What if trailer is over 15% TW?

brianosaur wrote:
Sounds good, thanks for all the replies :)

Wondering then why the 10%-15% ideal 'window' is recommended and not just a minimum?

Or is it so there is a cause to reposition loads evenly over trailer axels if TW is over 15%?

....thus a 'sweet spot'

I think that it is because that percentage usually will result in a good towing trailer that will not overload either the tow vehicles receiver or the A frame of the trailer, along with better handling and braking. However, I kind of doubt you would find a really heavy tongue weight on a travel or normal trailer with all the "givens" that you specified in your opening post. One or more of them would be altered unless you were towing with a class VI truck.

To answer your question, in most cases, 10% is a minimum and 15% is the ideal that you are shooting for. I think if I was carrying a car in a "hauler" depending on where the trailers axles are located, I would try to position the car to achieve that 15%. I certainly would not load it with the car all the way forward as that could overload the trucks receiver, exceed the hitches ability to distribute weight, overload the rear tires of the tow vehicle and the trailer A frame, unload the front axle of the tow vehicle too much, degrade the braking ability of both the trailer and tow vehicle, and degrade the steering of the tow vehicle.

There are probably more reasons but I think you get the point. :) So yes, I would say that "... there is a cause to reposition loads evenly over trailer axels if TW is over 15%?". I would say "more evenly" however. :W
Barney