StandUpGuy's trailer ride

[StandUpGuy]

Your trailer and mine are very similar, and I have similar issues... When unloaded.

My standie's tongue weight unloaded is about 50lbs. This was by design, so I could move it by hand (which gets plenty of odd looks from the neighbors, they think I'm superman). I can pull it out of my carport by hand, hook it up, then I load up all the cargo. Most of the cargo goes under the bed, including our grill, a couple of tarps, at least 6 chairs, dog stuff, etc. Clothes and food gets loaded in front of the axle too... Loaded on the trip we took before finishing the interior, the cargo brought our tongue weight to about 150-200lbs. I could still lift it, but only barely.

Try loading the areas underneath your bed / bench area with cargo and seeing if it behaved better.

Its a good point. I always figured since I did not have a trailer with brakes that I wanted to keep it as light as possible. My plan was to not load up the trailer with gear but rather put it in the TV. But I do have a storage area in the dinnette just in the "nose" of my trailer. I could fit a lot inside way in the nose. If I loaded it up with gear and closed the hatch and put the AC unit on top, it may be weighted enough. I should test with some dead weight in the nose and see what results I get.

[StandUpGuy]

I measured the ground clearance in the front of the trailer and at the back to find out how level the trailer is hitched.

The front is at 15.5" and the rear is 14.5" So yes the trailer is not exactly level but it is pretty darn close to level. I guess if I changed the hitch rise from 4" to 3" I would end up with the rear maybe 1/2" higher than the front. There is one other point. My trailer tires are also a little low. I am sure when they are properly inflated it will raise the back a little. I would not be surprised that if I inflated the rtires I would have a front height of 15.5" and a rear of 14.75" or so. is a 3/4" unlevel of any issue?

I also measured the tongue weight with my AC unit as I had it stowed yesterday and I have a tongue weight of 72 lbs so it was a little heavier than my guess. I still do not know my trailer weight but I do not think it is more than 1,000 lbs. So maybe a tongue weight of 150lbs would be good.

[myoung]

My recommendation is to err on the high side of tongue weight. Unless your headlights point toward the sky too much, it would be preferable for some added load on the rear of the TV and the front of the trailer.

[crpngdth2001]

Since it's the Harbor Freight trailer, you have the 'C' channel tongue members, right? I'd get two lead bars or thick steel bars that fit inside each side of the 'C' channel, about 50lbs or so each (matched side to side). A couple of bolts on each side, and an easy additional 100+ pounds of tongue weight.

[StandUpGuy]

Since it's the Harbor Freight trailer, you have the 'C' channel tongue members, right? I'd get two lead bars or thick steel bars that fit inside each side of the 'C' channel, about 50lbs or so each (matched side to side). A couple of bolts on each side, and an easy additional 100+ pounds of tongue weight.

Nice simple solution to add weight as far forward as possible.

I am going to add bricks to the front inside to test it for weight and refine what works for weight and if it solves the problem. That way I will know what my target additional weight would be and then figure out the best way to get to that weight without adding just dead weight. Meaning adding gear and such that I need anyway and then the additional I require I can add in the manner you detail here.

[kirkman]

I had the same problem after I dropped my ride height. I lengthened the tongue after Bob Henry suggested it and she towed like a champ. I also had room for a bigger tongue box so I could get all my stuff out of the inside and in there.

[StandUpGuy]

I had the same problem after I dropped my ride height. I lengthened the tongue after Bob Henry suggested it and she towed like a champ. I also had room for a bigger tongue box so I could get all my stuff out of the inside and in there.

I am a little confused. Are you saying your trailer towed fine until you changed tow vehicles to a lower one?

[KCStudly]

Why use bricks to test? Why not just weigh each piece of your camping gear as you find out how to pack it in there most efficiently? Then if the test ride goes well you have killed two proverbial birds with the one proverbial stone.

From what I understand the difference from having the tongue slightly higher than the rear vs. slightly lower can be dramatic and, perhaps all it takes to straighten out an ill handling trailer (if you are lucky), but I would say if you continue the multi prong attack you will have it licked in no time. Please do attempt all of the other tricks before resorting to dead weight, even if it means lengthening the tongue. Lengthening the tongue will help the trailer track, trail and back easier, but won't it also reduce the tongue weight ratio, since it will add relatively little weight, in effect shifting weight rearward.

[jeff0520]

If you go with the tongue extension idea, you'll have to but some foam filler in the extension tube to keep nasty flying stinging things from nesting in there. as you are filling the tube with foam, you could slide the lead bricks inside the tube and seal them in with foam. If you put them between the triangle mounting plate, and the coupler, all the bolts will prevent them from ever coming out. Presto, invisible tongue ballast.
Pics of my tongue extension:




Hope that helps

[StandUpGuy]

OK so here is where I am at this morning on the ride issue. I took the trailer out and weighed the tongue. Because it was in a different location maybe slight angle of driveway the tongue weight was 81 lbs. So I then went in the trailer and relocated the AC unit from the floor to the seat up in fhe very nose of the trailer. I then weighed the tongue and it jumped to 99 lbs. Frankly I was shocked at the difference. I guess my dinette nose is the same as a TD tongue box in location forward. So then I started adding more weight in the nose and got to 134 lbs.. I went for a test drive and there was a big improvement. On the side streets with the little dips it did not buck on the small ones and on the bigger one it bucked once and stopped. I went and filled the tires with air as they were low. This no doubt brought the trailer up slightly in the back. I then went on more roads and up to 45 mph. I noticed that going over bumps at slow speed was more of an issue than when going over them at higher speeds.

[StandUpGuy]

I had the same problem after I dropped my ride height. I lengthened the tongue after Bob Henry suggested it and she towed like a champ. I also had room for a bigger tongue box so I could get all my stuff out of the inside and in there.

I think I understand now. You lowered your trailer height by adjusting or flipping the springs right? I was wqondering the opposite. Could I block up my springs a little to raise my trailer slightly. I have concerns about the trailers original fenders that I have in place. They have mounting bolds inside the fender pointing down at the tire. There is not enough clearance and I am afraid a big bump would push the tire into the bolts. I would actually like a little increased ground clearance anyway. If I raised the trailer frome off of the springs by just .5" I think that would raise the rear end of the trailer also a bit. That would be a good thing.

[StandUpGuy]

Here is the trailer and TV from the side on level ground. As you can see it is pretty level. but the back end can come up a bit.

[kirkman]

I had the same problem after I dropped my ride height. I lengthened the tongue after Bob Henry suggested it and she towed like a champ. I also had room for a bigger tongue box so I could get all my stuff out of the inside and in there.

I am a little confused. Are you saying your trailer towed fine until you changed tow vehicles to a lower one?

Your right I lowered the ride height of my trailer so it fit in the slip stream of my TV better. When I did that my tear towed REALLY bad.
I think after looking at the pic of your trailer hooked to your van if you replaced your hitch with a straight bar one you might be fine. That would lower the nose of your trailer at least 3" Try that first its the cheapest option. Then raising your ride height with you springs should help even more.
I would still lengthen the tongue.

[StandUpGuy]

I had the same problem after I dropped my ride height. I lengthened the tongue after Bob Henry suggested it and she towed like a champ. I also had room for a bigger tongue box so I could get all my stuff out of the inside and in there.

I am a little confused. Are you saying your trailer towed fine until you changed tow vehicles to a lower one?

Your right I lowered the ride height of my trailer so it fit in the slip stream of my TV better. When I did that my tear towed REALLY bad.
I think after looking at the pic of your trailer hooked to your van if you replaced your hitch with a straight bar one you might be fine. That would lower the nose of your trailer at least 3" Try that first its the cheapest option. Then raising your ride height with you springs should help even more.
I would still lengthen the tongue.

I thought the idea was to be level or only slightly higher in the back. My rise is 4" for the hitch. If I went with a straight tube that would be an extremely radicaltip downward to the front. does someone have a photograph that is the perfect example of what I should shoot for in angle of ride?

[kirkman]

Looking at your pic it looks to me as if you trailer is sitting a little nose high. That is why I suggested that. It could be your pic that makes it look that way.