel trailer is (I assume). Give it time you will get used to it!

[OutlawBiz]

You have to remember it is a lot heavier than a 6.5 x 14. It is also only a single axle and not a fifth wheel like a travel trailer is (I assume). Give it time you will get used to it!

My 30' travel trailer camper is NOT a 5th wheel...it is bumper hitch. It is not only 2x as long, but it is much heavier (7000lb) and has slide-outs, sleeps 8, FULL kitchen, carries 350lbs of water and is STILL easier to pull.

It HAS to be that electric brake thingy...now I just need to figure out how to 'release' it.

[Hoey]

If the park brakes were on, then I'd suspect you would smell them and see visible smoke...? Sounds like a ball/hitch problem.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

If it isn't the brakes, I'm thinking it could just be the axle placement, and it's causing a very noticeable "teeter totter" effect.

[cam7069]

check your slack in the cables they would cause the jerking.

[OutlawBiz]

check your slack in the cables they would cause the jerking.

You saying the cables should or should NOT have slack in them!?

[JSK76]

I did the exact same size change as you, went from a 6x14 to a 8x16 Ice Cabin. The new house pulls twice as hard as the old one. I don't have much tounge weight but the only problem that gives me is a sway at 60 mph but have that mostly under control now with how I load.

Lower your house and try to spin a wheel that will let you know if your brakes are on. I disconnected the safety plunger because the cable broke so I brought it into the house so I fix it. A few days went buy and I forgot it was disconnected and when to pull the house from the yard onto the driveway and I could instantly tell a differace, about 5 times harder to pull then normal. If it sits like that and your house isn't plugged into power it will run the battery down too so if your house was sitting on a lot not plugged in I would say it's not your safety brakes. Mine runs of the houses deep cycle and it was plugged into 110 but I think the some IC just have a small battery box about the size of a flasher battery up on the front of the frame. If the battery is dead you have no safety brakes so you could try disconnecting the battery too.

[aanderud]

Did you forget to disengage the parking brake on the Ice Castle? On models over 6.5 feet wide they were required to add a parking brake a few years back, starting maybe in 2010? Something like that. Not much else on there that could affect the towing, really -- so it almost has to be that.

[outkast7222]

My 8x16 pulls like mofo too. It doesn't sway or jerk but almost everything in my house is in front of the axle. My 5000# gooseneck with a 8500# skidster on it pulls easier. I can't imagine pulling these things with anything other than a 3/4 ton or bigger diesel. And yes my wheels spin freely.

[sportfish]

How are the tires wearing ?

My 8x16 pulls great, even with a light half ton with a 4.8 motor . Alittle slow on the take off but smooth at 60 mph

[JSK76]

My old 4.8 had a hard time with my 6x8 and I'm not joking, or even a atv with a windshield on it in the back would make it down shift on small hills.

[sportfish]

My 4.8 had a hard time with my buddy's 6.5 x12 flat front house but not my 8x16 v front ice castle

[JSK76]

Yeah, my 6x8 was a flat front, pulled it to South Dakota pheasant hunting and got 11 mpg. Later I built a 6x14 with a semi V and it pulled better then the 6x8 but I also bought a truck with the 5.3.

[OutlawBiz]

I have absolutely no problem with pulling power...truck barely breaks a sweat at 65-70mph (1900rpm) pulling it! My problem is the dam thing makes you feel like you're riding a saddle-bronc with all the jerking/lunging it seems to do. You literally feel every bump & dip in the road. Even at 25-30mph around town.

This evening I checked the obvious...jacked the shack up...both wheels spin freely. Loosened all 3 cables so it is riding on the leaf springs/tongue pin. Verified ball & coupler size (both 2"). Tightened the spring loaded nut on the coupler a bit & checked voltage on trailer brake battery. On my bench the battery tested at 3.30v...not sure where it should be!? It's a 12v5aH battery...

Hooked it all back up and same jerky ride!? I'm at a loss right now.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

After thinking about it a bit more, I've talked to a few guys who have mentioned how hard the 8x16s pull. Its a lot of weight on a single axle. But I think there must be an explanation.

Could the rear shocks/springs have gone bad?

Air bags on the rear of my F150 eliminated the little bit of bounce I had.

Excess clearance between the receiver and receiver hitch?

Tire pressure good?

I still think it just may be the axle location.

[sportfish]

Sound like you need more weight on the tong

[OutlawBiz]

After thinking about it a bit more, I've talked to a few guys who have mentioned how hard the 8x16s pull. Its a lot of weight on a single axle. But I think there must be an explanation.

Could the rear shocks/springs have gone bad?

Air bags on the rear of my F150 eliminated the little bit of bounce I had.

Excess clearance between the receiver and receiver hitch?

Tire pressure good?

I still think it just may be the axle location.

Lip_ripper...it's a 2010 model (very well maintained by original owner) so I can't imagine the leafs gone bad in 3 seasons. I have Firestone airbags on my pickup due to the fact I have a 6" suspension lift with 35x12.5x20's so that also requires about a 10" drop hitch in order to pull trailers 'level'. I did NOT check tire pressure...any advice on where tire pressure should be? Recommendations?

I keep coming back to the fact that every other trailer I pull from my 12' aluminum trailer w/ an ATV on it, tandem axle car trailer w/ a car loaded to my 30' camper...they all pull GREAT behind my pickup even with the lift kit. But not this measly 16' shack!

[Effie07]

I think lip ripper might be onto something. I've also wondered about the 16' IC's with single axel. They have about the same accessories; beds/kitchen/bathroom/dinette/bunks as a 20', just a shorter wheel well for the most part and that is mainly "empty space".

I have pulled my 2010 IC w/ a 2003 1/2-ton GMC Yukon XL 5.3L, 2002 Chevy 1500HD Pickup 6.0L, 2006 Ford F-150 5.4L and most recently 2011 Ford F-350 6.2L. Although the 1 ton pulls the house like a dream, I have never experienced the jerking issues you describe. My biggest issue was gas mileage(7-8) until my most recent trip where I got 11 mpg on Hwy. 2 at 67 mph.

[JSK76]

I thought you had a power issue when you say "pulls like a tank", now I'm thinking tongue weight, I just can see what else it would be. Strange it doesn't sway on you though. How is the inside set up? most the weight in the back? Propane tanked full on the front or empty? Battery in the front or rear? Roof top AC towards the rear? How level is the trailer when hooked up?

Maybe the ride hight of your monster truck is giving the house weird air, can you pull it with a buddy's truck?

[OutlawBiz]

Jsk76...it does feel like I am tugging a tank the way it lunges forward & back!

I mentioned in one of my earlier posts...most of the weight is towards the front. Bathroom, upright cabinets, kitchen(stove, oven & microwave), 32" TV, furnace & (2) 40# propane tanks (1 full, 1 empty) towards the "front". Only thing behind the wheels are 2 batteries, dinette/bed and upper bunk. Roof AC is right in the middle of the shack (basically over the wheels). With 10" drop hitch it rides perfectly level to the ground.

The day I bought it I pulled it home with my wife's Yukon Denali which has same 6.2L, tranny etc. only difference is on-board air ride leveler. It pulled horrible with her vehicle too! I just wrote it off as "I'm just not used to it! Or, my truck will pull it better...I pull a 30' camper for gosh-sakes!"

I should hook it behind a buddy's truck, good idea!

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I think I run 45 PSI in my truck and fish house tires. i was at max tire capacity on my 8x12+V. It did a lot of strange things towing. I swapped out the tires for some way heavier ones and that helped.

Try lowering the ball so the front of the house is 2-3" lower than the back. Made a huge difference.

Ultimately on that same house, I realized the axle was just simply put in the wrong spot. I had 3 batteries, 2 30# tanks, a stove, a furnace, and upper and lower cabinets immediately in the V. Almost nothing behind the axle, similar to yours. The last straw for that house was trying to tow it home from Mille Lacs in a 30mph cross wind. After 5 miles going 20mph max I stopped at a gas station and bought 8 bags of softener salt to put up front and it still didn't pull worth a you know what. Every single person who came and looked at it could see right away.

I think you'll also find the axle placement too far forward on yours, too, but I can't say for sure without seeing it. When you hit bumps its causing that 'teeter totter' effect I mentioned earlier, and lifting up on the back of the truck. If that is the case, be extra careful on slippery roads. That's when the real fun begins.

My 20' tandem that weighs close to twice as much pulls 100x's better. Never even know its back there.

[elkoholic]

Outlaw

Did a little research for ya, try this and let us know what ya find!

http://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-determine-trailer-tongue-weight.aspx