Should Axle Locations of Tandem Trailer Get Moved If Theres Not Enough Tongue Weight

Question:

I’ve got a dual axle trailer with pretty much no tounge weight unless it sits higher at the front and all the weight would be on the back axle. I’m thinking the axles need to be moved back but can I just put a weighed down box on the front? To give me that tounge weight and still have equal weight on the axles?

asked by: Kjeld

Expert Reply:

When the trailer is sitting level the weight between the two axles will be equal to each other assuming the cargo weight of the trailer is loaded properly. That's what the equalizers are designed to do and why they are important to trailer suspension.

When positioning axles on a trailer you want to have them located so that the tongue weight of the trailer ends up being 10-15 percent of the total trailer weight. I attached a picture that will help you figure out how far you'd have to move your axles if they did need to be moved.

expert reply by: Jameson C