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Why does my Ice Castle pull like a TANK?


OutlawBiz

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you have to remember too that he said he has a 10" drop hitch. A regular receiver hitch doesn't fit tight in the receiver anyways, so multiply that by the extra length of his drop an you are adding a lot less rigidity to your pulling set up.

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It is the single axle that your not used to. You can't compare a small single axle with atv to a 5-6000 lb fish house. All your other items are tandem axle. When I bought they told me a tandem 20' would pull nicer than the 16' single any day of the week. But they were more money and a little more weight for early season. I have a 16' and pull it with a f-150 and have no extreme issues, (yeah you feel the bumps, as far as icy roads well no trailer is fun on that!) other than my 5.4 loves gas with it in tow! You have two options learn to get used to it or trade up to a tandem. Go ask the dealer to hook on to another 16' new house on the lot and tow it, bet you feel the same thing!

Have never pulled a yetti or firebrand house but would before I bought again...don't think it would be any different though....maybe the torsion axle would help?

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Just went with a friend yesterday to pick up his 8x17 ice castle, didn't even notice it behind the truck when pulling it home with an f150.

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You could try moving the batteries to the front and take it for a test drive. They weigh about 55lbs each so since your moving them from the rear to the front it's like gaining 210lbs in the front.

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you have to remember too that he said he has a 10" drop hitch. A regular receiver hitch doesn't fit tight in the receiver anyways, so multiply that by the extra length of his drop an you are adding a lot less rigidity to your pulling set up.

I'm kind of wondering if that isn't part of my problem too (longer hitch/drop)! Receiver hitches never fit snug anyway...anyone know of a different 'brand' or style hitches that DO fit more snug or how to remedy a sloppy fit?

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My experience pulling my 8x16 IC with my F150 5.0L, while not completely dissimilar to what you describe below, seems to be a little less excessive. That being said, it does drop my back down a bit (thus I use a 2" raised hitch to keep it level) and I pull it down the Interstate @ 70 mph in 5th gear (6th is too tall) yielding about 10 mpg (instead of the standard 18 mpg) depending on wind/temperature.

Recently pulled it with my friends F350 and it was almost unnoticeable. Then again, with over 1,000 lbs of torque and 600+ hp, I guess I'm not surprised.

I do think it comes down to a lot of weight/wind resistance for a single axle and there's probably merit to LRG's analysis of the axle not being best-positioned. I'm guessing your seemingly excessively poor experience is probably amplified by the huge drop hitch too.

Sidenote: When I went to pull the IC out of storage a week ago, the left wheel had seized. We pulled the tire, banged on the drum and knocked it loose. I'm guessing "it" was the emergency/brake and it had rusted to the drum??? (I also noticed it looks like after 3 seasons, the outside of the tires are wearing more....Can't say I'm surprised and I figure I'll replace the tires every 4-5 years anyways as I'm assuming there's no easy fix for that.

It's sitting up at Crystal Welding to address that, get all 3 winches replaced and have a good once-over for what is now a second-annual tradition of pre-winter preparation. If I have time when they're done, I'm going to sand down the frame and re-paint as it's really starting to show some MN cancer.

I'm not sure if we should attribute continued maintenance to IC manufacturing or to the fact that we use our houses in the worst conditions, spray them with corrosives and then (I anyways) park it for the next 8 months.

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Outlawbiz, you could try using a cushioned ball mount hitch. I went with one of them a few years back and really eliminated a lot of jerks you get with the house bouncing. They are a little spendy, but I think it will help out with your problem that is if they make any of them with that big of a drop.

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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.

I think that battery should test at 12 volts.

I bought a used 2012 IC 8x16 last year. Basically 1 year old. The driver side brake/hub was getting hot every time I pulled it. After trying a few things, I ended up replacing the breakaway battery and it fixed it. It was like $25 at save big money store.

I think there is something to the single axle with that much weight being something that just pulls hard and moves around more than it should.

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I purchased one last fall and the first time I towed it behind my Chev 1500, I thought wow, this is terrible to say the least. I worked with trying different receiver hitch heights and that made it much better.

I also did not crank my crank as tight as it could get and left some slack in the crank cables for the wheels but the safety pin is still in there. That also really changed how it towed.

I was going to move batteries and some other items as I thought my front was too heavy. Nope, not needed in my case.

By getting the right level with the house to the truck and a small amount of slack in the crank cables, it tows way better than the first time I brought it home. NO more jumping around and it tows almost as well as my 17ft boat.

The house is a IC 16ft V front with a single axle, my tires are aired to the max rating.

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Loose cables are a must think about it 5/8" pin in the leaf springs and 1/4" cable what makes sense for a house to ride on. i always loosen my cables so the winch is locked with play in the springs. Also when trailing a trailer should always be level. if you have too short or to long of a drop it will trailer weird. The other thing is people are pushing 1/2 tons harder than they are meant to be pushed. half tons are fancy trucks that are meant for driving to church and not towing. i'll be honest i see companies advertising there 21' house is half ton trailer able i say talk maybe down the road but on the lake you will be stuck i don't care if you have air bags i will be pulling you out with my d-max.

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I will agree that half tons and big wheel houses on the lake do get stuck easier. Went from a 6.5 to 8' wide same length and it was noticeably harder to get it moving. However some chains or a little more prep work and it is not a real problem anymore.

While I would consider a 3/4 ton next time.....the half ton will and does do the job, and it seems like they are getting more powerful all the times. I think classing them as a "going to church rig" might be a little bit extreme.

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.... The other thing is people are pushing 1/2 tons harder than they are meant to be pushed. half tons are fancy trucks that are meant for driving to church and not towing. i'll be honest i see companies advertising there 21' house is half ton trailer able i say talk maybe down the road but on the lake you will be stuck i don't care if you have air bags i will be pulling you out with my d-max.

I really hope you are trolling, so I'll bite smile

Differentials, tires, and driving ability have a lot more to do with getting stuck versus what numbers are on the side of your door ...... smirk

And how do you think airbags play any role with traction????

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I had an old trucker tell me one time "you need plenty of tongue weight for a trailer to pull right".

I have a 7x10 single axle trailer that is made to pull a pin so the trailer tilts, meaning the axle is a little farther forward than a non-tilt trailer, its easy to put too much weight too far back, anytime I do, you notice every bump on the road. I think you need more tongue weight. Do a test, move those batteries forward as someone else suggested, also add 400 pounds of salt in front, see how it pulls then. While you have the salt in, also pull it with your buddies pickup, eliminate that 10 inch drop. I'll bet you notice a big difference with more tongue weight.

I also did a search on the 'cushioned ball mount hitch' that others mentioned, it was only $70 and they have ones with 10 inch drops, it would probably also help.

I'd also look at the slop between the receiver and the receiver tube, some of them are fairly loose, not sure how to get rid of that slop...

Interesting post since I also have a 6.5x14 Ice Castle that I will probably upgrade some day to something bigger, it may be worth the money to goto a tandem axle....

Report back to us on the results of your testing and what it took to fix your problem.

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I really hope you are trolling, so I'll bite smile

Differentials, tires, and driving ability have a lot more to do with getting stuck versus what numbers are on the side of your door ...... smirk

And how do you think airbags play any role with traction????

I'll give you that the air bags on a truck probably won't matter as far as getting stuck. Yes Tires are most important. My point is a 20'+ fishhouse is going to be alot of work for a half ton pickup. If you always fish a place that has plowed roads and never jump off trail and break your own track I suppose that would be fine. I like to be able to off road to where I want to fish. I know I had a half ton with a smaller fishhouse and it would get tossed around on the interstate terrible. I got my first 3/4 ton and that went away. I have better ground clearance with a 3/4 ton. Now a Ford Raptor might might be the ultimate icefishing pickup and that is a half ton.

I stand by my statement that 1/2 tons are built for going to church grin

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I haul my 20'V with a 97 ford expidition, works well no herky jerky, but I take my time and upset a few people at stop lights for sure but I get where i wanna go. on the ice I pay for a spot to be plowed and all is well. Next season or the spring of 2016 im getting a 3/4 ton suburban with a boss plow, make my own spots for the weekend, I definatley want a bigger rig for a house of that size.

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The jerking sounds like not enough tounge weight and is rocking back and forth on the single axel. Try adding some weight to the front. Also would make sure your tire pressure is max on both truck and trailer.

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Also that shorter wheel base of a Danali will tend to jerk more than a longer vehicle. I still think tounge weight is the big issue though as with a single axel which tends to be more centered in wheel houses you are getting a teeter totter effect.

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The jerking sounds like not enough tounge weight and is rocking back and forth on the single axel. Try adding some weight to the front. Also would make sure your tire pressure is max on both truck and trailer.

After reading through all these post from the beginning, I would have to agree with tongue weight. Try experimenting, by putting some extra weight in the front of your house and pull down the road. The trailer hitch should be level or slightly lower than the rear of the house. When braking, you want the hitch to push down on your receiver. If its sloped up, the push from the trailer will have a lifting effect.

I found that my 8x16 that I built a few years back with a v front pulled a lot better when I set my tire pressure about 10-15 lbs below the recommended psi, turned out my house was to light for max psi, the thing bounced around like a basketball, pulled horrible. I let a few lbs out at time and found that it pulled like a dream.

As far as voltage in the battery, that would have nothing to do with it, unless your cable is pulled. the only time that comes into effect is when you have a disconnect situation while pulling, and the break away brake cable is pulled, if the voltage is low your emergency brake wont apply, but would have nothing to do with normal pulling situations. It should however always be charged or replaced if its below 12v.

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Also that shorter wheel base of a Danali will tend to jerk more than a longer vehicle.

It's a crew cab pickup with 6.5' box...no shorter that 'most' pickups out there...

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oops I was thinking the danali was like a Tahoe.

Haha...yeah, my wife has the Yukon Denali (Tahoe size)...I have the Sierra Denali (pickup). Gotta love the 6.2L motors in these beasts! grin

An 'update' to my situation with the jerking/bucking...I went outside, grabbed my 8" drop hitch and it 'wiggles' about 1/4" every direction (play in the receiver). Stepped over to 2 of my co-workers pickups with a standard size hitches in them and they BOTH had the same amount of play in them as mine! So, there is no more or less slop/play in my 8" drop hitch than a 'standard' one. It is unbelievable to me just how much slop there is in these receiver hitches though! Just grab hold of yours (hitch wink ) and shake it around to see for yourself.

So...I am going to an alignment/tire/service shop at noon to have them take my setup for a test ride to see what they think the issue may be. I'm also researching receiver hitches with less 'slop/play' in them too.

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Get some metal shims and slide along the side of your hitch to take out the play and see if that helps.

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I was going to say shims too. My 16' boat tows like a dream behind my F150 and so has everything else that I've towed. However, my T-bar canoe rack wiggles around like crazy even with the ends tied down. I usually take wood shims and hammer them into the sides of the receiver to fill the gaps and take up the play. It makes a big difference.

After reading all of the posts here, I'm also a big believer that you don't have enough tongue weight. Either push more weight to the front of your castle or drop your hitch another inch or two. I would also double-verify that you are using the correct-sized ball. That could cause or amplify your problems.

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I would also double-verify that you are using the correct-sized ball. That could cause or amplify your problems.
Ooh, good idea. Also check that your coupler is tight. Sometimes those are not set right or someone monkeys with them. Tighten/losen the nut (though I would suspect it may be too lose) on the underside as needed. The piece that actually clamps onto the ball itself.

Simple things to check, but I agree it sounds like not enough tongue weight.

Ive seen it happen to guys with and anti-sways installed for big campers. They set it too aggressive (too little tongue weight) and they tow like a bucking bronco.

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Well guys...I may have the answer to my 'bucking/jerking' problem! I just got back from an alignment/tire/repair shop. Their technician took me & the truck/shack for a drive. At one point he actually rolled down his window and said "I need to get some air, I'm getting car sick from the jerking motion!" He also said "Good luck pulling this thing very far, you'll be nauseous by the time you get to the lake."

He looked EVERYTHING over from the hitch, coupler, axles, tires etc. HE said I have PLENTY of tongue weight. The trailer was actually riding a tad low in the front (off level) putting even more tongue weight. He did say the tires are toed in a bit more than he'd prefer...but there was no fixing that...that was a welding/design issue direct from Ice Castle. Basically the tires will wear faster than preferred. After our test drive he got out shaking his head and said he had NO IDEA what the problem is/was!?

We were just about to walk away from it and he spotted the problem (or so we think at least)! The nut on the ball was loose! Somehow the ball was not tightened to the hitch bar 100%. The trailer was slightly down-hill from the pickup causing it to 'pull' the ball backward a bit making it VERY obvious it was loose. On a flat surface an unhooked the ball appeared to be fine.

So, long story short, I need to tighten the nut on the ball and see if that fixes the bucking/jerking problem! I will do that this evening and report back. But, it makes sense...a loose ball would give the 'rocking/teetering' effect much liek a ball that was too small for the coupler.

I've attached a few pics so you all can see my setup. The last one shows the loose ball up close. Kind of tough to see in the photo, but it's got about a 1/16" gap when pulled tight. It's actually about 2x bigger gap than this pic shows when the shack is rally pulling back on the ball.

full-44389-50105-photo1.jpg

full-44389-50106-photo2.jpg

full-44389-50107-photo3_rev.jpg

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That's odd that you didn't feel that with your bumper hitch camper. Hope that takes care of it, nothing worse than not being able to find an issue and get it repaired.

Oh and if its been loose for awhile, it may be best to replace it. Just my 2c

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