weight distribution hitch

[mrbill812]

I'm in planning stages of my spring trip 1800 miles roundtrip to table rock lake from Colorado. I'll be pulling my glastron gx 205 on an ezloader tandem trailer. At highway speeds I've noticed some sway on the trailer so I'm thinking that since I'll be driving across the great state of Kansas, I'm going to purchase a weight distribution hitch for this trip. The problem is it looks like the trailer jack is going to be in the way of the arms that come back and attach to the boat trailer rails. Any one familiar with these hitches and how do I get around the swivel jack.

thanks,
mrbill

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: weight distribution hitch

why don't we start by identifying your problem.... a WDH is not the correct fix for a swaying trailer.... 9 times out of 10 the tongue weight is to light... what is your tow vehicle, what is the weight of your boat, trailer, and any gear in it, (get it weighed) and how much tongue weight does it have?

 

[mrbill812]

Re: weight distribution hitch

why don't we start by identifying your problem.... a WDH is not the correct fix for a swaying trailer.... 9 times out of 10 the tongue weight is to light... what is your tow vehicle, what is the weight of your boat, trailer, and any gear in it, (get it weighed) and how much tongue weight does it have?

I have the actuals at home, but I'm on the road, so these are the off the top of my head
I'm pulling with a 2000 tundra towing capacity is a little over 5000#s, Boat and trailer loaded weighed in around 2800#'s if I remember correctly. I don't know what the tongue weight is, and the truck pulls fine at or under 55-60mph. It's not so much a "sway" that I noticed going down the highway the last time as what I would describe as an oscillation from the highway concrete joints. My concern is the wind I'll be dealing with going across Kansas more then anything else and if the weight distribution hitch helps that then its worth it to me.
mrbill

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: weight distribution hitch

hmmm well it sounds like the truck is more than up to the load. I'd say that it would be a VERY good idea to find out what the tongue weight is...... I'm going to TRY to stop this from becoming a long drawn out debate on how much it should be by presenting both sides of the usual argument. There are a few folks that feel that boat trailers should have a lighter tongue weight than most other trailers to the tune of 5-10%. Others, (myself included) lean toward the 10-15% rule for all trailers....

I feel that that trailer would tow best at 300-400 lbs of tongue weight and that you would be very happy there

Others would steer you toward a range of 150-300 lbs....

I'm not entirely certain but my best guess on the issue you describe is that the forces you are seeing are longitudinal and vertical... A wdh MAY change that sensation some but will not likely smooth the ride.... Now crosswinds on the other hand would be a lateral force and is not likely to be affected at all by a wdh. If the issue is not addressed by adjusting tongue weight then what you may want to look into is a sway control kit

Also maximizing tire pressure can help a LOT

 

[mrbill812]

Re: weight distribution hitch

hmmm well it sounds like the truck is more than up to the load. I'd say that it would be a VERY good idea to find out what the tongue weight is...... I'm going to TRY to stop this from becoming a long drawn out debate on how much it should be by presenting both sides of the usual argument. There are a few folks that feel that boat trailers should have a lighter tongue weight than most other trailers to the tune of 5-10%. Others, (myself included) lean toward the 10-15% rule for all trailers....

I feel that that trailer would tow best at 300-400 lbs of tongue weight and that you would be very happy there

Others would steer you toward a range of 150-300 lbs....

I'm not entirely certain but my best guess on the issue you describe is that the forces you are seeing are longitudinal and vertical... A wdh MAY change that sensation some but will not likely smooth the ride.... Now crosswinds on the other hand would be a lateral force and is not likely to be affected at all by a wdh. If the issue is not addressed by adjusting tongue weight then what you may want to look into is a sway control kit

Also maximizing tire pressure can help a LOT

I'll be getting new tires prior to the trip and I am a believer in proper tire pressure. I agree I don't want to see the arguments on tongue weights, nor making this thread any longer then it needs, but I'm guessing my only option for putting more weight on the tongue is 1. loading more stuff in the bow of the boat. or 2. adding some actual weight on the tongue? Which then increases my gvw. As the EZ loader trailer was a custom matched trailer for this boat, in my assumptions, you would think they would make sure the CG was proper to get the correct tongue weight, or am I just dreaming? thanks for your help on this, don't want to do something silly.

mrbill

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: weight distribution hitch

never assume anything.... custom matched often means it was the cheapest trailer they could find with the features they wanted at the time and then the slapped a couple stickers on..... as for adjusting tongue weight the options are adjusting the load (boat) forward/backward on the trailer or adjusting the axle toward the front/rear.... lets start by just weighing the tongue before we worry about how to change it tho as it COULD actually be right..

 

[89mercruiser]

Re: weight distribution hitch

I'll add my $.02, i had a similar issue last year with my dad's boat behind my 2000 silverado 4x4. Which is more than enough truck to pull a 17ft Arrowglass with a 3.0 mercruiser. I found out that I had some sway issues and that was contributed to the fact that my 2" drop draw bar was too much. The factory hitch has that much drop almost to begin with. In all I had almost 4" of drop which was too much for the boat as it caused it to sit nose down. Thus putting more of the load up front on the tongue.

What i'm getting at is also check to see if your boat is level or slighlty tongue down when hooked to the tow vehicle. I used a level after flipping the draw bar and it made it level again.

 

[mrbill812]

Re: weight distribution hitch

View attachment 120029
Here's a bad picture of my set up. It was dusk at the boat ramp but I think you can see that the trailer and boat are fairly level. I'll figure out how to get the tongue weighed and go from there. Thanks for your reply.

mrbill

I'll add my $.02, i had a similar issue last year with my dad's boat behind my 2000 silverado 4x4. Which is more than enough truck to pull a 17ft Arrowglass with a 3.0 mercruiser. I found out that I had some sway issues and that was contributed to the fact that my 2" drop draw bar was too much. The factory hitch has that much drop almost to begin with. In all I had almost 4" of drop which was too much for the boat as it caused it to sit nose down. Thus putting more of the load up front on the tongue.

What i'm getting at is also check to see if your boat is level or slighlty tongue down when hooked to the tow vehicle. I used a level after flipping the draw bar and it made it level again.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: weight distribution hitch

View attachment 120029
Here's a bad picture of my set up. It was dusk at the boat ramp but I think you can see that the trailer and boat are fairly level. I'll figure out how to get the tongue weighed and go from there. Thanks for your reply.
l

Attachment didn't work... You absolutely have all the symptoms of low tongue weight. Can you lift it by hand? I don't think there are many manufacturers who will recommend a single axle trailer be at 5% tongue weight, most are above that. 10% is a nice easy number to figure out, but even then, it depends on the trailer. (and tires, suspension, load) Surprisingly, the tow vehicle makes ZERO difference in tongue weight. If a trailer starts swaying, it will flip over a 3/4 ton just as easily as a ranger.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: weight distribution hitch

If you are getting "vertical" oscillation (sort of a bouncy felling) rather than actual side-to-side sway, then a load distributing hitch will make matters worse because these hitches transfer/distribute tongue weight so you have even less of it than before. You need a simple "sway control device" if it is horizontal forces you are dealing with. But before you do anything, determine the actual tongue weight. I too am in the 10 - 15% crowd regardless of trailer type.

 

[hog88]

Re: weight distribution hitch

Question? How do you measure or best way to measure the tounge wieght?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: weight distribution hitch

 

[jeeperman]

Re: weight distribution hitch

If your bathroom scale has the capacity, just use that directly below the coupler with a bucket or something on it to rest the coupler with the trailer is level.

 

[Philster]

Re: weight distribution hitch

Ensure the bow is tight to the front roller. When a boat gets a little bit of a harmonic bounce/jiggle up and down (vertical), it'll drive you nuts... especially over the joints you mention. Your cable and chain can be helped by an additional rope. It's worth checking on for sure.

I had a similar problem. I keep her tight on the front and supplement with a rope.

View attachment 120045

 

[mrbill812]

Re: weight distribution hitch

View attachment 120046 I'll try again the pic was taken with my phone at dusk at the boat ramp

Attachment didn't work... You absolutely have all the symptoms of low tongue weight. Can you lift it by hand? I don't think there are many manufacturers who will recommend a single axle trailer be at 5% tongue weight, most are above that. 10% is a nice easy number to figure out, but even then, it depends on the trailer. (and tires, suspension, load) Surprisingly, the tow vehicle makes ZERO difference in tongue weight. If a trailer starts swaying, it will flip over a 3/4 ton just as easily as a ranger.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: weight distribution hitch

still no pic.... I wouldn't sweat it though..... the numbers will likely tell the story....

 

[mrbill812]

Re: weight distribution hitch

Now that you mention it, This bunker trailer you need to be real careful of getting the boat all the way forward while in the water or it does tend to balance incorrectly. I first noticed this when it was brought to my house right after purchase in the spring, and once in a while if I don't get deep enough retrieving the boat this does happen. It could have been bouncing that day on the highway, as normally I only need to move the boat from the ramp to covered storage which is 300 yards from the ramp, and don't always notice it.

I think an additional bow strap would be useful on this trip. I still plan to weigh the tongue when I get back, I saw the diagram, I was just going to put a short 2x4 below where the trailer tongue attaches to the truck, put the scale under the 2x4 and lower the jack, wouldn't that give me a pretty good idea of the weight? Thanks guys, this is really helping me.

mrbill

Ensure the bow is tight to the front roller. When a boat gets a little bit of a harmonic bounce/jiggle up and down (vertical), it'll drive you nuts... especially over the joints you mention. Your cable and chain can be helped by an additional rope. It's worth checking on for sure.

I had a similar problem. I keep her tight on the front and supplement with a rope.

View attachment 120045

 

[H20Rat]

Re: weight distribution hitch

I still plan to weigh the tongue when I get back, I saw the diagram, I was just going to put a short 2x4 below where the trailer tongue attaches to the truck, put the scale under the 2x4 and lower the jack, wouldn't that give me a pretty good idea of the weight? Thanks guys, this is really helping me.

Yep, perfect! The lever diagram is for heavier trailers, there is no need to go through the extra work if you have a smaller trailer that is within reason for a bathroom scale. (as well as being far more accurate this way)

 

[mrbill812]

Re: weight distribution hitch

I just clicked on the attachment link and it worked for me? I'm probably doing something wrong and it won't let me paste into this so I probably need some web site training!

still no pic.... I wouldn't sweat it though..... the numbers will likely tell the story....

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: weight distribution hitch

being directly over the scale is not more accurate but it is more precise.... I suspect that weighing it directly on the scale will work fine at least the first time because I'm betting that you are not much over 100 lbs....