Help with hitch / tongue weight
Hello All! I'm in the early stages of camper shopping (wanting to upgrade) and I would love some help understanding the tongue weight limits. I have read on 1000 different sites that the max tongue w...
Forum Discussion
"TONGUE WEIGHT", "HITCH LOAD", "RECEIVER LOAD" CONFUSION -- TOO MANY "DEFINITIONS"
This thread, "Help with hitch / tongue weight", has been plagued with a failure to communicate a clear understanding of what key terms, such as "tongue weight" actually mean.
Perhaps we could have more meaningful (and more civil) discussions of "hitch weight" and "tongue weight" and other technical terms if we had a single and agreed definition for each of them.
A good example of possible sources of such confusion can be found in Determining Trailer Tongue Weight.
The presentation begins with:
"In order to select the correct components to safely tow your trailer, you need to know its tongue weight. This is the weight that the fully loaded trailer exerts downward on the hitch ball of the tow vehicle. If you don't know the tongue weight of your trailer, there are several different ways you can determine it."
They then show a diagram which defines "tongue weight" as being the difference between tow vehicle GVW when hitched with WD applied MINUS the tow vehicle GVW when loaded with trailer not attached.
This is incorrect because the TV's hitched GVW must be measured when WD is NOT applied.
Finally, they introduce a new relationship, A - B + C = "Tongue Weight for Weight Distribution System".
To add to the confusion, we also have the statement from a Cequent sales catalog:
"SELECTING THE RIGHT WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
The hitch weight formula for determining the load which the hitch must carry:
HITCH WEIGHT* = TONGUE WEIGHT + VEHICLE CARGO LOAD BEHIND REAR AXLE
Tongue weight includes the trailer tongue weight with full gas, water and waste systems and everything packed inside the trailer.
Vehicle cargo includes all materials carried in your tow vehicle, such as boat motors, gas cans, tools, etc."
This Cequent catalog instruction seems to define "HITCH WEIGHT" similar to the way etrailer defines "Tongue Weight for Weight Distribution System".
This is incorrect usage of "hitch weight" or "hitch load",
Hitch Load does not include the weight of vehicle cargo load behind the tow vehicle's rear axle.
Perhaps it also would help to have a single agreed definition for "hitch weight" or preferably "hitch load".
And while we're at it, let's have a proper definition for "receiver load".
I believe the following definitions would help to eliminate much of the confusion which has plagued this thread:
Tongue Weight The load exerted by the coupler on the ball with the trailer loaded and level, and with no load distribution applied.
Hitch Load The net load exerted on the hitch head by the coupler and WD bars.
(Note: Hitch Load is equal to Tongue Weight with no load distribution applied. Hitch Load is equal to Tongue Weight minus load transferred to TT's axles when load distribution is applied.)
Receiver Load The load exerted on the receiver by the hitch.
(Note: Receiver Load is equal to Hitch Weight plus the weight of the WDH.)
Ron
This thread, "Help with hitch / tongue weight", has been plagued with a failure to communicate a clear understanding of what key terms, such as "tongue weight" actually mean.
Perhaps we could have more meaningful (and more civil) discussions of "hitch weight" and "tongue weight" and other technical terms if we had a single and agreed definition for each of them.
A good example of possible sources of such confusion can be found in Determining Trailer Tongue Weight.
The presentation begins with:
"In order to select the correct components to safely tow your trailer, you need to know its tongue weight. This is the weight that the fully loaded trailer exerts downward on the hitch ball of the tow vehicle. If you don't know the tongue weight of your trailer, there are several different ways you can determine it."
They then show a diagram which defines "tongue weight" as being the difference between tow vehicle GVW when hitched with WD applied MINUS the tow vehicle GVW when loaded with trailer not attached.
This is incorrect because the TV's hitched GVW must be measured when WD is NOT applied.
Finally, they introduce a new relationship, A - B + C = "Tongue Weight for Weight Distribution System".
To add to the confusion, we also have the statement from a Cequent sales catalog:
"SELECTING THE RIGHT WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
The hitch weight formula for determining the load which the hitch must carry:
HITCH WEIGHT* = TONGUE WEIGHT + VEHICLE CARGO LOAD BEHIND REAR AXLE
Tongue weight includes the trailer tongue weight with full gas, water and waste systems and everything packed inside the trailer.
Vehicle cargo includes all materials carried in your tow vehicle, such as boat motors, gas cans, tools, etc."
This Cequent catalog instruction seems to define "HITCH WEIGHT" similar to the way etrailer defines "Tongue Weight for Weight Distribution System".
This is incorrect usage of "hitch weight" or "hitch load",
Hitch Load does not include the weight of vehicle cargo load behind the tow vehicle's rear axle.
Perhaps it also would help to have a single agreed definition for "hitch weight" or preferably "hitch load".
And while we're at it, let's have a proper definition for "receiver load".
I believe the following definitions would help to eliminate much of the confusion which has plagued this thread:
Tongue Weight The load exerted by the coupler on the ball with the trailer loaded and level, and with no load distribution applied.
Hitch Load The net load exerted on the hitch head by the coupler and WD bars.
(Note: Hitch Load is equal to Tongue Weight with no load distribution applied. Hitch Load is equal to Tongue Weight minus load transferred to TT's axles when load distribution is applied.)
Receiver Load The load exerted on the receiver by the hitch.
(Note: Receiver Load is equal to Hitch Weight plus the weight of the WDH.)
Ron
