Trailer Weight

[GregThePhotographer]

I'm just starting my first tear drop trailer and I'm seeing a lot, in the industry, about light trailers. To me, a light trailer would be/could be dangerous. It's my understanding that a trailer should be able to withstand a 35mph side wind. I guess depending on how light the trailer, this could be catastrophic. Even the winds generated by semi-trucks could be enough to topple a mid size trailer not to mention a tiny light weight trailer.
My trailer will be 6X10 wood and aluminum body. The trailer it sits on is 2"x3"x1/8" steel. I'm hoping it will weigh in around 1200 to 1500 pounds.
As far as my thinking about the light weight trailers verses the medium weight trailers, am I over thinking this as an issue at all?
Thank you in advance to any constructive thought anyone may share.

[tony.latham]

It's my understanding that a trailer should be able to withstand a 35mph side wind.

We were headed to Chaco Canyon in April. The winds were easily pushing 40. I stopped and looked at the forecasts. "Gust to 60 MPH." We turned around.

I don't know who came up with that 35 figure but it obviously doesn't account for a variance with tire-width to height ratio.

If you don't emphasize building light, you could end up with a 2,000-pound teardrop.



Tony

[Tomterrific]

I built mine with the lightest cheapest materials. I've towed it with a Miata. My camper is very light! You also have to take into how much gear you have in the trailer. I have a bunch thrown in on the floor/bed. This low weight must have an advantage because my trailer/camper tows straight even in a wind or violent 70mph highway manuver.

So I think you have to worry more about having the tongue weighted.

Tt

[GregThePhotographer]

Thank you Tony and Thank you Tom.

I'm not sure who came up with the 35mph side statistics either, just something I had heard years ago.
I've watched videos where smaller trailers pulled by both cars and trucks have had their trailers flip when they pass a semi-truck on the highway. Could that be from the driver of the vehicle pulling the trailer was hit with additional wind generated by the front of the semi-truck then the driver pulling the trailer over compensated for the wind and lost control?
I guess it boils down to just driving smart with a proper load distribution plan.

Thanks again gentlemen.

Greg

[KTM_Guy]

We meet up with Tony in April a few days before he was going to head to Chaco. We were driving home and had a brutal headwind almost all the way home. It was so bad when we stopped for gas and my wife couldn’t push the Jeep door open. I had to open it and help her across the driveway. I told my wife when we get to Flagstaff if the winds haven’t died down some we would camp another night there and get an early start in the morning. I was exhausted.

On the plus side the teardrop was pulling fine in the wind. I had some other Jeep issues unrelated to wind.

Tony is right about the weight creeping up on you. 2X3X1/8” is way over kill for a teardrop. I went with 2X2X1/8” for my build and after I had my frame built had my brother run some number for me ( actually he ran them on his own to show that I over build my trailer, but he came up with 2X3 16 gauge is stronger and lighter than what I used) he’s A welding engineer. My next build I would like to build mostly with aluminum but if I go steel, the frame will be 2X3 and either 16 or 14 gauge.

Have fun with your build.

Todd

[Pinstriper]

1. Side winds are more of an issue based on sail area. A tall box shape will be more affected.
2. Stability requires a wide enough wheel set to lower the center of gravity. So tall and boxy on a narrow axle would be worse.
3. Don’t be a doofus and drive over 65 with a trailer. Period.
4. A longer tongue will pull more stable than a short one.


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[John61CT]

IMO trailer frame/chassis/brakes etc should be built for strength, as light as possible but over-spec'd **for the total wet load** it is expected to carry.

The living pod carried as light as possible.

Any additional weight desired, balancing tongue weight, then water / waste / propane tanks and House batteries are easily deployed for that.

[working on it]

* Though I intended to build a lightweight trailer at first, 1000 lbs or under, I ended up going far in the other direction. I used 3/4" plywood for most of it, and 1" and 1/2" oak for interior bracing and fitments, and steel reinforcements everywhere. I load it to the max, with onboard A/C and generator, and storage boxes filled with supplies, so it's now over 2150 lbs (on my last trip). I usually tow it using a Weight Distribution hitch (especially on long trips) behind a heavy-duty pickup ('04 Chevy 2500HD), that I beefed up to haul my racecar trailer. Wind is not a problem.

* In Texas, the speed limits are 75 mph, and the best way to drive without incident here is to keep up with traffic, so I usually go 70-75 mph (but have been known to go faster, while passing in some situations). I keep my vehicles in top condition (trailer, too), and use LT tires on all, so typical "may-pop" trailer tire worries are now gone. I've towed larger trailers thousands of miles, so my small 4x8 is almost negligible behind my truck, semi's passing isn't noticed, and towing it is a breeze. I really don't think that I'd like a lightweight trailer back there, now. And didn't one TTT forum member have their foamie blow over once?

[RJ Howell]

I'm just starting my first tear drop trailer and I'm seeing a lot, in the industry, about light trailers. To me, a light trailer would be/could be dangerous. It's my understanding that a trailer should be able to withstand a 35mph side wind. I guess depending on how light the trailer, this could be catastrophic. Even the winds generated by semi-trucks could be enough to topple a mid size trailer not to mention a tiny light weight trailer.
My trailer will be 6X10 wood and aluminum body. The trailer it sits on is 2"x3"x1/8" steel. I'm hoping it will weigh in around 1200 to 1500 pounds.
As far as my thinking about the light weight trailers verses the medium weight trailers, am I over thinking this as an issue at all?
Thank you in advance to any constructive thought anyone may share.

First; I don't believe you cud build light enough for a semi passing you to topple it, well unless you really mis-weighted you loads. I do mean really mis-weighted and if so you would topple it by towing it. Sway is the word.

Can you go too long or too short on the tongue, ya you can! Tongue length is according to the TV and turning (jack-knife) position. Longer will increase backing in difficulty. To short and you can't back in or even shorter, can't turn out your driveway. Base your length accordingly.

Winds; Well, there's reaches a point of just not towing. Everyone goes through figuring out high a wind is too much. I was exposed to a 40 knot wind on the coast of Gaspe. That was too much for comfort. We all get there! Wider the stance, hub distance, the better. Factor that against what region your in or plan to travel.

Side wall/sail area; I liked what another said about sail area. I relate easily to this. My ultimate build will be a pop-top. Reduce the area of sail while traveling and have the comforts of a 'standee'. Hey, why not, make it comfortable to change clothes. We are building these to our likings, right?

Just my thoughts. Toss them as you wish.

[GregThePhotographer]

Thanks everyone for all of your input. You've all given me a lot to think about.

Safe Travels

[printer]

* In Texas, the speed limits are 75 mph, and the best way to drive without incident here is to keep up with traffic, so I usually go 70-75 mph (but have been known to go faster, while passing in some situations).

Oh oh. I plan on going down to Texas in spring and was hoping pulling a trailer with my car at 60 mph would be a good target.

[bobhenry]

No one has mentioned wheel placement yet. 60 / 40 is a good rule 65 / 35 is better. What this means is that 60 percent of the BODY of the trailer is forward of the wheels and 40 percent is aft. With a real well appointed rear galley the 65 / 35 is better. As mentioned the tongue length is a factor and longer is better within the capacity if the material used.

[Shadow Catcher]

One thing to remember is that you are building and airplane not a tank. The frame on our tear is 1 X 1.5 X 0.025 aluminum I can stand on it and have. The walls are Filon on 1/8" plywood. I have driven it into 40 MPH wind at 70 MPH. Some of the locations we camp there are windy.

[Vtec44]

My trailer is fairly light now after some weight reduction, just under 1500lbs. I think the distribution of weight is also important, on the trailer and trailer's tongue itself. I try to put heavy stuff as low as possible and have about 10-15% of the trailer's weight on the tongue. I also welded a friction anti sway kit as a safety measure.

[working on it]

No one has mentioned wheel placement yet. 60 / 40 is a good rule 65 / 35 is better. What this means is that 60 percent of the BODY of the trailer is forward of the wheels and 40 percent is aft. With a real well appointed rear galley the 65 / 35 is better. As mentioned the tongue length is a factor and longer is better within the capacity if the material used.

My trailer is fairly light now after some weight reduction, just under 1500lbs. I think the distribution of weight is also important, on the trailer and trailer's tongue itself. I try to put heavy stuff as low as possible and have about 10-15% of the trailer's weight on the tongue. I also welded a friction anti sway kit as a safety measure.

* I failed to mention that my TTT has/had an inherent balance problem, that could've been hazardous to tow at highway speeds, if I wasn't aware of it beforehand. After I stretched my 60" long frame out to 96" (mistakenly adding 12" on front and 24" to the rear, which changed the previous 60/40 fr/rr proportion to 55/45), I knew I'd need some added weight/mass on the tongue to counterbalance it. So, I put the spare tire there, atop the lengthened/strengthened tongue. Using the "trailer balance worksheet", I started to add my necessary equipment in the galley/storage area, but doing so, the worksheet showed that my tongue weight fell to zero lbs. Obviously, I'd need more changes to increase tongue weight before travel.

* Moved the battery into a small toolbox I had mounted to the tongue, as an interim solution until a properly-sized box could be found. Then fabricated a piece to be able to use a single spring-bar from my larger trailer's Weight Distributing hitch, to pull the nose-high TTT tongue down, and achieve effective balance, with the still light tongue weight-total weight ratio of 7%. To increase that weight, I strapped a cooler and 1 or 2 Aquatainers to an E-track I had previously installed on the front cabin wall (my TT is registered as a cargo/utility trailer, afterall), adding enough forward weight to change the apparent tw ratio to 10-11%. That worked until I found a larger box for the front.

* Always adding more gear, and trying to make camping set-up and loading/unloading easier, I also modified my towing arrangement as the weight balance "forward movement program" progressed. I finally eliminated the need for hauling my water/cooler inside the cabin, and also levelled the nose-high condition of the tongue (with a drop-shank). With the tongue weight now over 260 lbs (scaled) and the trailer weight now at 2200 lbs (estimated), the tw ratio is about 11-12%. At that ratio, and having levelled the stance of the trailer, using my WD spring-bar is no longer a necessity. I'll only use it on long trips, or where I know I'll have a drive-thru spot reserved (it's a bear to install/remove, requiring two jacks).

* That's the story of a planned-to-be lightweight trailer morphing into a neutronium-weight TTT, first spurred-on by the desire to make it tow well, despite errors in construction and additional gear accumulation. It could happen to you! (a tale for Halloween)

small tongue box and WD hitch as solution to imbalance of trailer.JPG (112.21 KiB) Viewed 2033 times

increasing tongue weight, by using 1 or 2 Aquatainers, and large cooler strapped to front wall E-track.JPG (99.46 KiB) Viewed 2033 times

level trailer with final storage box solution.JPG (113.98 KiB) Viewed 2033 times