Balanced Load

Alaskan Fly Guy wrote:
I have a 2002 23' Keystone Bobcat travel trailer I bought used. My question is:
Can I assume the trailer is balanced at the factory with nothing in it or is it balanced with water in the tank and nothing else loaded?
I would also like to see a floor plan for this trailer to see where all the holding tanks are if anyone out there might have one. I have searched the internet but still cant find one. It is the model with the full size bed (not bunks).
Thank You in Advance,
Ron in Alaska

You can safely assume that your trailer is balanced from side to side by the factory. Otherwise it would "squat" lower on one side or the other.

As for the holding tanks you can bet that they are centered on the linear axis of the trailer near or over the axles. Anything else would be sheer folly.

Before you set off with full water tanks think about this. 50 gals of water weighs 417.25 LBS. Think about that as a hammer pounding against one side or other of your trailer as you maneuver. It's most likely that your tanks have no baffle system. This means that there is nothing to interfere with the acceleration of that weight as it moves side to side/front and back. This is a significant force.

I believe this contributes to what many feel is "Sway" in their trailers. I travel with my tanks empty or near empty. A floorplan used for sale purposes may not show the tank placement. If it doesnt have a sealed undrbody a quick look underneath will reveal the tank placement. If it is sealed then take off the panel or a corner near the rear of the axles and peek inside.

When loading the trailer, as I am sure you know, keep the weight low and over the axles or slightly biased to the front.

As for trailers towing better with more tongue weight. This is true to a point. But a "balanced" trailer with the proper tongue weight should pull just fine.

I think it depends on where the axles are located on a trailer. The farther back they are, the better it'll tow, but the more tongue weight it'll have too..

My little 22' trailer has it's axles located more towards the rear than the front. The fresh water tank is centered over the front axle and extends to the front.

When full, this gives me the most stable tow. When empty, I can tell a difference, but it's still a stable tow.

My waste tanks are at the very rear of the trailer. They are normally empty, so a non issue, but I have had to tow with them partially filled and could not tell much of a difference in handling.

So, I think it really depends on the trailers axle placement in the end.. ;)

Mitch

I was thinking more side to side as I have heard you should balance your load when packing your trailer. I have an F-250 PU so there shouldn't be any tow vehicle problems. First time out this coming weekend. Thank you for your replies.

There is no rhyme or reason to it.

I have seen very nice designed trailers and I have seen trailers that a 5 year old could design better.

Then there is a problem that a lot of trailers are getting tongue lighter because the manufacture wants them to be able to be towed with SUV's.

You will see a lot of people complaining about sway and this is the reason why.

Not sure what you mean by balanced? You should have 12% to 15% weight on the trailer tongue when loaded.