Why is tongue weight important when towing your boat

Essentially trailer tongue weight is the downward force the tongue of your trailer puts on the hitch of your tow vehicle. What is the tongue weight and why is it important.

When you are towing the bulk of the trailer weight is taken by its wheels and a small portion of it is passed onto the tow vehicle via the tow ball.

Why is tongue weight important when towing your boat. In turn youll need to load whatever cargo youre bringing in the bow of the boat to help increase the tongue weight. Coolers towels snacks and water toys should be loaded accordingly based off of what your tongue weight is and where youre needing it to be. Another important aspect to keep in mind with boats is that they hold water.

Having too little or too much weight on the tongue of a boat trailer can cause problems for the boat trailer or the towing vehicle. Weight must be distributed evenly for optimal towing performance. Too little weight on the tongue of the boat trailer can cause the boat trailer to fishtail or even cause the rear tires of the towing vehicle to lift off the ground.

What do boat trailers with too little tongue weight tend to do. If the boat trailer has too little tongue weight it will tend to make a dangerous fishtail movement. This is a swaying motion that can put the towing vehicle and boat trailer out of control leading to an overturn skid or overturning.

What happens if tongue weight is too heavy. You have little to no control of your vehicle let alone the trailer you are towing. It also puts everyone around you at risk which is why knowing your tongue weight and making sure it is within 10-15 of your gross trailer weight GTW is so important.

Proper Tongue Weight Explained. If you have less than 10 of your GTW on the tongue of your trailer you have too little tongue weight which means most of your load is on the back end of your trailer. The position of the boat on the trailer affects tongue weight TW.

Tongue weight is defined as the weight of the trailer on the hitchball. So even a slight change in the position of the boat on the trailer can affect the balance and tongue weight. In most trailering scenarios a tongue weight of 10 to 15 percent of the total load is ideal.

So for my 5000 pound boat a tongue weight. How Tongue Weight Affects Your Vehicle. The tongue weight is the static force the trailer tongue exerts on the hitch ball.

Proper trailer tongue weight can make the difference between a safe trailer towing experience and a dangerous journey. If you dont have enough weight on the trailer tongue the trailer may be prone to swaying from side to side making it difficult to control. It is essential to staying safe while towing.

Also the tongue weight is the downward pressure from the trailer tongue to the trailers hook. The industry standard for trailer tongue weight percentageis 9 to 14 of the total trailer weight GTW. The tongues weight allows you to control the trailer when towed thereby making driving safer.

Tow ball weight or Tow Ball Mass is quite simply the weight applied from your trailer to the tow ball on your 4WD. When you are towing the bulk of the trailer weight is taken by its wheels and a small portion of it is passed onto the tow vehicle via the tow ball. If you run a different hitch like a Treg or poly block hitch DO35 or McHitch.

Note the weight. Unhook the trailer and jack up the trailer tongue so there is no weight on the hitch ball. Now record the weight of the truck only.

This is your gross vehicle weight. Now subtract the gross vehicle weight from the weight of the truck with the trailer attached to get the tongue weight. Large boats with large Tongue Weights may compress the tow vehicles suspension.

In these instances suspension upgrades adjustable height tow balls or other towing upgrades may need to be considered to ensure a level trailer-to-vehicle. In reality if you were to measure the tongue weight before and after extending the tongue out on a trailer it should be a lower number. That being said the HE18 has a 3500 lb overall capacity and a 350 lb tongue weight capacity.

What is the tongue weight and why is it important. The downward force that the tongue on the trailer applies to the hitch of the tow vehicle. If its too heavy it is difficult to turn and if its to light it results in the boat fishtailing.

Tongue weight should always be between 10 and 15 percent of the total boat-and-trailer package gross towing weight or GTW which is the GCVW minus the tow vehicles weight. If it is outside of these parameters trailer sway is a distinctand dangerouspossibility. Youll also have to take hitch ball size into consideration.

Proper Weight Distribution is required for towing stability and will assure that the trailer is not rear front or side heavy. A light tongue weight or heavy weights placed at the rear end of the trailer can cause sway. On the other hand too much weight on the tongue can overload the tow vehicle and cause poor tow vehicle braking poor cornering and can damage the trailer frame.

Like your boat your trailer should come with a capacity plate attached. Before hitting the road check the plate to make sure that your trailer has the capacity to carry not only the weight of your boat but also the motor fuel and any additional gear you are taking on board. Pay particular attention to the tongue weight marked on the capacity plate.

A tongue that is too heavy will make it difficult to steer while a tongue that is too light may result in the boat. The tongue keeps your trailer in balance when towing and assists in keep weight on the tow hitch which is required for controlled towing. It also adds stiffness to the chassis and depending on the axle and load placement will assist in keeping the trailer running true and stable.

Tongue weight is important for towing because improper tongue weight can cause driving hazards. If the tongue weight is too little – less than 10 of the total trailer weight – the trailer may tend to sway back and forth. If the tongue weight it too much – greater than 15 – your vehicle may become less responsive especially when turning and braking.

Watch your tongue weight. How a trailer handles down the road depends upon tongue weight. Too much tongue weight will cause the rear of the trailer to sway and make the tow vehicle difficult to control.

The tongue weight should not. However this weight actually has nothing to do with your tongue and everything to do with towing your trailer safely. For this reason its something you should definitely educate yourself on.

Essentially trailer tongue weight is the downward force the tongue of your trailer puts on the hitch of your tow vehicle. HaulGauge Mobile Tongue Weight Scale Sherline Scale Another popular tool is the Sherline Trailer Tongue Weight ScaleThe Sherline Scale can be used with standard trailers as well as fifth-wheel campers with tongue weights up to 2000 lbs. Simply place the scale beneath your trailer jack on level ground and the easy-to-read gauge will display your tongue weight.