24
Sep
If you cannot move the weight around to lower the tongue weight I would recommend either choosing a trailer with a lower tongue weight or choosing a different tow vehicle that can handle the tongue weight of the trailer you wish to. You may be able to adjust the loaded trailers tongue weight TW enough by changing the position of the riding mower and other items on the trailer.
In other words if the trailer and boat weigh in at 4000 lbs there should be 400 lbs on the tongue.
How to reduce tongue weight on a trailer. Now one thing to keep in mind about weight-distribution hitch is that these dont allow any change to whole tongue weight. Its just going to enhance the handling matter. And theres nothing to do with changing the capacity of towing.
This is helpful for both situations of less or more weight with a travel trailer tongue. In order to reduce the tongue weight you can try to redistribute the cargo towards the rear of the tongue. This may also cause the trailer to sway making handling it harder.
So make sure you can handle a swaying trailer before you start moving around the cargo. If you cannot be able to move the weight to reduce tongue weight then use a trailer configured to deliver a lower tongue weight for packed weight or a different towing vehicle that can handle the higher tongue weight. The easiest and best way to avoid the steering abilities of your truck aka tow vehicle being impacted negatively and to decrease the trailer tongue weight of your RV is to remove weight or remove weights from the front of before the travel trailer axles while also making sure that you are adhering to the overall capacities and weight ratings of your towing set-up the travel trailer the tow vehicle as well as the travel trailer.
Other than moving cargo rearward to reduce the trailer tongue weight I am sorry to say that there is nothing available that would lower the trailer tongue weight. If you cannot move the weight around to lower the tongue weight I would recommend either choosing a trailer with a lower tongue weight or choosing a different tow vehicle that can handle the tongue weight of the trailer you wish to. You may be able to adjust the loaded trailers tongue weight TW enough by changing the position of the riding mower and other items on the trailer.
If the trailer is long enough for you to keep the mower further back further away from the trailer tongue this will reduce the TW to some degree. Ideally TW will be 12-15-percent of the trailer GVW. You can measure TW using a scale like 5780 or by one of the other methods outlined in the article I included for you.
Anything above that is too much and will affect the full towing capacity of the trailer. Although this was still within the 5-10 of total weight guideline. Considering I had an extendable trailer tongue I felt like it was too much.
Before getting into the ways or. Ensure that the tongue weight is set to between ten and fifteen percent of the total weight of your trailer. This ensures proper stability.
In case the towing vehicle is not equipped with rear suspension then make sure you use a leveling hitch. — This tongue weight issue has been on my mind and I just wanted to get it done. I started out with over 300 lbs on the tongue.
The boat motor and trailer with gas and other accessories weigh about 2000 lbs. So I was shooting for about 125 - 150 lb. To use the method in Figure B follow these guidelines.
Place the trailer tongue 1 ft from the pipe on the support brick. Multiply the reading on the scale by the total distance between the 2 support pipes. Use a brick that is the same thickness as the scale.
If you like where the boat sits on the trailer then tongue weight can be changed by moving the axle. Moving the axle back will add more tongue weight moving the axle forward will reduce tongue weight. I think the rule of thumb is that there should be 10 of total load weight on the tongue.
In other words if the trailer and boat weigh in at 4000 lbs there should be 400 lbs on the tongue. The tongue weight would be reduced by moving the axle assembly slightly forward. Outlined below is the formula I used to determine how far to move the axle assembly.
Diagram of Trailer Weight Balancing. Place a series of wooden blocks under the tongue of the trailer. Place a bathroom scale on the top wooden block directly under the tongue.
Ensure the scale is positioned high enough so that the tongue will be level to the ground when set on the scale. It will be the desired position while the trailer. Quick video describing how to weigh a trailer tongue at home with a bathroom scaleswagnation jointhepack Want to save money on your next fuel stop.
How To Reduce Tongue Weight. To reduce the tongue weight the easiest method is to redistribute the weight of the load. By placing some of the weight directly over the trailer axle or behind it you can reduce the tongue weight while still towing the same gross trailer weight.
Another way to reduce tongue weight is to simply reduce the cargo that goes in the trailer. If you need to reduce tongue weight move the weight further back on the trailer. Once you have your proper balance ensure the load is also evenly distributed on the left and right sides of the trailer and secure it to prevent it from sliding while in motion.
There are a few different methods that can be used as a trailer tongue weight calculator including using a tongue weight scale using a bathroom scale or using a vehicle scale. Tongue weight is the downward force exerted at the vehicle-trailer coupling point when your trailer is hooked up for towing. In general you want the tongue weight to be about 10-15 of the gross trailer weight.
You should first reduce your speed by letting off the gas pedal and make sure your steering wheel is straight. This should reduce the trailer sway and once it has stopped and you are in control again make sure to pull over and reload your trailer so that your tongue weight is within 10-15 of your GTW. On the other hand too much tongue weight means that most of your load is on the front end of your trailer and you exceed 15 of your GTW on the trailer tongue.
The more I read the more I like my idea of moving the batteries to the rear of the trailer to reduce tongue weight. From a post above about a 2 to 1 distance ratio of wheel to tongue vs wheel to rear moving a 40 pound battery to the rear would reduce tongue weight by about 60 pounds. Place a tongue weight scale under the tongue jack and lower the jack until it is pressing on the scale without the trailer being pushed taller than where it normally sits while being towed.
Without lowering any other jacks detach your trailer from the truck and read the scale. This is your tongue weight. 3 Apr 29 2013.
The tongue weight limit doesnt have anything to do with the capacity of the bar to tow the combined weight of your trailer and cargo. It has to do with how well balanced it is. When the trailer is loaded the load and trailer superstructure together should be balanced well enough that it isnt difficult to lift.
If you arent sure what your tongue weight is I recommend using a scale like part 5780 that can easily be stored inside the trailer or F-150 to make sure your trailer is loaded properly. If you are still experiencing porpoising even with your trailer loaded properly then you need to make sure your ball mount sits at roughly the same height as your trailer coupler when level.