Thank you for the kind words! I was a teacher for almost 10 years before I changed careers. It’s a lot of fun to make these videos on campers, thanks for watching!
Licensed mechanic for over 25 years and never used a sway control bar to pull a trailer and I just learned a hell of alot in less than 10 minutes from this video. Good job buddy. Thanks. I've forwarded this to a few people.
This is almost ver batum the lesson my boss gave us back in the early 80’s, when we were hauling all sorts of trailer combinations. “A nose heavy trailer will break your equipment, but a tail heavy trailer will kill you.” Excellent video.
This is a great explainer for those of us who have little to no background in towing things behind us. I know it's not great "clickbait" that is going to blow up the RUclips algos, but its a valuable service and why I subscribe to your channel. Thank you.
Thank you, that means a lot. You are hilariously accurate about how the most important videos are destined to do poorly. For a channel like this to get popular, I probably have to set my camper on fire and make a video about it.
Finally, someone who can present, naturally, without all of the umms and aahhs, and repetition. And yet, without sounding like you're reading a script. Great delivery. You need to rent out your services hosting other people's videos.
This is EXTREMELY helpful. This winter I bought a used NuCamp T@B 320 and also a 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness for its 3500 lb towing capacity without having a good understanding of tongue weight or the rest of it. After reading comments from a few people saying it was a big mistake to assume the Outback would be suitable I was so discouraged by the whole plan, but now I have some actual helpful plans to weight and measure and find out in my own thinking how this is going to work. Thanks so much for making this video!
That makes my day. I try to put this stuff together to help people. Sometimes you wonder if it ever makes it’s way in front of the people looking for it. Great to know it helped.
I have a Timberleaf Teardrop Trailer that weighs about 2000lbs with cargo and I tow it with a 2016 Subaru Outback (smaller liter engine with 2700lbs towing capacity) and it does just fine. I have never had any issue with fishtailing or bouncing but my tongue weight is probably close to 200 but I haven't don't any actual measuring yet. I have a feeling that you will be fine as long as you balance it out a bit.
Thank you so much for watching, I hope you subscribe and check out our other videos! Although the analog bathroom scale can be crude, it's really all you need for small travel trailers to get a good idea of the way you're pressing down on the tongue. Good luck and safe travels!
You explain things very well, makes complete sense now. And I'm so excited because after a 6 month wait, I get to pick up my teardrop next week!! I can put all of your advice into use.
This is a great explanation of the reason so many trailers start to fishtail. Great tip with the bathroom scale too. Growing up with horse trailers it just becomes intuitive that you want more weight forward than aft but definitely the wheels should carry the weight. If you get too much forward your mileage goes down on the tow vehicle and the brakes on the trailer are less effective. By the way, if you have a brake controller in your tow vehicle, I recommend that you do even with one of these, and you start to fish tale you can squeeze the brake controller to activate the trailer brakes alone as you take your foot off the gas and you will find that your trailer will stop the fish tailing for a moment but that's when you need to adjust the load for a better solution to the ride. Anyway, that's my 2 cents... Great videos as always and thanks for sharing, Pat
future trailer owner, this was an incredibly helpful video. Clear explanation at a good pace. It's helping me feel more comfortable/confident moving forward with my project
Simple, and most excellent video! No nonsense, no distraction(s), and most of all no unnecessary material not related to the topic! A lot of people like to hear themselves talk and or don't really know what they are talking about, so they fill their tutorials with junk. Most people want to get to the solution of a problem and not be taken on a useless excursion. Again, most excellent video.
As someone who has never owned or driven a teardrop trailer but is interested in one, this topic seems quite important. You had a very good way of explaining TW in a digestible manner. Keep up the great work. Thanks for this explainer.
Nothing about this video put me to sleep! I’m so thankful you took the time to explain this subject in the detail you did - this newbie wanted to know what he didn’t know lol!
Great video! Don't underestimate the importance. I've seen sooooo man fish-tailing trailers and I just shake my head and hit the gas to pass them. Level with the tow vehicle and correct tongue weight; the top two towing principles. Good work brother.
I appreciate you watching, we’ve definitely seen some scary set ups on the road. There appears to of been a lot more in the last two years too…lol Did you get your batteries? How are they making out?
Dude, great video. I'm taking a popup for a 10hr each way trip, with a Kia Sorento. It has a max towing capacity of 3500, and the trailer dry is 2500. Your explanation was awesome and easy to follow. Especially the tongue weight explanation. Thank you!!!
Awesome clip on an important subject. Your process and explanation is simple clear and accurate. Thanks! I once used a utility trailer to move about 10 miles. I knew about tongue weight, but after shoving those last things in the back like grill, garden tools, etc., the trailer was now back heavy. The trailer started to sway back and forth on I95 and I actually saw the wheels lift off the highway one at a time as it swayed like crazy. I was able to brake with timing as a wheel would come down. Very luckily I regained control and went very slow to my exit. This is serious stuff and you just may save someone’s camper and possibly their life or someone else’s life in what could be a very nasty accident this tongue weight issue could cause. Well done and thanks again for great and important info!!!!
Good stuff! I just bought a tow bar kit for my small van. It's got what they call "D" value and "S" value stamped onto it. It's the law here. It's basically doing all the work for me.....tells me nose weight and pulling weight. However, I will definitely be using this method if I ever get myself a caravan/camper.....💪💪👍
Great video brother, you broke it down where a newbie like me was able to understand the mathematics of weight distribution. I just subscribed to your channel, thanks you!
This is a great video and has provided me with a brand new and more educated perspective. I was hoping to get a 4Runner to tow my bbq smoker, but now realize I need something more heavy duty. Thank goodness I didn’t buy a 4 runner without having this knowledge. Thanks so much!
hey Brian another great video good to see these kinds of things a lot of people even the more experienced RVs or tear droppers may not truly understand well done looking forward to the next one have a great day
Such good delivery... I'm thinking you might be able to help me finally understand quantum physics too... :) Well done on conveying important material in a super easy to consume fashion. Thanks gain.
Highly illustrative video about a really important topic. Thanks a lot for your detailed and interesting explanation 👍🏻👏🏻. Glad to join your community 🙂✌🏼, peace out you’all
When weighing on the scale you would want to adjust the trailer to be level correct for the tongue weight to be correct? Thank you for a very detailed and easy to understand video much appreciated
Excellent. Best explanation I have come across and it is very clear to me now. The only problem is using the bathroom scale directly for heavier trailers. I don’t think they go that high for 500 lb tongue weights
There is a simple trick, although it might be harder to convey in text than video. Look up “2x4 bathroom scale trailer tongue weight” in google. You will be following the same procedures as this video, but your place the tongue on a 2”x4” that leans on the scale. The marks you make on the 2 x 4 will allow you to prorate the weight. In other words, it’ll say 100 pounds on the scale when the hitch weight is 400. Or 200 on the scale when the hitch weight is 800. Simple trick that should help you out. If you’re not able to find this, reach out again and I will send links. Thanks for watching!
They do make "high-weight" bathroom scales, quite pricey though! They also make/sell tongue weight scales. 0 -200, and higher. One can also buy hitches with the scale manufactured into them. Having been a semi truck driver (over 20 years), I've seen a multitude of accidents as well as potential accidents waiting to happen due to people improperly towing and or loading trailers and vehicles; mostly camping and utility trailers. I recently purchased a Sherline tongue scale. It measures weight in both pounds and kilos. It cost just under $150.00. When you haul lawn equipment north of $12k, not including the trailer and tow vehicle, what's a $150.00 for piece of mind?
Great job. Anyone who has ever experienced trailer sway knows how important this is. It can kill you and people in other people in vehicles around you.
Very good topic Brian ,so many inexperienced people run into the problem as you mentioned of not having enough tounge weight which can result in a terrible accident.
There's some pretty scary videos online showing the consequences! I'm sure you have some stories of what you've seen with the long haul trucking! Thanks for watching!
Very cool. Thanks. Is there a difference in using the screw lift vs using a board under the ball down? Is there a critical difference with you use the Weight Balance Theory for calculation and positioning?
Is the pens on your camper, each set up as a different length, and leverage between the axle and the receiver. For these tiny campers, you can get a very accurate reading either way. If possible, weighing directly under the receiving hitch is the best way to go.
Great video and description. Just one potential fly in the ointment. You’re measuring from the front jack point, not at the actual tongue. How much difference does the 10”-12” of extra arm make (at the ball vs at the front foot) on the weight? It will be less, I just don’t know by how much. Thanks for considering this :)
It comes down to the length of the frame in front of your axle, you are exactly right. For my trailer, and a lot of shorter teardrop/square drop, the difference is only a couple pounds. Since it's negligible, this is the way to go at home. The way that I mentioned doing it on a larger cat scale or transfer station will give exact numbers. Thanks for watching!
I , like someone else mentioned below, am also getting my new teardrop trailer (a ‘RainDrop’ from CampInn) in about a month or so. This info you presented will prove to be quite valuable as I hitch it up to my Subaru Outback. Thank you for your clear and precise presentation.
My uncle told me about the bathroom scale method decades ago, but I only used it this morning (and saw this video this evening). Can I mount bikes on the back of my Scamp? No, not safe, as it reduces the tongue weight to around 175 lbs, with 2600+ lbs of trailer+cargo. I even had 80lbs of softener salt in the front closet to offset the bikes, but nope. Thank you for clearly explaining the numbers for us. Well done.
Hey, just ran across your video as I've been trying to do some research on hitch weight. Sorry if this is a long rant...We are currently trading in our camper for a larger toy hauler. At first i wasn't to concerned as the tow weight of the camper is relatively low (6000lbs dry with a capacity to hull almost 4,000 more lbs, we wont be reaching our max tow btw) and my max tow for the truck is around 9-10,000lbs. I've know about hitch weight but not exactly how important it is (we use a weight distribution hitch). I seen on my receiver that the max hitch weight says 1,200lbs and the from the factory the hitch weight of the camper is 1,050lbs. I know this is cutting it super close for my max hitch weight and I'm starting to wonder if this will be a problem. Towing capacity is fine what sucks is that it's such a heavy hitch weight. From watching this video I understand more now on how this number can change do to weight in the back of the trailer and with a toy hauler I'm sure this number can change alot based on what is loaded in the trailer. What I'm wondering is can I help to balance the hitch weight from reaching my max by loading more of our gear in the back since my tow capacity of truck can handle it better? Not sure if this makes sense but just hoping to get more insight, thanks.
Absolutely. By loading items behind the axle, you’re going to be reducing the down force on the hitch. Toy haulers in particular are designed to have a lot of weight in the back, that’s why they’re so heavy on the hitch to start. There’s a technique using a 2 x 4 and bathroom scale, that helps with trailers like yours. Look it up on Google, it will be the same as this video but using a 2 x 4 as a lever, allowing you to weigh without breaking the scale. Hope this helps!
This is an AMAZINGly presented and informative tutorial! Great job! Can I just ask you to back up one step for me to make sure I start with the correct info. I have my 2000 Explorer's Bumper Weight Capacity (350lbs). But we added a hitch b/c we weren't confident with just using the bumper ball to tow our small camping gear utility trailer. So what I'm trying to find out is what my vehicle's current Tongue Weight Capacity would be and if it's any different b/c of adding a hitch (or would this totally be a mfr. question?). Nothing official online that I can find for TWC and we just want to be as safe as possible. Hence, gleaning your expertise on tongue weight. Thx!
2021 Kia forte gt line I have a 150 pound trailer 2 250 pound dirt bikes car is read it for 200 pound tongue weight what a safety tongue weight I should have
Fantastic video, seriously thank you so much!! Now...is my vehicles max tongue weight rating the number listed under my hitch, or the number mentioned in the manual?? There's a 100lb difference for some reason, I can't believe how difficult it is to find out this information
I’m really glad that you watched! The number in your manual will be the one you want, but you want to make sure that that number is lower than the one printed on the hitch receiver. If the hitch receiver number is lower, that means somebody added it after market and used the wrong one…. Very rare but wanted to warn, if that’s the case, go with the lower number between the two. Thanks for tuning in !
@@DIYOutdoorLife Thanks so much! Looking to purchase our first travel trailer. When you explained that if you add weight in the back it will lower the hitch weight, that was incredibly informative. Do you think the size of the trailer matters in how effective that would be? The trailer we have decided on is a 23 foot trailer with a 430lb dry hitch weight, and my vehicle is 500lb max hitch weight. Add 1 propane/battery to that, I imagine its close to the 500lb mark. Do you think your method of adding weight to the back would be effective enough to keep the vehicle within safe towing capacity?
@@Ja8888 yes, it will work. Generally speaking, id have to caution from getting too close to listed "limits". People go over their hitch limit all the time, some of them never even notice. Much safer to stay under that 500 if possible. Make sure you're not exceeding the overall towing capacity of a vehicle too, if your hitch weight is 500, you're probably getting close to the overall towing weight limit too.
This is a great question, the answer can get pretty detailed. To play it safe, the simple answer is to say it’s unaffected . In other words, make sure your tongue weight does not exceed your tow vehicles tongue weight capacity. You do reach a certain weight in which a distribution hitch is the only safe way to go. Although the way it locks the frames together distributes the weight, you still want to be conservative and not surpass the listed requirements of the tow vehicle. For example, let’s say my tongue weight is 600 pounds and my trailer weighs 6000. At these weights, I’m going to want to use weight distribution gear to make the towing safer, but I still only want to use a tow vehicle capable of 600 hitch weight. Hope this helps!
I recently bought a Bushwacker and am in the process of getting it setup and loaded for my first trip. I have learned a lot from your videos, so thank you very much for producing them. I do have a few questions concerning weight distribution and the effects of the water tank. Based on your experience, do you travel with a full tank or wait until you get near your destination before filling up, and second, how does the full tank affect weight distribution? With a full tank, is it balanced overall, or does it shift the weight forwards for backwards? Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks
Hello, so happy you’ve been tuning in. I travel both full and empty, favoring empty if I can. The water tank is forward balanced, it definitely adds weight to the hitch. Both of my tow vehicles are more than capable and it rides pretty well full. I would avoid it if I was driving a tow vehicle with a smaller hitch capability.
@@DIYOutdoorLife thanks for the info. I have a smaller vehicle, so I will probably need to travel empty. Still working on weight distribution and may need to move the battery to the rear to lighten up the hitch weight. Thanks
@@hughwalker4801what all did you end up doing? I have a 15DS and it’s sitting at ~20% or 375 lbs without water or cargo. I’m thinking if I move the propane from the tongue to the inside rear while towing I might be good. I’ve got a 350 lbs tongue capacity :(
If you got one, you would be the first! Some day they’ll issue their first edition owners manual, a collectors item! Happy to answer questions if you have one, I’ve had mine for a bit.
Do you not need to account for the 8"-10" of distance from the jack point to the ball coupler? The weight will not be the same as what's measured at the jack point.
Because of how the leverage works here, the number is VERY close. Remember, a few points wont make or break you here. Knowing whether it's 150 lbs or 300 is very important. Hope this helps.
Even better, only add enough weight in the trailer slightly forward of the trailer axle to achieve the 10 - 15% tow ball weight. Put the rest in to the tow vehicle while remaining as far as possible below tow vehicle maximum load. The maximum load of tow vehicle includes everything in the vehicle including passengers, fuel and the down weight on the tow ball. As a rule, the more the tow vehicle weight exceeds the trailer weight the better.
Yes, that's the ideal situation. A lot of times when loading up your camper that's not always possible, but staying between 10 to 15% on the tongue and well within the range of your tow vehicle is key.
My trailer can carry 1000kg but my car tongue weight is only 75kg, so goes that mean I can only have about 700kg on the trailer. Even though the car manual say I can tow 1500kg including the trailer, could you help me out. Car is a Daewoo leganza 1997 auto Thanks Rick
Hey Richard, I tried to look up the towing specifications on that ‘97 Leganza. The legality varies from country to country. Let’s look at it this way- From a physics standpoint, overloading the tongue on the Daewoo will make it dangerous to drive. I’m seeing between 75 and 85kg as a tongue weight limit on the car. Assuming 75kg, the trailer itself shouldn’t be over 750. If you’re going to cheat, being heavier on the tongue is the direction to go, too light on the tongue makes it fish tail. I too am surprised to see 1500kg towing, seems like a dangerous recipe. You might be able to add air bags or stiffen the rear suspension inexpensively, if you have the right hitch, this will increase tongue weight. Otherwise trial and errors… don’t drive if the car starts to look like a spaceship 🚀 Have fun, be safe!
hey dude... your info is worth a million bucks! Listen, i have a question which is somehow out of the scope of your video but related. Do you know how to calculate tongue weight when carrying dead weight off of your vehicle's hitch. I have an old Durango and I sometimes carry one of those hitch carriers from Harbor Freight which is on the heavy side. I built a wooden chest to sit on top of it and in it I carry a propane gas tank, a medium sized cooler full of food and other miscellaneous items such an air compressor, jump starter unit and other things. I am gonna guess the actual weight of the carrier is around 300 lbs. but i am not sure. In this scenario where what you are carrying is literally dead weight because the carrier has no contact with the road how do i measure tongue weight????
Thank you, I appreciate you watching. You can figure this out exactly with a little physics but the overall number will be close. Try to be conservative and stay under hitch weight. If the cargo carrier is 300, just consider it around 350. Let’s say you have a car with a 500 lb hitch weight, I wouldn’t add much more than 400 on a cargo carrier, obviously making sure the cargo carrier can handle the weight as well. Hope this helps!
@@DIYOutdoorLife thanks man and i appreciate your quick reply but just to recap.... so in this scenario where the weight is hanging off the back of my truck the bathroom scale method does not work and I instead need to physically weigh that cargo carrier and all of its contents and once I have that number make sure that number is not higher than my vehicle's tongue weight capacity??
@@danielbarrios8947 that is correct. First thing is figure out how much your carrier can hold, then your car. After a while, you’ll be able to tell by how much the back of your car sags. If you’re within the tongue weight limit, it rides pretty level. If your over, you’ll see the tail sag. There’s obviously a lot of factors here, including how much weight you have in the back of the vehicle, aside from the cargo rack. It’s not good to overload but it is much safer than towing an out of balance trailer.
That scale you have probably maxes out at 300LB. So what do you do on larger trailers that might have a tongue weight of 500 to 600 pounds? Couldn't you just buy two bathroom scales and put them next to each other with a board on them and then set the trailer jack on the board, Then add up the totals on both scales?
Go to Curtmfg . com The website will outline how to weigh tongue weight over 300 pounds using a single bathroom scale and a board. The process is simple, you place a 3 1/2 foot 2 x 4 on a pipe like a seesaw, placing one end on the scale. It only takes a second and allows you to use the same bathroom scale to weigh heavier trailers
Seriously, you have the most concise, simple, and gentle way of teaching. I wish you were a teacher because you have a talent for it.
Thank you for the kind words! I was a teacher for almost 10 years before I changed careers. It’s a lot of fun to make these videos on campers, thanks for watching!
Licensed mechanic for over 25 years and never used a sway control bar to pull a trailer and I just learned a hell of alot in less than 10 minutes from this video. Good job buddy. Thanks. I've forwarded this to a few people.
Thank you so much, appreciate the comment.
This is almost ver batum the lesson my boss gave us back in the early 80’s, when we were hauling all sorts of trailer combinations.
“A nose heavy trailer will break your equipment, but a tail heavy trailer will kill you.”
Excellent video.
Thank you for tuning in! Im glad that you get it.
wow dude, actually the best description of tongue weight on all of youtube...very well explained.
Thank you, that means a lot! Hope you’ll check out our other videos too.
This is a great explainer for those of us who have little to no background in towing things behind us. I know it's not great "clickbait" that is going to blow up the RUclips algos, but its a valuable service and why I subscribe to your channel. Thank you.
Thank you, that means a lot. You are hilariously accurate about how the most important videos are destined to do poorly. For a channel like this to get popular, I probably have to set my camper on fire and make a video about it.
I have pulled a camper for 20 years and have never done this. I'm buying an analog scale! Thanks very much.
That’s great! Good luck and safe travels 😀
BRO, you absolutely nailed it. Well done, brother.
Thank you, I appreciate you watching!
Finally, someone who can present, naturally, without all of the umms and aahhs, and repetition. And yet, without sounding like you're reading a script. Great delivery. You need to rent out your services hosting other people's videos.
Haha...Thank you. They could get me cheap if they asked! Thanks for watching.
You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar! Best explanation video on the internet!!!!
Haha Thank you, I appreciate you watching!
This is EXTREMELY helpful. This winter I bought a used NuCamp T@B 320 and also a 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness for its 3500 lb towing capacity without having a good understanding of tongue weight or the rest of it. After reading comments from a few people saying it was a big mistake to assume the Outback would be suitable I was so discouraged by the whole plan, but now I have some actual helpful plans to weight and measure and find out in my own thinking how this is going to work. Thanks so much for making this video!
That makes my day. I try to put this stuff together to help people. Sometimes you wonder if it ever makes it’s way in front of the people looking for it. Great to know it helped.
I have a Timberleaf Teardrop Trailer that weighs about 2000lbs with cargo and I tow it with a 2016 Subaru Outback (smaller liter engine with 2700lbs towing capacity) and it does just fine. I have never had any issue with fishtailing or bouncing but my tongue weight is probably close to 200 but I haven't don't any actual measuring yet. I have a feeling that you will be fine as long as you balance it out a bit.
As a newbie to travel trailer camping. Your common sense explanation and math is very much appreciated. I too will be buying an analog bathroom scale.
Thank you so much for watching, I hope you subscribe and check out our other videos!
Although the analog bathroom scale can be crude, it's really all you need for small travel trailers to get a good idea of the way you're pressing down on the tongue. Good luck and safe travels!
More people need to watch this. The number of fishtailing rental trailers on the freeway is terrifying
It’s crazy, we’ve gone cross country a few times and have seen some horrifying things…
You explain things very well, makes complete sense now. And I'm so excited because after a 6 month wait, I get to pick up my teardrop next week!! I can put all of your advice into use.
I appreciate you watching and commenting! Glad to help. I'm really happy you're getting your rig for the summer, you're going to love it! 😀
This is a great explanation of the reason so many trailers start to fishtail. Great tip with the bathroom scale too. Growing up with horse trailers it just becomes intuitive that you want more weight forward than aft but definitely the wheels should carry the weight. If you get too much forward your mileage goes down on the tow vehicle and the brakes on the trailer are less effective.
By the way, if you have a brake controller in your tow vehicle, I recommend that you do even with one of these, and you start to fish tale you can squeeze the brake controller to activate the trailer brakes alone as you take your foot off the gas and you will find that your trailer will stop the fish tailing for a moment but that's when you need to adjust the load for a better solution to the ride.
Anyway, that's my 2 cents... Great videos as always and thanks for sharing,
Pat
Great tip with the manual braking! I’m glad you’re tuning into the videos .
future trailer owner, this was an incredibly helpful video. Clear explanation at a good pace. It's helping me feel more comfortable/confident moving forward with my project
Thank you, I appreciate the comment. Good luck with the new trailer!
The best video I’ve seen yet on this topic. Well spoken, clear and concise information. Anyone who tows a trailer should watch this.
Thank you, I really appreciate you watching!
Simple, and most excellent video! No nonsense, no distraction(s), and most of all no unnecessary material not related to the topic! A lot of people like to hear themselves talk and or don't really know what they are talking about, so they fill their tutorials with junk. Most people want to get to the solution of a problem and not be taken on a useless excursion. Again, most excellent video.
Haha… thank you very much. I appreciate you swinging by.
As someone who has never owned or driven a teardrop trailer but is interested in one, this topic seems quite important. You had a very good way of explaining TW in a digestible manner. Keep up the great work. Thanks for this explainer.
Thanks you for watching and commenting.
Very good instructions relative to a overlooked topic that most campers don't involve themselves in. Good job!
Thank you, I appreciate you tuning in!
We love this. This is so important. Ensuring you have enough tongue is so important that you don't become a highway yard sale.
I’ve seen a few of those yard sales, pretty scary.
Thank you! Everyone talks about row weight and total and dry weight on campers but NOT younger weight! And I understood what you said!
Great to hear, thanks for tuning in!
Nothing about this video put me to sleep! I’m so thankful you took the time to explain this subject in the detail you did - this newbie wanted to know what he didn’t know lol!
Thank you, I appreciate that. Happy camping!
Great video! Don't underestimate the importance. I've seen sooooo man fish-tailing trailers and I just shake my head and hit the gas to pass them. Level with the tow vehicle and correct tongue weight; the top two towing principles. Good work brother.
I appreciate you watching, we’ve definitely seen some scary set ups on the road. There appears to of been a lot more in the last two years too…lol
Did you get your batteries? How are they making out?
So important, especially at high speeds. Great explanation with a simple solution.
Thank you, I appreciate you tuning into the video!
RV newbie here. Drew from Playing with Sticks recommended this video. It was very helpful, thank you! I actually understand this now!
Thank you for swinging by! I appreciate you coming over from Drew and May.
Best video about tongue weight on RUclips!...thanks Brian!
Thanks Brent, glad it helped!
Excellent presentation, very detailed, just the way I learn 👍🏼 thank you very much 😊
Thank you for watching, I appreciate the comment 😀
Dude, great video. I'm taking a popup for a 10hr each way trip, with a Kia Sorento. It has a max towing capacity of 3500, and the trailer dry is 2500. Your explanation was awesome and easy to follow. Especially the tongue weight explanation. Thank you!!!
Happy it helped! Have a blast on your trip.
Another great video! I’ve learned so much already just by watching the series you have put up. Many thanks!
Thank you, I appreciate you watching!
This was very informative! A lot better than the RV dealer told me. Thanks!
Thank you, I'm glad you found the video helpful.
Awesome clip on an important subject. Your process and explanation is simple clear and accurate. Thanks! I once used a utility trailer to move about 10 miles. I knew about tongue weight, but after shoving those last things in the back like grill, garden tools, etc., the trailer was now back heavy. The trailer started to sway back and forth on I95 and I actually saw the wheels lift off the highway one at a time as it swayed like crazy. I was able to brake with timing as a wheel would come down. Very luckily I regained control and went very slow to my exit. This is serious stuff and you just may save someone’s camper and possibly their life or someone else’s life in what could be a very nasty accident this tongue weight issue could cause. Well done and thanks again for great and important info!!!!
Thank you so much for this comment, it is a serious topic. Really happy that you swung by!
Good stuff! I just bought a tow bar kit for my small van. It's got what they call "D" value and "S" value stamped onto it. It's the law here.
It's basically doing all the work for me.....tells me nose weight and pulling weight.
However, I will definitely be using this method if I ever get myself a caravan/camper.....💪💪👍
I love that, that really could simplify and make things more safe!
Thank you for making this clear concise video!
Thank you for watching the channel!
Great video brother, you broke it down where a newbie like me was able to understand the mathematics of weight distribution. I just subscribed to your channel, thanks you!
I’m glad it was helpful, thank you for commenting and subbing. Happy camping!
This is a great video and has provided me with a brand new and more educated perspective. I was hoping to get a 4Runner to tow my bbq smoker, but now realize I need something more heavy duty. Thank goodness I didn’t buy a 4 runner without having this knowledge. Thanks so much!
Thats great to hear, this comment made me hungry…lol
I have a Timberleaf Teardrop Trailer (Classic - off-road) and I really appreciated the information in this video. Thanks.
That’s a really nice rig!
Best video on TW on RUclips.
Thanks Jon, lots of other videos on the channel for DIY camper folks, hope you enjoy!
SUBSCRIBE: ruclips.net/user/DIYOutdoorLife
Very eloquent and comprehensive explanation, thank you!
Thank you for watching and commenting!
hey Brian another great video good to see these kinds of things a lot of people even the more experienced RVs or tear droppers may not truly understand well done looking forward to the next one have a great day
Thanks for watching! Sometimes the boring ones are the most important!
soooooooo helpful. I know nothing and this is so easy to understand. Thank you so much!
That's really great to hear, thank you for watching!
Very good information. I will have to buy a scale now.
glad it helped! Analog works better than digital!
Thank you so much for your info. I'm a new trailer owner and this was very helpful.
That’s great, thank you for swinging by!
Thanks, well explained!! A must know for anyone who trailers.
Thank you, I appreciate you watching!
Excellent.....Thank you
Thank you for watching!
Such good delivery... I'm thinking you might be able to help me finally understand quantum physics too... :) Well done on conveying important material in a super easy to consume fashion. Thanks gain.
Thank you for that. Next week‘s video will be explaining superposition entanglement as “spooky action at a distance” lol 😂
Highly illustrative video about a really important topic. Thanks a lot for your detailed and interesting explanation 👍🏻👏🏻. Glad to join your community 🙂✌🏼, peace out you’all
Thank you for watching the video and joining the community, welcome aboard!
When weighing on the scale you would want to adjust the trailer to be level correct for the tongue weight to be correct? Thank you for a very detailed and easy to understand video much appreciated
Yes, level for accuracy. Thanks for watching the channel.
Great job explaining that!
Thank you, I appreciate you watching the channel!
Great video. I've been struggling with getting mine right and taking all of your advice.
I hope it helps, circle back to let us know how you make out 😀
Excellent. Best explanation I have come across and it is very clear to me now. The only problem is using the bathroom scale directly for heavier trailers. I don’t think they go that high for 500 lb tongue weights
There is a simple trick, although it might be harder to convey in text than video. Look up “2x4 bathroom scale trailer tongue weight” in google.
You will be following the same procedures as this video, but your place the tongue on a 2”x4” that leans on the scale. The marks you make on the 2 x 4 will allow you to prorate the weight. In other words, it’ll say 100 pounds on the scale when the hitch weight is 400. Or 200 on the scale when the hitch weight is 800. Simple trick that should help you out.
If you’re not able to find this, reach out again and I will send links.
Thanks for watching!
They do make "high-weight" bathroom scales, quite pricey though! They also make/sell tongue weight scales. 0 -200, and higher. One can also buy hitches with the scale manufactured into them.
Having been a semi truck driver (over 20 years), I've seen a multitude of accidents as well as potential accidents waiting to happen due to people improperly towing and or loading trailers and vehicles; mostly camping and utility trailers.
I recently purchased a Sherline tongue scale. It measures weight in both pounds and kilos. It cost just under $150.00.
When you haul lawn equipment north of $12k, not including the trailer and tow vehicle, what's a $150.00 for piece of mind?
Thanks for explaining it to where it's easy to understand!
Thank you for watching!
Thanks so much.. getting the bathroom scale today!!
Nice, happy camping!
Fantastic explanation in layman's terms, thank you!!
Thank you for watching, hope it helped.
super important. Thanks for the videos!!
Thank you, I appreciate you watching!
Great job. Anyone who has ever experienced trailer sway knows how important this is. It can kill you and people in other people in vehicles around you.
I've seen some real horrors on the road...
Excellent video saved to my "reference" playlist
Thank you, I appreciate you watching the channel!
Very good topic Brian ,so many inexperienced people run into the problem as you mentioned of not having enough tounge weight which can result in a terrible accident.
There's some pretty scary videos online showing the consequences! I'm sure you have some stories of what you've seen with the long haul trucking! Thanks for watching!
Great video on understanding tongue weight. I was also using a bathroom scale and wife thought I was nuts - going to have her watch this now.
Haha… don’t get me in trouble 😂
Very important and usefull information. Thanks for explaing the topic so comprehensively.
Well done Brian! Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Very cool. Thanks. Is there a difference in using the screw lift vs using a board under the ball down? Is there a critical difference with you use the Weight Balance Theory for calculation and positioning?
Is the pens on your camper, each set up as a different length, and leverage between the axle and the receiver. For these tiny campers, you can get a very accurate reading either way.
If possible, weighing directly under the receiving hitch is the best way to go.
@@DIYOutdoorLife Thank you very much. This has been an excellent channel find. I am happy to have found it.
Well explained and i truely appreciate you explaining this , i want to be confident im towing safe and this was very helpful, thank you ....
That's great to hear, thank you for watching!
Thank you. You could easily open up for classes!!!
Thank you, I appreciate you tuning in!
Thanks bro. I just bought a 10hd so that info was definitely helpful!
Nice, glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!
Great video and description. Just one potential fly in the ointment. You’re measuring from the front jack point, not at the actual tongue. How much difference does the 10”-12” of extra arm make (at the ball vs at the front foot) on the weight? It will be less, I just don’t know by how much. Thanks for considering this :)
It comes down to the length of the frame in front of your axle, you are exactly right. For my trailer, and a lot of shorter teardrop/square drop, the difference is only a couple pounds. Since it's negligible, this is the way to go at home.
The way that I mentioned doing it on a larger cat scale or transfer station will give exact numbers.
Thanks for watching!
I , like someone else mentioned below, am also getting my new teardrop trailer (a ‘RainDrop’ from CampInn) in about a month or so. This info you presented will prove to be quite valuable as I hitch it up to my Subaru Outback. Thank you for your clear and precise presentation.
Thanks Alan, the CampInn may very well be my favorite TD trailer. How long have you been waiting? Thanks for watching!
What a great video! Thank you for putting this together!
Thank you for tuning in!
Thank you for explaining it so simply. We were just talking about this last night. Trying to figure out if we can safely take our bike with us.
Great timing! Happy it helped!
Thanks for posting. Great job of explaining. Very helpful!
Thanks for watching, glad it was helpful!
My uncle told me about the bathroom scale method decades ago, but I only used it this morning (and saw this video this evening). Can I mount bikes on the back of my Scamp? No, not safe, as it reduces the tongue weight to around 175 lbs, with 2600+ lbs of trailer+cargo. I even had 80lbs of softener salt in the front closet to offset the bikes, but nope. Thank you for clearly explaining the numbers for us. Well done.
Great job, I can't tell you how many people figure that out the hard way. Thanks for swinging by and commenting!
Hey, just ran across your video as I've been trying to do some research on hitch weight. Sorry if this is a long rant...We are currently trading in our camper for a larger toy hauler. At first i wasn't to concerned as the tow weight of the camper is relatively low (6000lbs dry with a capacity to hull almost 4,000 more lbs, we wont be reaching our max tow btw) and my max tow for the truck is around 9-10,000lbs. I've know about hitch weight but not exactly how important it is (we use a weight distribution hitch). I seen on my receiver that the max hitch weight says 1,200lbs and the from the factory the hitch weight of the camper is 1,050lbs. I know this is cutting it super close for my max hitch weight and I'm starting to wonder if this will be a problem. Towing capacity is fine what sucks is that it's such a heavy hitch weight. From watching this video I understand more now on how this number can change do to weight in the back of the trailer and with a toy hauler I'm sure this number can change alot based on what is loaded in the trailer. What I'm wondering is can I help to balance the hitch weight from reaching my max by loading more of our gear in the back since my tow capacity of truck can handle it better? Not sure if this makes sense but just hoping to get more insight, thanks.
Absolutely. By loading items behind the axle, you’re going to be reducing the down force on the hitch. Toy haulers in particular are designed to have a lot of weight in the back, that’s why they’re so heavy on the hitch to start.
There’s a technique using a 2 x 4 and bathroom scale, that helps with trailers like yours. Look it up on Google, it will be the same as this video but using a 2 x 4 as a lever, allowing you to weigh without breaking the scale. Hope this helps!
Man you are number 1. Thank you. Great infos
I really appreciate you tuning into the channel, thank you!
Another big issue is loads shifting during travel - fore and aft, side to side, or both. Is everything strapped down???
Great points, even a half filled water reservoir can cause some issues.
Thank you so much. This is exactly what I was looking for
Great to hear, thank you for watching!
Great Easy to understand process---from a newbie....THANK!
Thank you! Hope you'll subscribe!
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This is an AMAZINGly presented and informative tutorial! Great job!
Can I just ask you to back up one step for me to make sure I start with the correct info. I have my 2000 Explorer's Bumper Weight Capacity (350lbs). But we added a hitch b/c we weren't confident with just using the bumper ball to tow our small camping gear utility trailer. So what I'm trying to find out is what my vehicle's current Tongue Weight Capacity would be and if it's any different b/c of adding a hitch (or would this totally be a mfr. question?).
Nothing official online that I can find for TWC and we just want to be as safe as possible. Hence, gleaning your expertise on tongue weight.
Thx!
Hey Mikel, thanks for watching, glad it was helpful.
When you added the hitch, what class hitch did you get? 1, II, III?
@@DIYOutdoorLife 3
@@mikel8779 you have probably made a veryyy small impact on hitch weight, my guess is it’s negligible
2021 Kia forte gt line I have a 150 pound trailer 2 250 pound dirt bikes car is read it for 200 pound tongue weight what a safety tongue weight I should have
As you said, your car has a 200 lb tongue weight capacity. You are going to need your bikes very well balanced on the trailer, over the axle.
Thanks Brian... very informative certainly kept my attention.
Thanks for watching! I figured this video would struggle, important info though.
Fantastic video, seriously thank you so much!! Now...is my vehicles max tongue weight rating the number listed under my hitch, or the number mentioned in the manual?? There's a 100lb difference for some reason, I can't believe how difficult it is to find out this information
I’m really glad that you watched! The number in your manual will be the one you want, but you want to make sure that that number is lower than the one printed on the hitch receiver. If the hitch receiver number is lower, that means somebody added it after market and used the wrong one…. Very rare but wanted to warn, if that’s the case, go with the lower number between the two.
Thanks for tuning in !
@@DIYOutdoorLife Thanks so much! Looking to purchase our first travel trailer. When you explained that if you add weight in the back it will lower the hitch weight, that was incredibly informative. Do you think the size of the trailer matters in how effective that would be? The trailer we have decided on is a 23 foot trailer with a 430lb dry hitch weight, and my vehicle is 500lb max hitch weight. Add 1 propane/battery to that, I imagine its close to the 500lb mark. Do you think your method of adding weight to the back would be effective enough to keep the vehicle within safe towing capacity?
@@Ja8888 yes, it will work. Generally speaking, id have to caution from getting too close to listed "limits". People go over their hitch limit all the time, some of them never even notice. Much safer to stay under that 500 if possible. Make sure you're not exceeding the overall towing capacity of a vehicle too, if your hitch weight is 500, you're probably getting close to the overall towing weight limit too.
How does tongue weight get affected when using a weight distribution hitch?
Does the same concept prevail or do i have to calculate TW differently?
This is a great question, the answer can get pretty detailed. To play it safe, the simple answer is to say it’s unaffected . In other words, make sure your tongue weight does not exceed your tow vehicles tongue weight capacity.
You do reach a certain weight in which a distribution hitch is the only safe way to go. Although the way it locks the frames together distributes the weight, you still want to be conservative and not surpass the listed requirements of the tow vehicle.
For example, let’s say my tongue weight is 600 pounds and my trailer weighs 6000. At these weights, I’m going to want to use weight distribution gear to make the towing safer, but I still only want to use a tow vehicle capable of 600 hitch weight. Hope this helps!
@@DIYOutdoorLife Thanks so much! It certainly makes sense to keep it under the capacity limits.
Today I had almost an accident with my bike towing a trailer and it started waving 😅 now I do understand why THANK YOU SIR ❤
Thank you for watching, Im so glad you made out okay, that can be scary!
Great video! And tongue condition thank you highlighting this! Liability!!
I usually learn something after I do it wrong!...hahaha
Brian, I appreciate this video very much...thank you!
Really glad it helped! Thanks for watching!
Solid job man. 👍🏻
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for such an informative video.
Thank you for tuning in and watching the video!
I recently bought a Bushwacker and am in the process of getting it setup and loaded for my first trip. I have learned a lot from your videos, so thank you very much for producing them. I do have a few questions concerning weight distribution and the effects of the water tank. Based on your experience, do you travel with a full tank or wait until you get near your destination before filling up, and second, how does the full tank affect weight distribution? With a full tank, is it balanced overall, or does it shift the weight forwards for backwards? Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks
Hello, so happy you’ve been tuning in. I travel both full and empty, favoring empty if I can.
The water tank is forward balanced, it definitely adds weight to the hitch. Both of my tow vehicles are more than capable and it rides pretty well full. I would avoid it if I was driving a tow vehicle with a smaller hitch capability.
@@DIYOutdoorLife thanks for the info. I have a smaller vehicle, so I will probably need to travel empty. Still working on weight distribution and may need to move the battery to the rear to lighten up the hitch weight. Thanks
@@hughwalker4801what all did you end up doing? I have a 15DS and it’s sitting at ~20% or 375 lbs without water or cargo. I’m thinking if I move the propane from the tongue to the inside rear while towing I might be good.
I’ve got a 350 lbs tongue capacity :(
Good info! But shouldn't the weighing be done on a hard (paved of some kind) surface as opposed to soft dirt/grass?
It would be easier for sure! At these weights, it’s plenty accurate either way. Thanks for watching!
Thank you!!! Awesome video!!
Thank you, I appreciate you watching!
With your bushwhacker did you ever get an owner's manual. Because I sure didn't and I just bought mine 3 weeks ago
If you got one, you would be the first! Some day they’ll issue their first edition owners manual, a collectors item!
Happy to answer questions if you have one, I’ve had mine for a bit.
There’s some info on the website for things like tongue weight etc too
Do you not need to account for the 8"-10" of distance from the jack point to the ball coupler? The weight will not be the same as what's measured at the jack point.
Because of how the leverage works here, the number is VERY close. Remember, a few points wont make or break you here. Knowing whether it's 150 lbs or 300 is very important. Hope this helps.
The scale should be at the ball location.
@@tcap7917 it’s a 4lb difference on this trailer..lol
Well done explanation!!! Thank you!!!
Thank you for watching!
Even better, only add enough weight in the trailer slightly forward of the trailer axle to achieve the 10 - 15% tow ball weight. Put the rest in to the tow vehicle while remaining as far as possible below tow vehicle maximum load. The maximum load of tow vehicle includes everything in the vehicle including passengers, fuel and the down weight on the tow ball. As a rule, the more the tow vehicle weight exceeds the trailer weight the better.
Yes, that's the ideal situation. A lot of times when loading up your camper that's not always possible, but staying between 10 to 15% on the tongue and well within the range of your tow vehicle is key.
Super informative, thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Clear and simple. Thanks
Glad you liked it, hope you’ll subscribe for more content on campers 😀
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When you are measuring tongue weight using a bathroom scale, does it matter that the camper is level or not?
level is best! It doesn't have to be perfect though 😀
Excellent video. Thank you.
Thank you for watching!
Great video, subscribed.
Thank you for watching and subscribing. 😀
My trailer can carry 1000kg but my car tongue weight is only 75kg, so goes that mean I can only have about 700kg on the trailer. Even though the car manual say I can tow 1500kg including the trailer, could you help me out. Car is a Daewoo leganza 1997 auto
Thanks Rick
Hey Richard, I tried to look up the towing specifications on that ‘97 Leganza. The legality varies from country to country.
Let’s look at it this way- From a physics standpoint, overloading the tongue on the Daewoo will make it dangerous to drive. I’m seeing between 75 and 85kg as a tongue weight limit on the car. Assuming 75kg, the trailer itself shouldn’t be over 750. If you’re going to cheat, being heavier on the tongue is the direction to go, too light on the tongue makes it fish tail.
I too am surprised to see 1500kg towing, seems like a dangerous recipe. You might be able to add air bags or stiffen the rear suspension inexpensively, if you have the right hitch, this will increase tongue weight. Otherwise trial and errors… don’t drive if the car starts to look like a spaceship 🚀
Have fun, be safe!
hey dude... your info is worth a million bucks! Listen, i have a question which is somehow out of the scope of your video but related.
Do you know how to calculate tongue weight when carrying dead weight off of your vehicle's hitch.
I have an old Durango and I sometimes carry one of those hitch carriers from Harbor Freight which is on the heavy side. I built a wooden chest to sit on top of it and in it I carry a propane gas tank, a medium sized cooler full of food and other miscellaneous items such an air compressor, jump starter unit and other things.
I am gonna guess the actual weight of the carrier is around 300 lbs. but i am not sure.
In this scenario where what you are carrying is literally dead weight because the carrier has no contact with the road how do i measure tongue weight????
Thank you, I appreciate you watching.
You can figure this out exactly with a little physics but the overall number will be close. Try to be conservative and stay under hitch weight. If the cargo carrier is 300, just consider it around 350. Let’s say you have a car with a 500 lb hitch weight, I wouldn’t add much more than 400 on a cargo carrier, obviously making sure the cargo carrier can handle the weight as well.
Hope this helps!
@@DIYOutdoorLife thanks man and i appreciate your quick reply but just to recap.... so in this scenario where the weight is hanging off the back of my truck the bathroom scale method does not work and I instead need to physically weigh that cargo carrier and all of its contents and once I have that number make sure that number is not higher than my vehicle's tongue weight capacity??
@@danielbarrios8947 that is correct. First thing is figure out how much your carrier can hold, then your car. After a while, you’ll be able to tell by how much the back of your car sags. If you’re within the tongue weight limit, it rides pretty level. If your over, you’ll see the tail sag.
There’s obviously a lot of factors here, including how much weight you have in the back of the vehicle, aside from the cargo rack. It’s not good to overload but it is much safer than towing an out of balance trailer.
@@DIYOutdoorLife awesome tip dude. I will weigh the whole cargo carrier when its full and see what kind of number i get Thanks a million dude!
That scale you have probably maxes out at 300LB. So what do you do on larger trailers that might have a tongue weight of 500 to 600 pounds? Couldn't you just buy two bathroom scales and put them next to each other with a board on them and then set the trailer jack on the board, Then add up the totals on both scales?
Go to Curtmfg . com
The website will outline how to weigh tongue weight over 300 pounds using a single bathroom scale and a board. The process is simple, you place a 3 1/2 foot 2 x 4 on a pipe like a seesaw, placing one end on the scale. It only takes a second and allows you to use the same bathroom scale to weigh heavier trailers
Great video, good information!
Thanks, figured you’d like the jeep 😀