Click Here to Begin Slideshow
Over the past couple of issues, we took a dive into truck capacity along with open trailers. This time around, we’ll focus on tongue weight, hitches and trailer “trim” (for a lack of a better term). Some of what follows might be surprising – even for seasoned towing veterans:
The height of the tongue (yes, the height) as well as tongue weight play very important rolls when it comes to trailer towing. Obviously, the tongue weight of the trailer cannot exceed the maximum for the truck and receiver hitch/platform. Similarly, it cannot exceed the maximum weight for the trailer. Too little tongue weight can cause trailer sway, and too much tongue weight can create shaky tow vehicle performance. Here you can encounter difficulty steering or braking when driving a setup that has too much weight bearing down on the back end of the tow vehicle. Ultimately, towing with the wrong tongue weight can cause you to lose control of the tow vehicle or just as bad, allow the trailer to separate from the hitch. Not good.
There are a couple of ways to determine tongue weight. One is to use a pricey tongue weight scale. To use it, you must check the loaded weight of your trailer tongue, with the trailer loaded, but not hooked up to your truck. Not really a great feeling in my book. It’s also possible to check tongue weight using a public weigh scale. Since I have a GMC truck this is how they explain the process:
“Ensuring your trailer is properly balanced is key, and can easily be verified by visiting a public scale and weighing your vehicle and trailer a few times. In order to check your tongue weight, follow these steps:
• Load your vehicle and trailer as they would be for your trip, and hitch the trailer to the tow vehicle
• Drive the tow vehicle onto the scale platform so its wheels are on the scale, but do not pull the trailer tires onto the scale. The resulting figure is will be known as the “combined” weight.
• After pulling off the scale, disconnect the trailer, and re-weigh only your tow vehicle on the scale. The resulting figure will be known as the “solo” weight.
• Subtract the second figure (solo weight) from the first (combined weight) in order to determine your current tongue weight.”
It’s also possible to figure out tongue weight with a basic bathroom scale. Here, you use a specific length (usually 4 feet) of 2X4 wood to act as a scale beam, and it works to distribute the load from the tongue onto a bathroom scale. Four feet times the weight reading of the scale equals tongue weight.
In my humble opinion, it might be best to go the scale with an empty truck and figure out the weight. Once you have the trailer loaded, then go the scale. This way, the loaded trailer doesn’t have to be uncoupled from the truck.
How much tongue weight is ok and how much is bad? This is from Weigh Safe hitches: “Tongue weight refers to the weight that the fully loaded trailer exerts downward on the hitch ball of the tow vehicle. Tongue weight is typically 10 percent – and should not exceed 15 percent – of your gross trailer weight. For example, a 10,000-lb trailer should have a tongue weight between 1,000 lbs and 1,500 lbs. You can adjust the tongue weight of your trailer by removing or adding cargo or redistributing the load on the trailer. The tongue weight should not exceed the capacity of your tow vehicle, your hitch, or any of your towing components.”
This is where the trailer hitch from Weigh Safe enters the equation. These hitches actually have a built in scale that measures tongue weight. With the built-in scale, determining tongue weight is as easy as coupling your trailer to your ball mount. After verifying that your drop hitch receiver is the correct height (we’ll get into that in a moment), simply hook-up your trailer to the Weigh Safe ball mount just as you would any other ball mount. The trailer weight forces down on the hitch ball. This pushes down on an internal hydraulic piston that sits on a bed of oil. When the piston drops into the oil, the pressure reading is sent out to the gauge.
In my application, a tongue weight of between 500 to 760 pounds is safe. And as mentioned above, it’s easy to get there by moving the car or other load back and forth on the trailer deck before it’s tied down
When measuring tongue weight, both the truck and the trailer must be on flat, level ground. This ensures weight gauge reads accurately. If the rig is on a slant or if there are grade changes it will compromise the gauge accuracy. According to Weigh Safe once the trailer coupler is mounted over the tow ball, move the empty trailer frame back and forth to reduce friction. This is why it’s a good idea to grease the coupler/trailer hitch ball. The tow ball and trailer coupler must also be bounced a couple of times to reduce friction and get an accurate tongue weight reading. By the way, the Weigh Safe Gauge is accurate to +/- 1.25% over the full range of the scale, which works out to +/- 50 LBS accuracy.
Hitch height is critical too. For best trailer and tow rig performance it’s important to adjust the height of the hitch so that the trailer is level to the ground, front to back. To accomplish this, simply measure the distance to the ground on the front and rear of the trailer frame and adjust the coupler height in order to make both measurements the same.
Weigh Safe takes it one step further: “For tandem “independent” trailer axles (typical of the trailers we use), the height of your hitch does affect your tongue weight. If your trailer coupler is too high, the tongue weight increases, and your back axle tires will receive more weight. If your trailer coupler is too low, your tongue weight will read less and increase the weight on the front axle tires. Without being level, tongue weight will not read true, and your tires will wear faster and unevenly.”
Weigh Safe offers drop hitches in 4-inch, 6-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch drop height options. All are adjustable in terms of drop height. For all types of hitches the drop is measured from the top of the receiver bar to the top of the ball housing. Weigh Safe manufactures drop hitches in 2-inch, 2.5-inch and 3-inch drawbar shaft sizes. They’re available in welded steel or 6061 T6 billet aluminum. Where steel hitches are tubular, the billet aluminum hitches are solid. 2-inch and 2-5/16-inch billet stainless steel tow balls are included with the hitch assemblies. With a 2-inch ball, the tow weight rating works out to 8,000 pounds. With a 2-5/6-inch ball, the tow weight rating works out to 12,500 pounds for a 2-inch drawbar shaft; 18,500 pounds for a 2.5-inch drawbar shaft and 21,000 pounds for a 3-inch drawbar shaft. Maximum tongue weight capability works out to 1,500 pounds for a 2-inch shaft and 2,200 pounds for 2.5-inch and 3-inch shafts.
Many adjustable hitches make use of a single pin to affix the coupler to the drawbar. The Weigh Safe is different. It incorporates a locking dual pin system. By the way, drop height adjustment is in 1-inch increments.
Another thing to consider with the Weigh Safe hitch is the way the ball attaches. Rather than a threaded ball held with place with a nut and lock washer, Weigh Safe uses a separate internal pin to retain the ball. In order to access the pin, the coupler must first be removed from the drawbar. See the accompanying photos for more info.
Next time around, we’ll fast forward to tie downs and tie down accessories. Here too, things have changed over the years. Watch for it.
Click Here to Begin Slideshow
On my shop floor: A conventional steel drop receiver hitch drawbar versus a new billet aluminum Weigh Safe hitch. Aside from the adjustable drops (rather common) the Weigh Safe has a built in tongue weight gauge. And that’s not the only feature.
This Weigh Safe hitch is billet aluminum and yes, it’s just as tough as steel. You can get a similar hitch in steel, but it’s steel tubing. The aluminum jobs are solid. Note the gauge on the hitch.
There’s a rubber cover on the outside of the Weigh Safe. Remove it and you’ll find a locking pin system. It consists of two steel pins for hitch coupler height adjustment (many other hitches use a single, non-locking pin). The coupler can move up or down in 1-inch increments. This particular example is a six-inch example, but they’re also available in 4-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch drop lengths. Since it locks, no one can steal a piece of your hitch coupler.
With the hitch disassembled you’ll discover a pin inside the coupler. You can’t access it unless the coupler is separated from the hitch. A pin inserted through the hole captures the ball.
Here’s a look at the pin and the ball. No more fighting with huge by large nuts and usually broken lock washers to hold the pin in place.
The hitches are supplied with two trailer hitch balls. With this hitch, they’re 2-inches along with 2-5/16-inches respectively. The balls are machined from stainless steel billet.
Ensuring the trailer is level is important. I measure the front and the back of the trailer. To adjust the height, you use the adjustable hitch coupler. There’s more info in the text.
Here’s the Weigh Safe hitch setup installed. The scale is covered by the electrical cable but you get the idea. It’s simply an awesome, made in the USA setup.
This is the flipside of the hitch on the truck. You can see the optional Weigh Safe drawbar pin. It’s a locking configuration and it too is manufactured from billet stainless steel.
