axle placement

[SteveA]

got a questions for the gurus.
I don't weld so back in September I had a guy weld up a 5 x 10 frame for me and we had an agreemant that when the tears all built that he would move the axle if needed.
I did go and weigh it yesterday just out of curiosity to see what it weighs so far and it came up with 1380# [a little heavier than I had thought] with 130# tongue weight.
I still need to put a few more little things on it and put the food and cooler in the back and fill up the tongue box.
There will be more weight going into the tongue box than the galley so it looks like I will be having the guy move the axle a little forward.
I'm guessing that we'll have 50 to 70# in the galley and about 100 to maybe 120# in the tongue box. Those are of course real rough guesstimates.
whew that's a lot of typing for me.
Now my question is -- is there a way to find out how far to move the axle to get the % right on the tongue?
I have heard that you want approx. 10% of your GVW on your tongue.
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Steve

[eamarquardt]

Shooting for a tongue weight of 10-15 percent is only a guideline (IMHO). Too little tounge weight is DANGEROUS as the trailer will tend to ocillate if the "stars are in alignment" (as in the right conditions exist) which is very likely.

Too much tongue weight (again IMHO) is not a problem if:

a) The tongue of the trailer is strong enough.
b) The hitch can take it
c) The rear end of the tow vehicle can take it and too much weight is not transferred off of the front wheels.

Fifth wheel trailer have lots of "tongue weight".

I'd suggest you "load er up" and see how she flies (but only if you have sufficient tongue weight, too light and the "test flight" could be hazardous)! Then, if you are not happy with the result you can adjust. If you decide to adjust, I'd hook up the trailer to the tow vehicle and then support the trailer frame with a jack stand on each side to determine where the axle should be to get the tongue weight you are looking for.

There you have it, again, the "world according to Gus". You are, of course, free to disagree.

Cheers,

Gus

[Carter]

I agree with Gus,
You are just about where you want to be. My guess is the galley will get heavier as all the little necessities are added. Unless you are pulling it with something really small an extra few pounds up there won't hurt.Try it, you might like it.

As always, my uneducated opinion.

Jim

[bobhenry]

You just won the lottery , leave it alone. Mine on Chubby is too far forward and at 68 MPH he starts dancing all over the interstate. Too far back is just a few more pounds on the tow vehicle. Toss the pop up in the sleepy side behind the axle with the cast iron and mount the battery in the galley if need be, but ya really did well to come that close.

Just my 2 cents

[SteveA]

You all just made my whole day with those comments.
The thing is I can't go camping till I get the fenders on and I can't put the fenders on till I get the tongue weight figured out.
So I say again, you all just made my whole day with your comments.
I have a 1/2 ton pick-up so there's no problem with the tow rig being too small.
I do have the batteries in the galley, actually they are 2 all lead batteries and we'll put the dutch ovens in the tongue box.
So maybe I did just win the lottery. At least for the first time at building a teardrop and getting the weight that close with-out trying.
Thank you again for all the GOOOOD info.
Steve

[Nobody]

The other posters are all correct. At 1380# or thereabouts, a tongue weight of around 200# ain't too much (15% or so). With a good tongue jack that has a 'dolly' wheel, the TD will still be movable by hand & if you still feel the tongue wt is too much/too little a little judicious shifting of some 'cargo' will smooth things out very well.

[SteveA]

Well we got the tear all loaded today and went to the scales to weigh it and the total weight came to a whopping 1720#, a lot more than I had expected.
I weighed the tongue before we left and it was 239#.
So with our math skills, and a calculator, we came up with the decision that we're right about 15%. Give or take a little.
It seemed to trail real good behind and even on bumps on a rough road, it seemed to ride pretty smooth.
I am still able to move it around by hand, even with the hard rubber wheel on it. I might have to lube the swival action on the tongue wheel though cause it sure don't want to turn very easy, but hey, if that's all I have to complain about I'm a happy camper.
Now if I'm wrong about the tongue weight of 239# being around 15% of 1720#, please let me know.
If I'm right, then I'm putting on the fenders and taking our brand new built by us teardrop camping on its maiden voyage.
Thank you all very much.
Steve

[eamarquardt]

Now if I'm wrong about the tongue weight of 239# being around 15% of 1720#, please let me know. Steve

Actually 13.85%. But as Klatu said: "I find it works well enough to get me from one planet to another".

Meaing: Close enough.

If you are not familiar with the quote:

http://www.retrojunk.com/movie/quotes/3 ... till-1951/

Another good quote from the movie: "I'm impatient with stupidity. My people have learned to live without it."

Good work and you can also fine tune by moving stuff around a bit.

Cheers,

Gus

[gregp136]

May the teardrop Gods shine on "The Little Tin Can" and bless me with a tongue weight of 10 to 15%.


Congradulations on a job well done!




Greg(and Laurie)

[bobhenry]

Well we got the tear all loaded today and went to the scales to weigh it and the total weight came to a whopping 1720#, a lot more than I had expected.
I weighed the tongue before we left and it was 239#.
So with our math skills, and a calculator, we came up with the decision that we're right about 15%. Give or take a little.
It seemed to trail real good behind and even on bumps on a rough road, it seemed to ride pretty smooth.
I am still able to move it around by hand, even with the hard rubber wheel on it. I might have to lube the swival action on the tongue wheel though cause it sure don't want to turn very easy, but hey, if that's all I have to complain about I'm a happy camper.
Now if I'm wrong about the tongue weight of 239# being around 15% of 1720#, please let me know.
If I'm right, then I'm putting on the fenders and taking our brand new built by us teardrop camping on its maiden voyage.
Thank you all very much.
Steve

Steve just a real dumb question did you weigh the tongue at towing height or just rest the tongue on the bathroom scales. The reason I ask is as the trailer tips up the weight transfers to the rear and it can weigh considerably less at tow height than at the ground. Chubby is tough to lift from the ground but at tow height I can balance him on 2 fingers so I do not have ENOUGH tongue weight. At chest high I can wheel him around anywhere I want to go but have to hold down on the tongue. If you didn't weigh him at your tow height weigh him again and let us know your findings. I think it will surprise a lot of people.

[SteveA]

First off I want to give a BIG thank you to all your good words, sure makes a rookie feel good.
And Bobhenry, as far as the dumb question, well with me being a rookie I've been told that there are NO dumb questions.
I did just now go out and try your idea. I did weigh it pretty close to the towing height to begin with cause all I did was bring it up enough to clear the ball, but this time I did lower it to the towing height, then lower it another 2", the height of the bathroom scales, so when I weigh it, the ball would be right at towing height, and it did change it from 239# to 248#.
So just a few inches did make a little differance. That was a big surprise to me.

[bobhenry]

248 / 1720 = 14.4 %

And a full size pick up

" you have done well grasshopper " !

[SteveA]

Thank you ol' mighty guru.
You all have been a VERY VERY big help to this measley lowly peasant.
I just wish I could say I planned it that way, but I think we all know that it was just dumb luck.
I guess that as long as it worked out the way that it's supposed to, then I'm a happy camper.
And we ARE going to take it on its maiden voyage this Sunday for a few days since we're on vacation for a week.
I've been building this teardrop since October and have had to cancell 3 camping reservations so far.
So you see how excited I am at finally getting to take it camping.
Thank you again.
Steve