Tongue Weight and Load Distribution

iaflatlander

Active Member
So, say I have plenty of "gross weight" to play with. What stops me from putting some of my stuff behind the axles to reduce my tongue weight?
 

pegmikef

Well-known member
Nothing really. I like 15 percent of the total weight to be tongue weight as that seems to be the standard and always worked for me.. The main this is with your WD hitch correctly installed is that you are level. If you are too heavy in the rear, your trailer will probably walk (sway). Too much in the front and you could experience some steering anomalies because of the lift affect the tongue would have on your TV..
 

hoefler

Well-known member
You can create a light tongue condition, the combination will make a uncontrollable towing situation. The trailer will steer the tow vehicle wherever it wants, will sway uncontrollably, make it impossible to control in windy conditions, passing large vehicles can nearly put you in the ditch, just for starters. You need to maintain 15%-20% minimum tongue weight.
 

scottyb

Well-known member
I find with my Mule in the garage, it pulls better with a tank full of water to counter the weight behind the axles.
 

iaflatlander

Active Member
Okay, recognizing the need to keep 15-20% of the weight on the pin/tongue, it just seems odd to me that folkd are having so much trouble keeping under the payload of their trucks. What am I missing?
 

pegmikef

Well-known member
Okay, recognizing the need to keep 15-20% of the weight on the pin/tongue, it just seems odd to me that folkd are having so much trouble keeping under the payload of their trucks. What am I missing?

A lot of folks are pulling fivers with TVs that are right on the wire or in a lot of cases the fivers actually exceed the rated payload of the tow vehicle. The fivers tend to weigh more than TTs and it is not uncommon to have a pin weight of three to four thousand pounds (remember the front three or four feet of the trailer is sitting on a hitch in the bed of the truck directly over the rear axle). Weight quickly becomes an issue because many fivers have a washer/dryer, a generator, multiple batteries, propane tanks, a large storage compartment and a bedroom wardrobe all located in the front end of the trailer. It does not take long the exceed the capabilities of smaller tow vehicles.
 

hoefler

Well-known member
A lot of folks are pulling fivers with TVs that are right on the wire or in a lot of cases the fivers actually exceed the rated payload of the tow vehicle. The fivers tend to weigh more than TTs and it is not uncommon to have a pin weight of three to four thousand pounds (remember the front three or four feet of the trailer is sitting on a hitch in the bed of the truck directly over the rear axle). Weight quickly becomes an issue because many fivers have a washer/dryer, a generator, multiple batteries, propane tanks, a large storage compartment and a bedroom wardrobe all located in the front end of the trailer. It does not take long the exceed the capabilities of smaller tow vehicles.


Also, fifth wheels are designed to have 20%-25% of their capacity on the tow vehicle.
 
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