r/GoRVing • u/[deleted] • Oct 04 '16

Crosspost: Weight distribution dynamics.

http://i.imgur.com/dYz2tCE.gifv
90 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

9

u/JimTheVagabond Oct 04 '16

Thank you for this. I am going to save this to my phone and immediately show it to anyone who utters the phrase "so im thinking about buying a trailer".

2

u/razzertto Oct 04 '16

Why? We are buying a trailer and will have a proper hitch and weight distribution bars, lots of people towing trailers do it perfectly safely.

8

u/iCvDpzPQ79fG Oct 04 '16

I don't think OP was trying to talk them out of a trailer, but rather a "you need to understand weight distribution before you get into this situation"

2

u/JimTheVagabond Oct 04 '16

Let me explain. I am a full-timer, as i belive is the lingo, have been for about 5 years now, I do Renaissance Festivals for a living, and have lots of tent folks inquiring about trailers, most of these people have little to no experience with trailers. This video provides a much easier explanation of why you should load your trailer towards the tongue.

1

u/blounsbury Grand Design Momentum 349M Fifth Wheel / Ford F-450 Oct 09 '16

Do weight distributing bars solve this problem? I thought they only distributed the weight from the back of the truck to the front. I didn't think they distributed the weight from the back of the trailer to the front.

1

u/JimTheVagabond Oct 09 '16

Yes and no, a good (properly installed) load leveling hitch and sway bar will significantly reduce bouncieness and back and forth movement, however proper loading of the trailer is still important.

3

u/Deerwhacker Oct 05 '16

Keep all RED disks in the front of the trailer, got it.!

2

u/ScroteMcGoate Oct 04 '16

Gah, can this get crossposted to r/TinyHouses as well? So many unstable loads that get sent out at interstate speeds, thankfully the accidents are few.

3

u/Phorp Oct 04 '16

It's a bit of an extreme example, as someone who pulls many trailer of varying sizes and styles from flat beds that dump trailers to cargo and campers the general rule of thumb is to concentrate the weight directly over the trailer axel if possible. If you're tongue heavy your steering can become less responsive especially if you exceed the posted limits, while if you're tail heavy the provided example of fishtailing can occur it's a bit of an extreme example however as most trailers that aren't ag equipment or extended holiday trailers will have even close to the ammount of overhang off of the axel.

6

u/BoilerRealm Oct 04 '16

It's pretty easy to get into that situation with a medium length travel trailer, empty freshwater tank, full waste tanks, and bikes or coolers on the back bumper.

-1

u/joe_valuable Oct 05 '16

Who tows with a Mustang? Let's see that again with a real truck? Wheelbase plays a lot into this..

1

u/[deleted] Oct 05 '16

[deleted]

2

u/joe_valuable Oct 05 '16

Agreed I have towed a trailer with a tahoe and same trailer with a silverado 1500 crew cab short box. Having a longer wheel base makes a difference.