How to Determine Loaded Trailer Tongue Weight for Selecting Properly-Rated Trunnion Spring Bars

Question

Question:

I have a Gulfstream Vista Criuiser 19ERD towed by a VW Touareg TDI with a CanAm reinforced hitch. The GS dealer set it up with an E2 WD hitch using 1200# square bars. The trailer is listed at 3100lbs dry, 4300 loaded, with a 390lb tongue weight. Should I be using a lesser rated set of bars to give more flex? Thanks for any help.

asked by: Stephen S

0

Expert Reply:

A weight distribution hitch like the Fastway e2 system # FA92-00-1200 works over a range of trailer tongue weight (TW), usually a range of several hundred pounds. This particular system has an operating range of 800- to 1200-lbs of trailer tongue weight making it perfect for a total TW of about 1000-lbs. Based on the specs you mentioned if this is what you have it may well be over-rated for your trailer's actual loaded TW.

Do please note that the weight of any cargo in the tow vehicle that sits behind the rear axle will appear to the WD system to be tongue weight and this cargo weight does need to be added to the actual loaded trailer TW to give you the effective total. For example, if your fully-loaded trailer TW is 400-lbs and the vehicle has 200-lbs of behind-the-rear-axle cargo weight then that gives you a total effective TW of 600-lbs. If you have system # FA92-00-1200 then it is indeed over-rated. But if the 390-lb TW figure is with the trailer empty then that could make a big difference.

The best way to know your actual loaded TW is to use the scale # e99044. Pease see the linked video. This avoids the hassle of towing the trailer to a weigh station. Better still, use of the scale will over time help you find the ideal loading scheme for all items that will routinely go into it. Ideally a loaded trailer will have TW in the range of 12 to 14 percent of its gross weight.

We do offer replacement spring bars with various weight ratings that you can see on the linked page. Spring bars # FA92-01-1099, for instance, are rated for total TW of 600- to 1000-lbs and so would be ideal for a total effective TW of 800-lbs.

expert reply by: Adam R

0

click to enlarge

Answer 1

The Battery Isolation Solenoid, #PK5231201, is not the same thing as a starter solenoid or the Ford solenoid but could be used in a similar way. This solenoid is intended to isolate the power to the trailer so it doesn't drain the battery of your…

view full answer...

Answer 2

The hitch weight of 485 pounds that you found listed for your new trailer refers to its tongue weight when empty. Trailer manufactures will almost always use the empty weight for this number and the 485 pounds also matches up to its 4,000 pound total…

view full answer...

Answer 3

Brake controllers are not vehicle specific. A wide variety of brake controllers will work for your 2013 Toyota Tundra. If you have a factory 7-way, then there are vehicle specific wiring harnesses to make installation easier. You can find those using…

view full answer...

Answer 4

The vehicle battery will only provide a maintenance charge to the camper battery. It will not increase the camper battery charge level. When the camper connector is plugged into the vehicle, the vehicle's battery is supplying power to the camper,…

view full answer...

Answer 5

A 4-Way trailer connector has the basic lighting functions only; running lights, left turn signal and brake lights, right turn signal and brake lights, and ground. A 7-Way has these functions and a 12 volt circuit, a circuit for electric trailer…

view full answer...

Answer 6

The Curt Echo Trailer Brake Controller #C51180 won't itself provide any charge to your trailer mounted battery, but you certainly can still have a 12V power wire ran from the 7-Way to the battery for this purpose with the Echo in place. The Echo…

view full answer...

Answer 7

When it comes to installing The Redarc Tow-Pro Liberty #RED52VR if there is no trailer connected, the active calibration may occur as normal without any indication from the LED., provided your brake light trigger point is active when there is no…

view full answer...

Answer 8

The biggest difference between the two Redarc brake controllers is that the Tow-Pro Elite #RED44FR has a proportional control and user controlled mode you can switch between, while the Tow-Pro Liberty #RED24FR has just the proportional mode. The…

view full answer...

Answer 9

Congrats on your new trailer. To add a brake controller to your 2010 Toyota Tacoma, I highly recommend the Redarc Tow-Pro Liberty Brake Controller item #RED52VR. This is a proportional brake controller that will engage your trailer's brakes when…

view full answer...

Answer 10

The key to weight distribution is not to have an exact percentage of the weight transferred to either of the axles. The whole goal behind all of if it is to have your tow vehicle sit as level as possible so that it will brake and handle the best…

view full answer...

Answer 11

The best way to pick out a weight distribution system is to base it off of the loaded tongue weight of the setup when it is loaded and ready to tow. This figure also includes the weight of any cargo behind the rear axle of the tow vehicle. I attached…

view full answer...

Answer 12

The difference between the Class II and Class III hitches has to do with their Gross Trailer Weight (GTW), their Tongue Weight (TW), and their Hitch Receiver Size. Class II trailer hitch receivers have a 1-1/4 inch receiver and can be rated up to…

view full answer...