IS YOUR TONGUE HANGING OUT?

Trailer tongue that is. There are probably as many opinions on trailer towing and loading as there are trailers plus one. When I got our 22' United enclosed, I read all of the manuals the came with it, and couldn't find two alike. The first thing I had to do was figure out the center of gravity (CG) of our cars to place the left hand escape door. Easier said than done. However a little research in the specs manuals and reverting to some old seagoing trim calculations, I was finally able to locate the CG of our cars and fortunately their doors open within 8" of each other. I had Trailer World call "United for the CG of the trailer and they said it was at longitudinal center. The wheels are slightly aft of that so my trailer has a natural tongue weight of 200 lb. or 5%. Interesting since United says to have a tongue weight of 7-15%. Trailer World's generic manual says 7- 10%. Dodge says 10-15%.

Next thrill was trying to weigh the tongue with a bathroom scale. OK, maybe if the tongue weight is less than 250 lb., but a loaded trailer will never be that low. All of the pipe and board tricks are a crock - they don't work, I don't care what they say! Fortunately there is a solution, without the stigma of low cost. Sherline makes the LoadMaster series of tongue scales. Neat little hydraulic units, the 0-2,000 lb. scale is only 7" tall on a 3" base with a direct read-out gauge. Camper World has one for $99.

Sherline's comprehensive towing manual recommends 10-15% for a single axle, 9-15% for a tandem and 15-25% for a 5th wheeler. Whatever percentage you decide is right for you, using the trailer tongue scale is easy. Just set on some blocks of wood under the ball socket and lower the tongue jack. Or, put it on a hydraulic jack pad, and just jack up the tongue at the socket. Two minutes! Tongue weight, besides the obvious effects on the height of the tow vehicle rear, has an effect on braking, sway and stability.

A few added comments: Chances are pretty good the car even has some load in it that isn't in the specs- accessories, tools or trunk junk. Most of us also carry a lot of extra 'essentials' in our car hauler, manuals, cleaning gear, tools, spare parts, and often some of the luggage. These all weigh something, usually a lot, and we invariably put them at one end of the trailer or other. Bad news for tongue weight. When I loaded the Porsche (2100 lb.) at the CG, my tongue weight went from 250 to 700 lbs., far more than I expected though still within limits. Of course I had over a hundred pounds of lawn chairs, manual and cleaning gear located, naturally, at the very front of the trailer. The trailer's spare tire, hitch stuff and battery are all well forward on my trailer too. My master plan is to load up, including all the extras, and then position the car for that perfect 10%. Soon as I get a new supply of 'round-to-it' I'd be glad to help other NC Region members with weighing. Give me a call.