Overwhelmed and worried about safety
Hi all. I know threads of "can I tow XYZ with my ABC" probably get annoying and I've been reading and reading and reading. But I'm overwhelmed and my partner and I have never towed anything before. Th...
Forum Discussion
Many things contribute to the actual tongue weight
Highest contributor is the architecture of the trailer.
Toyhaulers have huge tongue weights when empty or their 'dry' weight. Because they are designed to carry very heavy stuff in the garage in back. Many times ATVs, golf carts, motor cycles, etc that counter that teeter-tooter weight. Pivot point is normally around the center of the axle(s)
Then some are designed for the highest possible 'towable' weight for marketing to newbies...heck even old folks who just believe blindly on the brochure number. These are usually listed with 10% tongue of the dry weight
On that, their 'dry' weight tongue weight is a way to tell what their loaded tongue weight will/might be. Few will advertise a tongue weight higher than about 12%, as they want the half ton folks to bite
Then the way it is loaded. Even how much water, as some have the water tanks forward of the axle center line(s). Plus the optional, bolted on stuff. Like Propane tanks...some upgrade to very large tanks.
My preference and recommendation is to keep it over 12%, but this OP has a very small TV and assume a very small rear GAWR, to tongue weight will become an issue. To help understand that...look at the higher class TV's above half tons and note that they most all have +6,000 RGAWR's for this very reason
This for hard sided trailers and why many advisors say hybrid or large PUPs.
And repeat...get actual weights of every thing and if don't have the trailer...use it's GVWR info (use the dry tongue weight and do the math to project that percentage using the GVWR)
Highest contributor is the architecture of the trailer.
Toyhaulers have huge tongue weights when empty or their 'dry' weight. Because they are designed to carry very heavy stuff in the garage in back. Many times ATVs, golf carts, motor cycles, etc that counter that teeter-tooter weight. Pivot point is normally around the center of the axle(s)
Then some are designed for the highest possible 'towable' weight for marketing to newbies...heck even old folks who just believe blindly on the brochure number. These are usually listed with 10% tongue of the dry weight
On that, their 'dry' weight tongue weight is a way to tell what their loaded tongue weight will/might be. Few will advertise a tongue weight higher than about 12%, as they want the half ton folks to bite
Then the way it is loaded. Even how much water, as some have the water tanks forward of the axle center line(s). Plus the optional, bolted on stuff. Like Propane tanks...some upgrade to very large tanks.
My preference and recommendation is to keep it over 12%, but this OP has a very small TV and assume a very small rear GAWR, to tongue weight will become an issue. To help understand that...look at the higher class TV's above half tons and note that they most all have +6,000 RGAWR's for this very reason
This for hard sided trailers and why many advisors say hybrid or large PUPs.
And repeat...get actual weights of every thing and if don't have the trailer...use it's GVWR info (use the dry tongue weight and do the math to project that percentage using the GVWR)
