BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - Loading a boat on a trailer; center of balance,..

shaun

wrote:

I'm not an expert, but some of these recommendations sound like too
little weight on the trailer tongue to me. You don't want to drive
over some bumps and dips and have a lot of upward pressure on your
trailer hitch ball. If you take a look at the hitch mechanism you'll
see that it's not made to withstand a lot of lifting (upward)
pressure. It's designed to withstand a load from above. If you've
ever forgotten to release the ball before you used your tongue jack on
a boat trailer, you know how easy it is to pop the trailer tongue off
the ball.

Also, my understanding is that the weight of the trailer is supposed
to be included in your calculations.

A suggestion: Call a boat manufacturer (or a travel trailer
manufacturer) who sells a rig with dual axles, and of approximately
the same over all weight and length as the rig you're putting
together. Ask them what the tongue weight is on their trailer. I'm
not saying to copy that. But it may give you a practical place to
start.

GL

Holy christ
you can pop your hitch off with just a trailer jack!
I HAVE jacked the rear wheels of a car off the ground using the trailer
jockywheel and the hitch never looked like coming loose (mind you it did
take a few blocks to do it)

Then its time you got a new ball! the ball and socket system is very
strong when the locking tag is working correctly you should NOT be able
to pop a hitch off. a proper hitch and ball combo can take the full
weight of the unit that it is carrying and if it does fail then that's
why the chains are there to stop it taking off on its own.
Too much weight on the hitch is one of the reasons you see trailers
swaying all over the place. When i have a tandem trailer setup correctly
i can and have towed in excess of 100 mph. not that i recommend it to
any one or condone it but i have done it and will probley do it again if
i ever get another car capable of doing it.

My trailers have ranged from small 8x4 tandems 16x8 tandems and my 24'
trailersailer in among the trailers i have had are a few custom made
units that when first made i was told could never carry the load.
i used to transport vintage cars for clients and some of those suckers
are heavy but i soon proved them wrong (was made from cold rolled c
section 1.6 mm).
The thing that is more important is the placement of the axles in
relation to the tow hitch.
mount the tow hitch then from the tow hitch bring a string line back to
the axle mount on both sides and measure, both sides should be exactly
the same distance from the center of the hitch.

mind you as the other poster said call a local manufacturer and get the
guff on your laws
Shaun