Frame Question

[Postal_Dave]

I think I've got the stupid question of the day.

When trying to put a 9 foot long frame on an 8 foot long trailer, is it better to have the extra foot hanging off the back of the trailer, or center the frame on the trailer?
The design is something like a weekender.

Thanks guys.

[H-Balm]

Well, you could go 1/2 in front and 1/2 back.
I guess it matters on your weight dispersal.

I would make sure to do some math using the tongue weight and axle location formulas. If too much weight hits the wrong area, you could have a very difficult to move trailer.

Look for the stickies, and do searches on the topic.

[Steve_Cox]

Dave,

Like H-Balm said, it is about where the axle is and the weight fore and aft of it.

[Postal_Dave]

Since this is my first build, I'm not sure how much it is going to weigh or where a balance point would be. I'd like about a 50 - 60 pound tongue weight.

I'm using the 5 X 8 Northern Tool, bolt together trailer. The axle is 3 feet from the rear. The galley will have a fridge and a few extras. The body style is something like the Weekender.

Originally, I was thinking 6 inches off the front and back. However, I'm not sure what that would do to the turning radius of the trailer if the front corner of the trailer was moved up another 6 inches. I don't want to turn too sharp and crush the corner of the camper with the tail light of my truck.

So I'm looking for opinions from people experienced with these trailers before I make a mistake.

Thanks again guys for all your help.
Dave

[bobhenry]

These little cargo trailers are balanced almost 50 / 50 great for cargo but not so great for a teardrop. We have about 5 threads going on extending the tongues on these trailers and I would strongly recommend it. If you have any doubts try backing it into your driveway you will soon understand. I have come to the conclusion that 65 / 35 is passable and 70 / 30 is even better.

I here your confusion.

Your trailer is 108" [9 foot x 12"] so 70 percent in front of axle would be about 75" with 30 percent rear of axle is 33" +/- . We are just talking about the box of the build. The easiest way to reach this is to extend the tongue.

[Kevin & Sandy]

Sometimes it is easier to make the addition in length wherever you want, lengthen the tongue however you want, build the TD in the style you want, THEN relocate the axle last to get your balance PERFECT!!!

Well it won't be the LAST thing if you want fenders!

[asianflava]

It will also depend on your profile. For example, my TD is a 5x10, but the frame is only 8ft long. That extra length comes from the arc in the front and back. Other profiles don't have that overhang.

You'll probably still have to move the axle aft because TDs are typically tail heavy due to the galley. There isn't much in the front to weigh them down.

[angib]

To get the best balance for a teardrop, you would want to put all the overhang at the front.

That gets you into the problem that the front of the body is getting quite close to the tow vehicle, and could cause problems in tight turns. That's where a longer tongue would help.

But if you look at (travel) trailers, they tend to have short tongues and yet they get by, so this isn't a show-stopper.

[Postal_Dave]

ARGH! I feel like an idiot. Bob and everybody mentioning the length of the tongue made me think about tongue clearance. I checked the width of my Explorer and from the ball it's 33 inches to the side edge. Then going from the end of the tongue, I had 40 inches of clearance till I hit the trailer. So I'm going to have plenty of room to put 6 inches off the front and back and still make sharp turns.

Thankfully, it is a bolt together frame. In order to have the 70/30 ratio for the length, I'm going to have to move the axle back at least a foot. Since I know I'm going to have to move the axle, I'll be able to adjust it until I find a comfortable tongue weight for moving it in the garage. Then I'll drill new holes and bolt it back together.

Well, just a couple of things left to iron out and I hope to be able to start my build this weekend. Wish me luck, and once again, Thank you all for your help.
Dave.

[unimogdave]

If you have a truck with a receiver hitch, the ball mount will also be a few inches back of the bumper. If you have a bumper hitch, then you tongue will be a couple inches less then your calculation. Not sure what a teardrop weighs but I can imagine that 60 lbs on the tongue will not make for a comfortable tow. You should look for 12-15% of trailer weight on the tongue. (600 lb trailer=90lbs on the tongue) Good thing is, after you build the trailer, you can always add a battery or tool box to the tongue to get the balance you need.