The picture worth a thousand words, and for those who don't realize what they are watching it is an example of the effect of tongue weight or lack there of.
I saw this on facebook and watched it so many times! For those of you who tow your campers frequently: what are some tips you have to keep weight up at the front? Most of the storage in my camper is in the rear (closet, under the sink, under the bed), though I guess two heavy propane tanks will help even it out.
I saw this on facebook and watched it so many times! For those of you who tow your campers frequently: what are some tips you have to keep weight up at the front? Most of the storage in my camper is in the rear (closet, under the sink, under the bed), though I guess two heavy propane tanks will help even it out.
You want to maintain a minimum of 10% of your total trailer weight on the hitch and there is no advice anyone can give you accept set your trailer up properly in the beginning then you have to distribute the weight of things you add evenly through out the trailer. Keep in mind that one can of soup doesn't weigh much but ten cans is a different story. Water. porta-potties, clothes, ice, pop, and all the other things you will take with you are individually not that heavy but the whole pile can weigh a few hundred pounds which is enough to throw the trailer out of balance if not loaded properly. It just takes a little thought as you are loading your trailer. If you can lift the trailer tongue when empty try lifting loaded if it is the same or heavier you are ok if lighter reload to increase the tongue weight. Hope this helps. The other option is to have the trailer weighed then figure 10% then weigh the tongue. The problem with weighing each time you load is that it would be inconvenient so use some common sense when loading and you should be fine. Also remember as you use up your supplies the weight will change.
Another thing that many people fail to remember is if you are using propane tanks for tongue weight, as you use them they get lighter. I balance my units with an empty tongue then tanks and such are always a plus not a minus. Remember a little extra weight up front (not to exceed hitch rating) never hurts but to little weight can be deadly.
Wow, a friend just shared this with me, and I was going to post it here. Vivid reminder about proper weight distribution. I think this is especially an issue with single axle trailers. A friend has an Ideal (in bad ned of restoration), and the entry door, the kitchen and loo are all at the rear end of the trailer, the opposite of how they are usually configured. Is this a bad design, or is how much cargo and where one stores it more of an issue?
My rule of thumb: store heavy items above and in front of the axle, lightweight items in the rear.
The son of the original owner of my 57 Jewel told me a story about his father spending many weekends designing and building a rack for the bumper of the trailer to mount a motorcycle. He recalled the first attempted trip with the motorcycle hanging off almost ending in disaster. They had only gone a few miles and had to turn around and crawl back home. Dad was a firefighter, not an engineer. A couple pieces of metal remain welded to frame. I might leave them there so when people ask what it is for I can retell the story.
My favorite story is about a friend that bought a trailer to put at the lake. I picked it up and took it to his place and it towed like a dream. They cleaned it up and made new curtains and such then ask me to tow it to the lake. I backed up to the trailer and he hooked it up. I did a walk around and everything looked fine. Towed OK in town then turned onto interstate ramp and when I got up to 40mph the trailer went nuts. He had loaded the rear storage compartment with cement blocks to set the trailer on. Time out for a block removal.
Another thing that many people fail to remember is if you are using propane tanks for tongue weight, as you use them they get lighter. I balance my units with an empty tongue then tanks and such are always a plus not a minus. Remember a little extra weight up front (not to exceed hitch rating) never hurts but to little weight can be deadly.
Yes… Bill has a good point here: variable weight. I have 2 X 20# LP tanks on the tongue (variable weight), 2 X 6V golf cart batteries under curbside dinette bench (75#) and 20 gallon fresh water tank under street side bench (150# when full or less). In the back, behind the axle, a 20 gallon black tank. The black tank is shallow and wide, so weight distributes more or less evenly from side to side and the weight it carries is held closer to the center of gravity of the trailer. I usually leave home with about 5 gallons of water in the black tank, so it is always wet and primed for use.
As you can see, much room for variability in balance, especially when returning from a trip with a partially full black tank (possibly 10 of the 20 gallon capacity.) That's an extra 85-100# behind the axle! Since I have easy dumping access at my home where I park the trailer and usually do not dump at campsites, my solution is to keep water in my fresh tank up front to balance that load. I also use other loads, such as suitcases or duffles either fore or aft of the axle to fine tune things.
Another thing that helps take a lot of variation out of this equation is the use of an Andersen weight distributor/sway controller. I wouldn't tow 2 blocks without mine set up. It works amazingly well, even with the massive cross winds and heavy black tank returning home from my last adventure. It also creates a tight and well integrated connection between trailer and tow vehicle. It makes both vehicles more of a "unit" which makes towing a lot safer.
Trailer brakes and controller: manually applying the trailer brakes only, when you see signs of sway in your rearview mirror, takes any slack out of the tow vehicle/trailer connection fairly quickly. Speed: maximum speed should be based on road and weather conditions. Flat, smooth, straight road, no wind… I'll go 65mph even a bit more. Cross winds, curves, wet, uphill… 50mph. This is assuming the trailer is reasonably balanced to start.
So, proper balance is a starting point in my opinion… adding these other options I write about above, add to the stability of the vehicles. And… finally finish with good judgement and caution regarding speed and driving conditions.
Last Edit: Oct 8, 2016 10:54:24 GMT -8 by chametzoo
Is higher vehicle and/or trailer clearance also a variable? Both my 2WD Tacoma, and the Goblin are pretty low slung, I think that would help. I see some 4WD trucks with 8-10" or more drop hitches, and some modern trailers are pretty high, maybe for clearance on rough roads? I dunno.
I have seen older trailers with the loo or the kitchen on the back. This seems like a bad idea (frame sag), but maybe how the gray and black tanks are situated is more important?
Is higher vehicle and/or trailer clearance also a variable? Both my 2WD Tacoma, and the Goblin are pretty low slung, I think that would help. I see some 4WD trucks with 8-10" or more drop hitches, and some modern trailers are pretty high, maybe for clearance on rough roads? I dunno.
I have seen older trailers with the loo or the kitchen on the back. This seems like a bad idea (frame sag), but maybe how the gray and black tanks are situated is more important?
It's physics… so height and center of gravity has to make some kind of difference. Maybe someone will make a video to tell us just how much?
Most travel trailers are quite bottom heavy, meaning the weight of the steel, suspension, wheels, tires, base cabinets and layered flooring structure probably keep most trailers from tipping under normal lateral force situations. My trailer was raised about 3-4" when I switched from a drop axle to a straight one and I've noticed no difference in handling… it was more important to increase the ground clearance (and replace a 50+ year old axle!). The old canned hams had ridiculously low clearance. But as with any high clearance vehicles, more ground clearance means your engine and transmission are that much higher and tipping potential definitely increases. If a badly balanced trailer goes into an oscillation, and your truck is one of those with 8-10" off the ground, your truck will be less stable and the tendency for the whole unit to go off the road and roll will be greater in my opinion. If you've ever seen any of those real life videos of trailer/towing accidents, once the trailer starts wagging out of control, the tow vehicle can literally be jerked off the road and roll with ease. Scary!