Have a buddy who just bought a new 2500HD and hooked up his 26'trailer only to find it was a slight sagger. He bought a tongue scale and his tongue weight is about 1600lbs fully loaded. That seemed high to me, so we weighed my fully loaded up 28'............ OH BOY, how's 1850 lbs sound I've been towing like this for years with a few different trucks and never really have any problems ??? I've got a loaded with shyt 28' trailer with a golf cart, big generator and a 3100lb door car. Obviously I want to move some weight around and lighten the load but I'm wondering what others weigh ?? I don't think I'm very different from most of the setups I see ...............

This message has been edited. Last edited by: HS professor,

I don’t know the weight on mine but do know if I move much more weight back it starts towing funny, will fishtail a little. I am towing with 14 half ton with max trailer package and it doesn’t squat back of truck much if I leave torsion bars off, never tried towing without them though.

I've never weighed the tongue on my trailer but I have moved things around a few time to make it tow better. This video demonstrates the issues with improper weight distribution.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=...C8Q&feature=youtu.be

Just did this today. I have a 34' nice aluminum trailer and with a dragster pulled in, golf cart and generator in the front, plus tools and crap. 3000#'s. a buddy pulled next to me with his 32'? perfomax stacker , dragster, golf cart and jr. inside, 3300#. I have to make some changes some how

I think my tongue weight is stupid heavy and have been wanting to find out exactly how much it is. Though on my junk it would be hard to change it much.

Never had mine on a scale but I also use an equalizer hitch so the tongue weight is transferred to all 4 wheels of the truck. Trailer tows so much nicer with the equalizer hitch. It's only a 20 foot enclosed so the tongue probably isn't as heavy as a 24 or 28 foot.

How are y'all determining the actual tongue weight?

I pull on scale at truck stop and get weighed, I come back around for a reweigh and disconnect trailer that puts entire weight of trailer on rear scale with tires included. Front scale is front axle and middle scale is rear axles of toter.

I look at both slips and the difference of the rear axle weight is what i am considering actual tongue weight. This is weight difference with trailer on vs trailer off on the rear axles of my toter...nearly 13,000 lbs difference on axles of toter. Total weight of rig being nearly 71000 lbs.

I used 1 of my 4 chassis scales under my tongue jack on the trailer. When I bought my 33' class A, 2 years ago, I wanted to know what tongue weight I had. I haul a 26' trailer with a door car weighing 2650 pounds. Total trailer weight around 9300 pounds, total class A weight around 17000 pounds.

My tongue weight was 1340 pounds. I moved my trailer and motorhome spare tires from in front of car, to under the wheelie bars of car. Got trailer tongue weight to 1100 pounds.

We took ours across the CAT scales

38,000 total
11,500 trailer
1900 tongue without the equalizer in play

Moved some stuff around, added equalizer, got it to approx. 1700

I did it last fall using the method showed if you google it with a bathroom scale. 1150-1200 lbs.

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How are y'all determining the actual tongue weight?

Used one of these .......
https://www.etrailer.com/Tools...&utm_content=General

Pick-ups definitely tow better with tongue weight, but the long wheelbase of a motorhome doesent need it.
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My dually towed my 28' Haulmark like a dream with a door car or dragster but I had no idea what the TW was. When I bought my gas motorhome and hooked up the trailer the first time, the bumper on the MH just about touched the ground so I weighed it - I was 1850lbs on the tongue. I put the trailer on a serious diet and moved the dragster & golf cart as far back as possible and got the TW down to 1100lbs.
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I then bought a 32' trailer but it was designed for towing with a MH so the axles are about a foot forward - my MH loved it but when I tow with my 2500HD pick-up its all over the road so I am forced to back the dragster in which gives me about 1800lbs on the tongue (tows better, but still not great as its only an extended cab and was never intended to be my primary tow vehicle for a 32' trailer but got pressed into service when I was between motorhomes).
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Now I have a Class A diesel, so I nose the car in and my TW with the 32' is around 1200lbs.
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Personally, with 2850 on the tongue I'd be afraid of breaking hitches and would try to get it under 2000lbs, but TW is supposed to be a percentage of overall trailer weight - it depends on the weight of the trailer but if you go too light you'll be all over the road. I hope this helps!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by HS professor:

quote:

How are y'all determining the actual tongue weight?

Used one of these .......
https://www.etrailer.com/Tools...&utm_content=General

X2

quote:

Personally, with 2850 on the tongue I'd be afraid of breaking hitches and would try to get it under 2000lbs, but TW is supposed to be a percentage of overall trailer weight - it depends on the weight of the trailer but if you go too light you'll be all over the road. I hope this helps!!!!

I'm sorry .......

My tongue weight is 1850lbs not 2850 !!!

Don't know how I missed that

I think 1850 is excessive lol My trailer fully loaded was over 10,000lbs last time I weighed it on a truck scale, but it's been a while I'm sure its quite a few lbs heavier now.

So my 3000# is real excessive then....

Anyone know what it "should be" Ideally?

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So my 3000# is real excessive then....

Sounds like a lot to me !!! I was surprised mine was so much as the car is set back a decent amount. I have double doors and keep the golf cart sideways in the front, so there's no moving that rearward, but I can slide the car back about a foot and throw the generator and spare tires behind the car for long distance tows. I'm curious how much that will help ??

Great info Billy !!! I tow with a dually with 1000lb weight distribution hitch/bars and the truck tows great and has minimal if any squat.

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Originally posted by Bob Payton:
Anyone know what it "should be" Ideally?

E-trailer says 10-15% of gross trailer weight for bumper pull & 20% for 5th wheel.

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Originally posted by BD104X:
Pick-ups definitely tow better with tongue weight, but the long wheelbase of a motorhome doesent need it.
-
My dually towed my 28' Haulmark like a dream with a door car or dragster but I had no idea what the TW was. When I bought my gas motorhome and hooked up the trailer the first time, the bumper on the MH just about touched the ground so I weighed it - I was 1850lbs on the tongue. I put the trailer on a serious diet and moved the dragster & golf cart as far back as possible and got the TW down to 1100lbs.
-
I then bought a 32' trailer but it was designed for towing with a MH so the axles are about a foot forward - my MH loved it but when I tow with my 2500HD pick-up its all over the road so I am forced to back the dragster in which gives me about 1800lbs on the tongue (tows better, but still not great as its only an extended cab and was never intended to be my primary tow vehicle for a 32' trailer but got pressed into service when I was between motorhomes).

Exact same with me. Pit vehicle (Four wheeler) in the front when towing with the pick-up, pit vehicle in the back when towing with the gas motorhome. Saves the tongue weight.

The scale ya'll are talking about is max 2000 lbs...how are you coking back at 3000 and 3300?

I need a scale that goes to at least 8-10,000 or higher is my guess?