Forum Discussion

RDMueller's avatar
RDMueller
Explorer
Mar 04, 2017

Tongue weight... Did I get the math right?

Planning to upgrade my w/d hitch to a Blue Ox Sway Pro and need to know my tongue weight. Went to the scales today and weighed the truck/trailer together and then just the truck. Weights taken with no w/d, just trailer on the ball.

Trailer connected:

Steer axle 3300
Drive axle 4060
Trailer axle 5860
Total 13220

Truck only:

Steer axle 3680
Drive axle 2640
Total 6320

From this, I can determine that the trailer weight is 6900 (13220 total - 6320 truck). Then by subtracting the trailer axle weight of 5860 from the total trailer weight of 6900, I get a tongue weight of 1040.

Also, if you add the steer and drive axles while connected (3300+4060) you get a truck weight of 7360. That minus the empty truck weight of 6320 also results in the same answer, 1040.

I can also see that with no w/d I'm removing 380 lbs from the steer axle and adding 1420 lbs to the drive axle, a difference of (again) 1040.

This all seems pretty straightforward to me, but I wanted to post these numbers here just to be sure I'm not missing something. Based on a 1040 TW and the fact that I'll often be carrying some weight in the bed behind the rear axle, I think I'll definitely need the 1500lb bars.

Does this all sound reasonable? As always, thanks in advance for any help or suggestions!
  • RCMAN46's avatar
    RCMAN46
    Explorer
    Mar 06, 2017
    RDMueller wrote:
    myredracer wrote:
    Your tongue weight is also 15.1 percent of the TT's GVW which is a bit on the high side of average (12-13 percent). Nothing wrong with that and I think it helps with stability and as long as your 3/4 ton TV can handle it, it's good. Our TW is about 14.5 percent and we also tow with a 3/4 ton and no issues with sway or handling. (Three will be passes needed to also get weights transferred onto steer axle and TT axles.)


    Yea, the truck handles it fine and stays well below the 8800# GVWR even with that amount of TW. Sway has never been an issue and I've even towed with no w/d at all without a problem. It helps a lot that it's a extended cab diesel with an 8' bed and a Class V hitch. Nonetheless, for a trailer of this size a good w/d with sway is just better. I think the Sway Pro will be a really good match.


    You are on the right track. Best to set up the trailer so there is no sway or problems without sway control. Then add the best sway control available for the rare but often disastrous conditions such as a deer running across the road or some one cutting you off in traffic.

    Also use a Prodigy P3 brake controller for those panic stops.
  • RDMueller's avatar
    RDMueller
    Explorer
    Mar 06, 2017
    myredracer wrote:
    Your tongue weight is also 15.1 percent of the TT's GVW which is a bit on the high side of average (12-13 percent). Nothing wrong with that and I think it helps with stability and as long as your 3/4 ton TV can handle it, it's good. Our TW is about 14.5 percent and we also tow with a 3/4 ton and no issues with sway or handling. (Three will be passes needed to also get weights transferred onto steer axle and TT axles.)


    Yea, the truck handles it fine and stays well below the 8800# GVWR even with that amount of TW. Sway has never been an issue and I've even towed with no w/d at all without a problem. It helps a lot that it's a extended cab diesel with an 8' bed and a Class V hitch. Nonetheless, for a trailer of this size a good w/d with sway is just better. I think the Sway Pro will be a really good match.
  • myredracer's avatar
    myredracer
    Explorer II
    Mar 05, 2017
    Your tongue weight is also 15.1 percent of the TT's GVW which is a bit on the high side of average (12-13 percent). Nothing wrong with that and I think it helps with stability and as long as your 3/4 ton TV can handle it, it's good. Our TW is about 14.5 percent and we also tow with a 3/4 ton and no issues with sway or handling. (Three will be passes needed to also get weights transferred onto steer axle and TT axles.)
  • RDMueller's avatar
    RDMueller
    Explorer
    Mar 05, 2017
    Great calculator! It came up with exactly the same numbers I did, so clearly I'm on the right track. Once I buy the hitch, I'll take it across the scales again and see how it does at restoring that 380 lbs to the steer axle.
  • mx727's avatar
    mx727
    Explorer
    Mar 05, 2017
    Here is a link to put your numbers in if you want.

    http://www.towingplanner.com/ActualWeights/TravelTrailerCatScales
  • RDMueller's avatar
    RDMueller
    Explorer
    Mar 05, 2017
    Glad to hear you like your Sway Pro! It looks to me like it will be very easy to use. I totally agree with what you said about the ratcheting breaker bar, seems like a lot of people don't like the wrench they provide.
  • downtheroad's avatar
    downtheroad
    Explorer
    Mar 04, 2017
    We have a Blue Ox Sway Pro (great hitch by the way. I think you will really like it.)

    What I did is take the GVWR of the trailer and multiplied that by 13% and used that to determine what weight bars to get.... close enough and it worked out great.

    Suggestion: get a ratcheting breaker bar (Harbor Freight) to use to snap up the brackets instead of the uncomfortable wrench that Blue Ox supplies.

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