Forum Discussion

FFFpatriot's avatar
FFFpatriot
Explorer
Jun 09, 2016

Anyone have an idea to adding weight(s) to trailer tongue?

Hello folks! I have a 1983 16' tandem axel Weekender (Sky Liner) trailer. I had a friend weld me up a custom rear bumper with a receiver hitch to the rear of the frame on the camper to carry my Rokon, which is mounted on a motorcycle carrier rack. My first test run down the road with the Rokon on the carrier on the camper hooked up to my 3/4 ton Dodge was almost disasterous when I got up to 50 mph with the swaying action that was going on. That trailer was swaying a good 4' each side of my lane! (tested on a semi-rural road with no traffic).
I bought and mounted a Reese friction anti-sway brake that day, and my sway problems were solved. Rides straight as an arrow. Here's my worry...
The Rokon, along with the carrier on the receiver hitch on the back of the camper weighs around 280 lbs. It's extended around 3' past the rear of the camper,(adding even more weight) which is making the little 16' camper quite light on the trailer tongue. When I've taken road trips with the bike on the rear of the camper, I fill up the fresh water tank that's at the front of the camper and load all my camp gear ( a couple hundred pounds at the front of the camper inside, to offset the cantilevered weight of the bike on the rear. Also keep the two propane tanks full and battery on the tongue.
My worry is that because of the amount of the cantilevered weight on the rear of my camper may be too great for the present weight on the tongue of the trailer ( especially after I've used up my fresh water in the water tank), a bump in the road could possible cause the camper to pop off of the ball on my truck's hitch. I have a 700 lb. Redline ball hitch on my truck with 12,000 lb. receiver on my truck. My camper is perfectly level with the drop hitch as well.
Should I be worried about this happening? It's been on my mind for the last two years. I've been thinking about welding a chunk of heavy (100 lb.) steel plating on the "v" area of the trailer tongue for added insurance to help prevent this from possibly happening. I'm trying to avoid getting a full blown stabilizer hitch for my camper.
Anyone have any ideas for my situation? Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks! Jd.
P.S. The bike always gets loaded last, so my camp trailer doesn't do a "wheelie"!
  • rexlion's avatar
    rexlion
    Explorer
    Jun 09, 2016
    Maybe you could add an extra battery and battery box, and it will help you stay out longer without electric hookups.

    You should check your tongue weight with your rig in various conditions (full water, empty water) to see where you're at. Also weigh the TT. If you already have at least 10% of the trailer's total weight on the hitch, you should be ok.

    Adding a friction sway bar or a sway control hitch to a rig that's too light on the hitch is like putting a band-aid over an infected wound. Always fix the problem first, and use the anti-sway device for extra assurance. To do that you must know your actual weights.
  • FFFpatriot's avatar
    FFFpatriot
    Explorer
    Jun 09, 2016
    Two batteries huh?... What a grand idea! It'll bring more peace of my mind knowing that I'll have a second battery backup for those long mining camp trips here in the Rockies, plus adding a nice chunk of needed weight to the tongue. The 10% on the trailer's total weight on the hitch is a valuable bit of information for me as well. Thank you sir!
  • Hideout17's avatar
    Hideout17
    Explorer
    Jun 09, 2016
    Take the unit off back and put it in truck. If trailer was good before and not now there is your problem. Just my opinion. ...
  • marquette's avatar
    marquette
    Explorer
    Jun 09, 2016
    Not knowing your truck or hitch capacity this idea may not be practical but have you considered using a hitch extension and having your bike hauler in between the trailer and truck. Take the weight off the back and add it to the front. I had a trailer with a factory installed cargo carrier on the rear bumper and anything besides a few lawn chairs on it would make the trailer unstable. I don't know the math but rear fulcrum weight seems to overcome tongue weight weight very easily. Too much tongue weight can be compensated with a WDH but too little has few options that don't include un-necessary weight.
  • SDcampowneroper's avatar
    SDcampowneroper
    Explorer
    Jun 09, 2016
    Have you considered the extra weight on the trailer axles and suspension? You are courting disaster placing that much weight on them and imbalance. Adding batteries etc. may add tongue weight, also adds axle weight.
    Keep your family and us safe.
  • jfkmk's avatar
    jfkmk
    Explorer
    Jun 09, 2016
    SDcampowneroperator wrote:
    Have you considered the extra weight on the trailer axles and suspension? You are courting disaster placing that much weight on them and imbalance. Adding batteries etc. may add tongue weight, also adds axle weight.
    Keep your family and us safe.


    I was thinking the same as I read through the original post.
  • stevemorris's avatar
    stevemorris
    Explorer
    Jun 09, 2016
    there's more at issue here than just the extra weight. its also about wt distribution, ie where the weight is relative to the axles. think pendulum weights

    hanging a couple of hundred pounds off the back of a tt is an accident waiting to happen, put the bike in the truck
  • LarryJM's avatar
    LarryJM
    Explorer II
    Jun 09, 2016
    stevemorris wrote:
    there's more at issue here than just the extra weight. its also about wt distribution, ie where the weight is relative to the axles. think pendulum weights

    hanging a couple of hundred pounds off the back of a tt is an accident waiting to happen, put the bike in the truck


    While I'm no expert I tend to think this is a better assessment. While you might get things to tow normal I would be concerned about how things will act should you say do any sudden maneuver at speed and get that unbalanced heavy wt. concentrated behind the axle of the trailer going to one side or another.

    I'm thinking ditching this current method and either putting the wt in the bed of the truck or even as suggested up forward say even on the A-frame itself or on some kind of hitch extension.

    Larry
  • Lantley's avatar
    Lantley
    Nomad
    Jun 09, 2016
    It can be done. I had a 200# platform carrying a 180# genset welded to the rear of my prior TT.
    I did have to re load my cargo to balance everything but once this was done TT was very stable.
    However whatever you use to create balance (weight in the front) needs to be permanent. Don't rely on a fluctuating ballast like a water tank.
    I will add my platform was on a large 32' 11K GVW TT which gave me lots of room and weight to balance things out.
  • LarryJM's avatar
    LarryJM
    Explorer II
    Jun 09, 2016
    Lantley wrote:
    It can be done. I had a 200# platform carrying a 180# genset welded to the rear of my prior TT.
    I did have to re load my cargo to balance everything but once this was done TT was very stable.
    However whatever you use to create balance (weight in the front) needs to be permanent. Don't rely on a fluctuating ballast like a water tank.
    I will add my platform was on a large 32' 11K GVW TT which gave me lots of room and weight to balance things out.


    I can see something like you described as being doeable, however my comments were more along the line of trying to tow something with a weight distribution closer to a barbell down the road where all the wt is concentrated and the ends of a pivet point of the location of the axle.

    Larry

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