Re: Fwd: Trailer Modifications, swaying
Gordon (hlg@pacbell.net)
Wed, 26 Aug 1998 12:32:05 -0700
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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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>Leonard--
>
>One other thought re: your trailer swaying. You might check where on the
>trailer the boat is sitting. By moving the bow stop you can change the weight
>distribution. It was recommended somewhere that you use a bathroom scale
>under the front wheel of the trailer to determine how much weight is on the
>tongue. I'm not certain, but I don't think you want it to be more than 50
>pounds or so and you certainly don't want it to be too light. Just a thought.
>
>Others might be able to recommend the exact weight that should be on the
>tongue.
>
>Geoff
>P-15 Lollipop
>N. Lake Tahoe, NV
>
I think basically it's just a matter of having more weight forward of the
trailer wheels than aft of the wheels. I had occasion to rent a little
U-Haul open trailer yesterday, and U-haul had painted a line across the
bottom of the trailer bed to show the centerline. I think they recommended
60% of the load forward.
You probably won't get an accurate measure of tongue weight at the tongue
wheel because the hitch is forward of the wheel, which changes the
leverage. Also, if you weigh the tongue, the tongue hitch should be at the
same height as the ball on the tow vehicle. You can use a piece of 4x4 or
something between the scale and the tongue to raise the tongue to the tow
attitude, then subtract the weight of the 4x4 or whatever.
Harry
P-14 #234, Manatee
Mountain View, CA