The Ford Barn - View Single Post - Questions about trailering from a newbie.

Kevin in NJ · 07-28-2010, 02:27 PM

Interesting subject and no real exact answer. I did some searches on the web and the total % varied some.

With the various things I have towed through the years I always had it loaded such that I could just pick up the tongue with my legs or it was just outside my ability to pick it up. That puts it in the 200lb range. A lighter trailer I would load lighter.

A friend had a bunch of video games loaded on a trailer. I told him it was too light on the tongue, he did not believe me. At 65 mph the trailer wanted to get violently out with its sway so we coasted down and got to the side of the road. Moved about 100lbs to the tongue and it was fine for the 150 mile trip.

It does not have to be an exact science. I see too many loads that are too much on the hitch. The trick is to let the trailer handle the load weight. Make sure the brakes on the trailer work. The new brake controllers are great as they show how good the connection to the trailer brakes are so you know when the connector is not right.

07-28-2010, 02:27 PM	#20
Kevin in NJ Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: South East NJ Posts: 3,398	Re: Questions about trailering from a newbie. Interesting subject and no real exact answer. I did some searches on the web and the total % varied some. With the various things I have towed through the years I always had it loaded such that I could just pick up the tongue with my legs or it was just outside my ability to pick it up. That puts it in the 200lb range. A lighter trailer I would load lighter. A friend had a bunch of video games loaded on a trailer. I told him it was too light on the tongue, he did not believe me. At 65 mph the trailer wanted to get violently out with its sway so we coasted down and got to the side of the road. Moved about 100lbs to the tongue and it was fine for the 150 mile trip. It does not have to be an exact science. I see too many loads that are too much on the hitch. The trick is to let the trailer handle the load weight. Make sure the brakes on the trailer work. The new brake controllers are great as they show how good the connection to the trailer brakes are so you know when the connector is not right.