RE: Trailer Tongue Weight Question

Eric Johnson (etj@nwlink.com)
Tue, 17 Aug 1999 07:28:49 -0700


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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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> trouble towing a boat was with a Ford Bronco. The trailer tongue
> weight was
> less than it should have been and the length from the tow ball to
> the axle
> was not enough. I just about lost the whole thing on I 35 when
> it started to
> sway. The remedy was to move the axle back which of course added to the
> tongue weight. I never had trouble again. The short wheel base of the
> Bronco also added to the problem. Since the I have towed mostly with
> Suburbans. I have always left the length from the ball to the
> axle as long
> as I could, and have carried plenty of tongue weight.
<snip>

The distance from the ball to the axle on the trailer, or the tow rig? I
always thought you wanted the ball on the tow rig to be close to the rear
axle, so the moment arm of the ball-to-rear-axle is short. My understanding
that the longer this distance, the more leverage the trailer has on the tow
vehicle. In fact, on my trip home from montana on saturday, I traded trailer
tounges with a friend that had one that didn't stick out nearly as far as
mine, and I noticed much less sway on the way home than I had on the way
there. Of course there may have been other factors.

But i certainly don't know much about it and frankly don't trailer enough to
really have a good feel for it.What is the advantage of a long distance
between the ball and rear axle?