Reply With QuoteIs he the same guy who broke the killer countertop? :supp:
Beavis, he said tongue .....and load....
Is he the same guy who broke the killer countertop? :supp:
No. That guy is the best....except for that.
Here is a $1200 paperweight.....ya just can't force these things...travertine is pretty weak. They should put in a piece of rebar but it wasn't done....the weak areas are pretty obvious. It traveled 40 mile in the back of a truck alright, just didn't quite fit in the opening. One extra push and >>>CRACK<<< You know how they did it..... :eat:
http://www2.***boat.com/image_center.../24trailer.jpg
That's not that bad! A little duct tape, liquid nails, and tan grout will fix'r right up
Tongue load is more important to women then men.
You got that right!
Mandy- i think you may want to reconsider this guy's employment status....
LOL, love that avatar Mandelon!!! Hips wiggle and wake... :wink:
Mandelon,
Your trailer is like your boat, you can't let just anyone load em or drive em. :jawdrop:
The following photo came out of the DrawTite Hitch Owners Guide. With most typical bathroom scales it can measure trailer tongue weights to 900 pounds. It's pretty straight forward on construction and usage. I would make sure the lumber you use is capable of holding the full trailer tongue weight (4X4) and that the trailer is on level ground and the wheels chocked before trying to weigh the tongue. Also make sure that your scale is capable of at least 250 pounds, preferably 300 pounds. You should be able to measure 2 or 3 times that with this setup which should be applicable for most travel trailers up to 28' in length.
http://www.rverscorner.com/pics/tonguescale.gif
http://home.earthlink.net/~cybergrun...ngueWeight.jpg
PLACING THE LOAD
It would be overly simplistic to say, "put the heavy items over the axles". Sometimes a lot of little items can far outweigh one big one. I believe the value of an item should be one of the first considerations of where it is put in a trailer. Arrange the load so that these items are protected by their location. Don't put big, heavy items in a place where they can't be securely tied down. A glued down rug makes a great floor for a cargo trailer. Things stay put and don't slide around. Of course, it would be easy to say everything should be securely tied down but it would be also unrealistic. Start with top heavy items if you have them. That's usually a good place to start because you must have plenty of room available to properly tie them down. Tying them straight down is not secure enough. They need to be tied off at several angles or they could fall over in an abrupt change in speed or direction. You need room to accomplish this. Smaller items can be used to fill the spaces around them later.
Once you have the heavy items located, check the tongue weight with your Sherline scale. If the load is radically off, make the changes necessary to get close. The smaller items can be loaded in such a way that they balance out the load. They should be located so that they will stay put. Placing them next to items that have already been tied down helps, but your main concern should be to not lose the balance of the trailer. Don't forget you can also get one side of a trailer a lot heavier than the other without a little planning. This can cause a very serious problem when cornering, even causing the trailer to turn over in a sudden turn.
Top heavy loads can cause problems not only in cornering but also in hard braking. They have a tendency to make the trailer "dive" in hard braking conditions. This suddenly increases tongue weight and can decrease front axle loading just when you need steering and those big front disc brakes the most. Center top heavy items or arrange the remainder of the load to act as a counter weight to minimize this effect.
Top heavy loads can cause trailer "dive" under hard braking, possibly reducing steering and braking control.
Never place heavy objects on add-on devices hung on the rear bumper or placed across the tongue frame. A bicycle may be fine to hang out in back, but not a motorcycle. This places heavy objects where they will dramatically effect handling in corners or bumps. Heavy weights placed well behind the axle can also aggravate swaying in turns.
It is not possible in this booklet to cover every conceivable loading or trailering situation. The best advice I can give is to use good common sense and to always allow plenty of margin for safety. The purpose behind the Sherline scale and this booklet is to try to give you the necessary information to make intelligent, informed decisions when loading. The ultimate responsibility for using that information correctly lies with you and you alone.
Source: http://www.sherline.com/lmbook.htm#refrn10
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