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re: trailer loading, tongue weight (was: neat little motorcycle trailer)



>  From: Matt Knowles <matt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, on 07/14/2000 08:36:
>  >Maybe I'll just try and reduce the
>  >trailer tongue weight a bit. Anyone know the prescribed weight,
>  >is it a fixed amount, or a ratio of the total load?
>  
>  Both. The tongue weight should never exceed the hitch capacity or that of
>  the vehicle. For optimun tracking, a trailer should usually have about 60%
>  of the weight on the tongue.

	Whoa there, boy! More than half the mass of the loaded trailer should
be between the wheels and the tongue for good stability, but that's not the
same as the tongue weight. Tongue weight is a function of where the center of
gravity of the trailer is in relation to the pivot points: the hitch and the
wheels (this is basic torque arm stuff for those on the list who've had
physics). If you have more than half the load behind the wheels then the center
of gravity is behind the wheels and the tongue weight will be "negative" (the
trailer tries to come off the ball - DON'T PULL A TRAILER LIKE THIS!!! It's
very unstable and can wreck both the trailer and the tow vehicle in short
order). With proper trailer loading the cg should be forward of the wheels,
giving a "positive" tongue weight - a trailer that stays on the hitch ball. The
further forward the cg is, the more weight is on the hitch. The way most
hitches are rated, optimum loading puts about 10% of the total weight on the
hitch ball: i.e. 500lb for a 5,000lb trailer, 100 lbs for a 1,000 trailer.

	"Jedi Dawg"  Jim Huber
	'00 blue ST  "Rhiannon"
	Spring, Texas, USA

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