does hitch weight of bumper-pull TH reduce when loaded?

RVpullinGuy wrote:
Yes, loading a bumper pull trailer full of toys in the back will reduce the tongue weight. How much will depend on a few things already mentioned on this thread. Physics is physics.

x2.
The point midway between the wheels is your pivot point. Any weight added behind that point will take weight off the tongue. It's basically a teeter totter. The distance from the pivot point makes a difference. On our trailer there is 17ft in front of the pivot point and only 8.5ft behind. 50lbs of propane tanks on the very front would need 100lbs at the very rear to balance. A weight at 4ft behind the pivot point would need to be 212lb to counter the propane tank weight. Our 7klb trailer's tongue weight is over 1000lbs. If I move the two 6v batteries (72lbs@14ft=60lbs@17ft) from the tongue to the under the rear (72lbs@7.5ft) it should take 90lbs off the tongue weight.

Bedlam wrote:
It took me a while to notice why I couldn't cut my toy hauler as sharply as the same length travel trailer. After blaming my inability to negotiate tight maneuvers, I realized that the distance between my hitch and axles made the trailer feel longer than it was.

Similar to a boar trailer with axles further back.

Yes, loading a bumper pull trailer full of toys in the back will reduce the tongue weight. How much will depend on a few things already mentioned on this thread. Physics is physics.

12,900 TH loaded and a 1400 pound sandrail did nothing to the hitch weight of mine.

Since my TH is such a fat pig, Ive spent a lot of time at the scales with my TH, loaded, unloaded, partial loaded, etc... trying to get my TW as low as possible. A guy at my RV storage has a Sherline TW scale that works great.
My empty TW is almost twice the weight of what it was advertised as. The gvw is not quite that bad but still WAY off.

With my 1500lb turbo RZR pulled in front first,with the rear wheels as far back on the beaver-tail as possible, my tongue weight reduces 50-80lbs with a fully loaded TH. This is with a 13,000+gvw triple axles bumper pull.

1 of my 3, 50 gal water tanks are more or less over the axles,2 just in front of them. They add big time to my TW... My 50gal grey and black tanks are in front of the axles. My 40 + 20 gal fuel tanks are in the very back and seem to do little either full or empty to the TW. The 3 propane tanks on the front of the TH seems to add weight directly to the tongue.

So to answer your question, on a heavy triple axle TH, weight behind the axle doesn't do much to lower the TW. But loading weight in front of the axles(water tanks) increases TW a very lot.

jmo

Theres a little sticker in most toy hauler that say place the weight over the axles thats what I do.

Boils down to basic physics plus impact of WD hitch. Adding weight in back of axles will reduce hitch weight, but can be reduced by adding weight in front of axles (personal gear, food, water if tanks are in front of axle, etc.). But the WD hitch will reduce the amount of weight. Add in the factor of axle placement (think of changing the fulcrum point of a see-saw) and the hitch weight may be more or less. So, IMHO, the weight factor will vary from one toy hauler to another and can be verified by a couple of trips to the scales...once without the tows and then with the toys loaded.

Yes putting a heavy load (like a SXS) in the back will take some weight off hitch BUT by the time you load all your other gear/food/water/etc your going to be above listed dry tongue weight.

It took me a while to notice why I couldn't cut my toy hauler as sharply as the same length travel trailer. After blaming my inability to negotiate tight maneuvers, I realized that the distance between my hitch and axles made the trailer feel longer than it was.

My toy hauler had a big generator and multiple holding tanks forward of the axles - This is what makes the tongue so heavy compared to travel trailers that are more balanced front to rear (especially the Euro models).

There was a post several months ago where a guy weighed before and after loading 500 pounds in the back. Best I remember it took less than 100 pounds off of the hitch with equalizing axles.