Tongue height question

[bassboy1]

There seems to be a debate going on at my house on why the tongue needs to be level. We agree on the fact that a high tongue will indeed cause a trailer to sway. But, the argument is why. One side of the argument says that a high tongue has less tongue weight. The other side says the side to side movement of the tire is even on a level trailer but when it is too high the axle camber will cause the wheels to steer outward. Side number 2 also said that the tongue weight does not change drastically enough in the height of a dropped and a rise trailer hitch. Do either of our solutions hold water or are we both talking bullfeathers?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Tongue height question

There are a couple of things one should consider before debating any issue. 1) Never say never, and 2) always is not always true. Just because the tongue is high does not automatically mean sway will occur. Nor does it mean it won't. Raising or lowering the tongue lessens and increases tongue weight. It can be calculated but one would need all the trailer specs and typical loading numbers to do it. Consider that many trailers use axles with dropped spindles. Mine for example has a 4 inch drop. Raise the tongue and the spindle now lags the centerline of the axle. Granted, not by much but it no longer operates as intended. As you suggested, the camber of the axle now exerts an additional force that is different than its intended purpose. Weight, speed, degree of tongue height, and a host of factors would affect how the trailer towed. The idea though is to keep it level. Slightly hgh or low will not typically be a problem. Way high will very likely be an issue.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Tongue height question

not being level also increases tire wear. i bought a trailer that had been pull by a jacked up 4x4, with the ball on the bumper. the outside edges of the tires were so wave the looked like a roller coaster. he did not understand why the trailer vibrated so much.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Tongue height question

The main argument here was whether tongue weight noticeably changes when raised or lowered. I sayed the weight changes. My dad says that the weight is still the same but other factors cause the sway when high. I wasn't disagreeing w/ him about the other factors but did disagree when he said the weight stays the same.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Tongue height question

The weight changes. How much and the exact effect it has on handling depends on several factors that I touched on earlier. What would cause it to change the most is the height of the load. The weight transfer on a taller boat would be greater than it would on a shallow boat of the same weight. The fulcrum is the axle. The center of gravity shifts forward so the weight shift is rearward. Its called weight transfer. That's what causes the boat to slide off the trailer going up hill. On a very steep ramp, if you were to uncouple the trailer the tongue would likely hit you in the chin on the way up.

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: Tongue height question

Tongue weight would also increase more with a tandum axle vs a single axle, and would be increased even more with a tripple axle.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Tongue height question

have you ever tilted the trailer all the way up, the higher you get the lighter the tongue gets. when i lift mine up i can just bearly lift it, at towing height, by the time it gets waist high it's ok, chest high one hand.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Tongue height question

Here's an example of how weight transfer works. I worked for a county highway department driving a Dodge dump truck summers when I was in college. The technique for dumping a "sticky" load was to raise the box, trip the end gate and pop the clutch to get the load sliding. The engine in this truck had a nasty habit of stalling at very bad times -- like under the crusher as the truck was being loaded with gravel. Pull the darn thing 10 feet and it would start again. Well - I dumped a load of gravel one day and as I tripped the end gate, popped the clutch the engine died, the end gate didn't open, the load shifted rearward, the box went over center and I suddenly realized the front wheels were about three feet off the ground. A pick axe strike on the end gate latch released the load and about 10 years of mud and debris came out from under the old Dodge as it came back to terra-firma. Turns out the fuel line had a pin hole leak where it was rubbing on the frame. Get the nose uphill and she'd die. The lesson here is that when you move a load rearward, weight on the front end gets lighter. That principle applies to trailer tongues as well.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Tongue height question

have you ever tilted the trailer all the way up, the higher you get the lighter the tongue gets. when i lift mine up i can just bearly lift it, at towing height, by the time it gets waist high it's ok, chest high one hand.

Ya, borrowed a homeade utility trailer that had the axle centered under the box. The only tongue weight was the tongue. When tipped up about 3 feet it would tip backwards. I know the answer, just trying to get written evidence for my dad. He is still not gonna beleive me because he is usually very technically minded and after 51 years of being right its hard to accept being wrong.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Tongue height question

well somtetimes it's just easier to let them think they are right, even when you know their not.

 

[ferrellb]

Re: Tongue height question

I am in the middle of purchasing a tow vehicle, installing a hitch to the frame, etc. How close to level do you have to be? I have put a level on my trailer and determined the best height. If I stay plus or minus that height by 3 to 4 inches, will it be ok? If it is going to be 3 inches higher or lower, which would you prefer? Maybe I am a newbie overanalyzing your post, but I want to do this right. FYI- I have a 20' shorelander trailer with a 1350# jetboat.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: Tongue height question

They sell hitches in drop and rise increments of two inches. It doesn't have to be right on the money. Just close. 3 in. on a twenty foot trailer shouldn't be that much of a problem at all. Many would say lower is better as long as it doesn't drag the ground on a bump or something.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Tongue height question

i would get as close as possible. you can order the rise or drop you need within one inch.