Holding tongue weight steady

I highly recommend you get one of these (Amazon - tongue scale) so that you don't have to guess.

You're guessing is likely close, but it's still guessing.

Also, please keep in mind that going under ~12% on tongue weight (with 13% recommended) can result in extreme uncontrollable sway. Unless you load VERY carefully your trailer will likely be around 4700-5000 lbs if you leave the water tank empty after being loaded (or more). That means a good tongue weight is more like 600 lbs for that trailer. Even at dry weight, you're looking at a safe tongue weight of ~533 lbs. Whatever your setup, you should also load up for a trip and stop off at a Cat Scale to get true weights when loaded. I do that about once a year just to make sure I'm still within limits.

This has nothing to do with it being a tandem axle trailer, by the way. My last trailer was a tandem and weighed about the same as my current trailer.

In other words: It's too much trailer for your tow vehicle and planned passenger load. I don't say that much - I'm not weight police. Look at what I tow with. IMO, one should always stay below the limits, even if it's just below. A properly setup trailer can tow nicely at reasonable speeds near the limits, but one really shouldn't go over. In this case, I don't see how you can avoid it.

The trailer tongue weight needs to stay at the proper percentage of the total weight of loaded, ready to camp trailer. This is a very minimum of 10 percent, 12-13 percent for best handling/towing.

Since your tow vehicle is marginal for this trailer, you need to keep your tongue weight for best handling. In any case, towing close, or just over limits of your vehicle will get old quickly.

Jerry

What is the length of your TT? I think you will be well over your weights for the pathfinder with a dual axle TT. If you start adding weight to the back and you lighten the front too much, the tail will wag the dog and you don't have enough vehicle to stop it.

drsteve wrote:

drb116 wrote:
I am looking at buying a twin axle TT and all the weights are ok, except the tongue weight is close to the max for my Pathfinder. The stated tongue weight is 479# and my max is 500#. I know that adding the battery and propane will add to the tongue weight, but the trailer has storage in the back. By my estimate, the storage in the back is about half as close to the rear axle as the propane and battery would be to the front.

So my thought is that I can just put about 200# of gear in the back storage to balance out the propane and batteries and I would essentially hold the tongue weight close to the stated weight.

Are these assumptions correct and is it easy to balance a trailer out so that the tongue weight doesn't change much?

Thanks!

No. A TT needs about 13% of it's total weight on the tongue, or it will sway. As you add cargo, the tongue weight will rise. Putting a bunch of stuff in the rear to reduce tongue weight will result in reduced stability. The tongue weight of that TT when loaded will be well over the dry weight from the brochure, and too much for your Pathfinder.

I agree trying to monkey around with tongue wt is a sure fire way to end up in the ditch with a wrecked TV and TT at some point downstream. If you're going to tow get the right tools for the job and not try and jury rig something together with bubble gum and bailing wire.

Larry

drb116 wrote:
I am looking at buying a twin axle TT and all the weights are ok, except the tongue weight is close to the max for my Pathfinder. The stated tongue weight is 479# and my max is 500#. I know that adding the battery and propane will add to the tongue weight, but the trailer has storage in the back. By my estimate, the storage in the back is about half as close to the rear axle as the propane and battery would be to the front.

So my thought is that I can just put about 200# of gear in the back storage to balance out the propane and batteries and I would essentially hold the tongue weight close to the stated weight.

Are these assumptions correct and is it easy to balance a trailer out so that the tongue weight doesn't change much?

Thanks!

No. A TT needs about 13% of it's total weight on the tongue, or it will sway. As you add cargo, the tongue weight will rise. Putting a bunch of stuff in the rear to reduce tongue weight will result in reduced stability. The tongue weight of that TT when loaded will be well over the dry weight from the brochure, and too much for your Pathfinder.

drb116 wrote:

The stated tongue weight is 479# and my max is 500#.
Thanks!

Is the 479 lbs the "dry weight" of the tongue? If so, that will increase significantly when you are packed and trip loaded ready...

What is the GVWR gross vehicle weight rating) of the trailer you are considering?

Here's my experience.

Published tongue weight of my TT is 412lbs on a unit which has a GVWR of 6695lbs. Filling 2 20lb propane tanks, installing 2 batteries and adding 80lbs for my WDH my actual tongue weight is 750lbs. That's without food, clothing or water in the trailer.

I believe it is 1400#, my family is about 500#, so that leaves 400# of additional cargo weight assuming a 500# tongue weight. The trailer is about 4100 dry weight, so we should be able to stay under the 5000 max tow. I am just concerned about keeping the tongue weight were it is.

What's your Pathfinder's payload capacity?

Realize that you have a marginal tow vehicle, for a tandem axle TT.