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| Tongue Weight: How Critical for <500# ? http://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=73&t=60027 |
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| Author: | PeteCress [ Tue Feb 28, 2017 3:32 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Tongue Weight: How Critical for <500# ? |
Trailex SUTG-450, but carrying only a single AI. Generic tongue weight recommendation seems to be 10-15% of gross vehicle weight. (I have seen 9% as the low figure too... but 10 seems to be more common). In this case: 200# trailer weight + 250# AI sailing weight = 450#. .10 * 450 = 45# minimum recommended tongue weight. I've got it up to 32#....axle moved back as far as possible.... but have to wonder how critical hitch weight is with such a light trailer/load... Or might hitch weight become *more* critical with lighter GVWs...? |
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| Author: | mmiller [ Tue Feb 28, 2017 4:45 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Tongue Weight: How Critical for <500# ? |
I think that sounds about right... On a uhaul they tell you to load 60% in front of the axle. That is not 60% of the load on the hitch though. Stuff aft of that lightens the hitch load. More is better for tracking and also avoids annoying clunks as the hitch bounces up and down on the ball connection. Too little and the trailer is more apt to fishtail. I think if you can lift it on it is plenty, but don't hurt yourself. You can always throw gear in the back to get it on the hitch, then move that gear forward for travel. |
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| Author: | walt [ Tue Feb 28, 2017 5:52 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Tongue Weight: How Critical for <500# ? |
I just measured my TI on a steel trailer (converted from a canoe trailer). I dont know the weight of the trailer plus TI but my tongue weight is in the range of 105 to 110 pounds. I put about 2000 miles a year on this trailer, it always tows nicely. Just a guess at the trailer and boat at 600 pounds but that would mean Im at 20%. I dont know what would happen on these very light trailers but on a larger sailboat trailer, too light of tongue weight is bad.. the whole trailer can go into oscillations at higher speeds. I understand the 10% thing.. but would be very cautious at 32# when you try it out. 45 even sounds a little low. . |
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| Author: | cooldudecaptain [ Tue Feb 28, 2017 7:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Tongue Weight: How Critical for <500# ? |
I have a TI, sail box, and Hobie Dolly on the 450 (dbl-dbl). I've adjusted to "tow position" of the TI slightly forward to provide approx. 61lbs. of tongue wt. The Trailex trailer center beam is long and has some flex. Keeping the tongue wt. a little 'heavy' will help minimize trailer sway. It's also important to keep the trailer level when loaded for towing. This helps prevent 'submarining' when the ball is too low and the trailer slopes toward the vehicle. |
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| Author: | walt [ Fri Mar 10, 2017 12:46 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Tongue Weight: How Critical for <500# ? |
This is an interesting video regarding trailer tongue weight. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva= ... rojector=1 Tongue weight really is important when towing a larger sailboat (or any type of trailer). Bad things happen with too low of tongue weight. However. you can notice in that video that the tow vehicle is involved in the oscillation. It may be that when you tow these very light trailers where the tow vehicle weight is much greater than the trailer weight that maybe things are not so sensitive.. I dont really know myself and always make sure I have significant tongue weight.. but the heavy vehicle and light trailer might be why some others seem to tow with fairly light tongue weight and dont notice any stability issues.. Maybe??? |
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| Author: | plfinch [ Fri Mar 10, 2017 1:59 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Tongue Weight: How Critical for <500# ? |
With the Hobie/Trailex double trailer hauling an Oasis and an Outfitter, and with the tower and a cargo box installed, I frequently experienced mild oscillation worsening above 65 mph. I didn't always experience it but did most trips. I moved the cargo box forward to increase tongue weight significantly and this had little or no impact. On a subsequent trip where oscillation was especially present I pulled over and carefully retied the kayaks making sure they were exactly parallel to the trailer spine (actually using a tape measure this time). This cured the oscillation even at high speeds. It would appear that on these light trailers hauling long objects with lots of surface area, windage around the kayaks can affect oscillation as much or more than tongue weight. Peter |
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| Author: | PeteCress [ Sat Mar 11, 2017 11:15 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Tongue Weight: How Critical for <500# ? |
walt wrote: This is an interesting video regarding trailer tongue weight. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva= ... rojector=1 Maybe the wrong paste? .... That link is to gMail. I put the Trailex winch and spare tire on my 450 double-double with AI-2 and now have a tongue weight of 50# with them placed on the tongue about 3' and 4' aft of the hitch respectively. Nice thing about the spare is that I can fine-tune tongue weight somewhat by sliding it fore-aft..... but that begs another question about placement of weight. .... Reducing it to the ridiculous, we could have a trailer/boat with negative tongue weight, put 50# right up at the hitch and, technically, have an acceptable by-the-book tongue weight.... but my intuition says that weight placed right on the hitch would have zero effect on the trailer's balance.... and that suggests that there is a distribution factor that has not been mentioned in any of the sources that I have found so far. AustinKayak dropped the ball on the certificate of origin, but I should have this thing on the road by the end of next week.... so then I will know... Push-comes-to-shove, relocate the spare to the fore crossbar and add some diver's weights in it's bowl. |
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| Author: | walt [ Sat Mar 11, 2017 12:02 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Tongue Weight: How Critical for <500# ? |
woops.. hopefuly this is the right link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2fkOVHAC8Q |
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| Author: | tpdavis473 [ Sat Mar 11, 2017 12:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Tongue Weight: How Critical for <500# ? |
I'm having trouble with tongue weight on my Getaway and trailer. The tongue is really light and I hear all sorts of clunks on bumps in the road. I wouldn't tow further than the two miles to the launch ramp in this condition since the ball can pop off. I wish there was an "easy" way to increase the load there; I already have the mast overlapping the rear of my car by about a foot and the boat is about as far forward as I can put it without hitting the front mast rest. I'd be happy to hear some thoughts. |
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| Author: | PeteCress [ Sat Mar 11, 2017 1:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Tongue Weight: How Critical for <500# ? |
walt wrote: woops.. hopefuly this is the right link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2fkOVHAC8Q Bingo! I found that instructive. Here is another one in the same vein: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyagKzvJwYw |
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| Author: | PeteCress [ Sat Mar 11, 2017 1:24 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Tongue Weight: How Critical for <500# ? |
tpdavis473 wrote: I'm having trouble with tongue weight on my Getaway and trailer. The tongue is really light and I hear all sorts of clunks on bumps in the road. I wouldn't tow further than the two miles to the launch ramp in this condition since the ball can pop off. I wish there was an "easy" way to increase the load there; I already have the mast overlapping the rear of my car by about a foot and the boat is about as far forward as I can put it without hitting the front mast rest. I'd be happy to hear some thoughts. What does the trailer look like and weigh? .... How much does the boat weigh?First thing, I would put a scale under the hitch and see if the tongue weight is at least 10% of trailer + boat weight. If not and the trailer is steel, I would be inclined to bolt something heavy on to the tongue as far back as possible and then slide it forward until I got in the recommended range of 10-15% GVW tongue weight and then take it out on the road and see if it behaves any better.... and keep adding weight and/or moving the weight foward to get more tongue weight until it calms down. If you are not already carrying a spare wheel/tire, I found that tb effective - and, mounted horizontally, makes a nice sort of bowl to put more weight in. |
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