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Load balancing trailer help


natedogg624

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I finally finished up my HF trailer and the next step will be planning out the load and making sure it balances correctly with the proper tongue weight. I was wondering how exactly to figure this out and to make sure I don't overload the tongue? Vehicle is rated for 200-300 lbs.

Do I use a bathroom scale under a jack to measure or how does this work? The items that will be on the trailer are the bike, large tote filled with toolbox, track supplies, and other items tbd, ramp and canopy, stands and spare wheels.

Any help would be appreciated!

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Did you actually pack the bearings? I try and fill it up, The shaft takes up a lot of room. Bearing buddies are the way to go. Tongue weight, I think your over thinking it. Trailer should have weight on the tongue when hitched and loaded. If not it will sway like crazy. 200-300#'s you should be able to just lift it. Even 100#'s of tongue weight will work. There's no perfect weight.

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Yes but I just repacked the bearings only using the bearing buddy actually. I did nothing behind the bearings within the hub itself. so i should put some grease within the hub itself you're saying?

You're probably right that I'm over thinking it, I just don't want disaster to happen. I've always loaded up in the back of my truck bed so this is all new to me.

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Ah sorry I did not use the bearing buddy, I used something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/KD-Tools-2775-Bearing-Packer/dp/B0002NYDYE

Which produced the same result as your video where it pushed the old grease out and replaced with the new grease for the front bearing. I did not know there was a rear bearing as well, that would answer my question that I need to inspect it a little closer.

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Cool. You have to pop off the seal on the back of the hub to get to the rear bearing. I usually use a screw driver to get the seal out and they get damaged coming off. Cheap to replace.

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Uh, it is an open trailer that weighs nothing and with an F150 like you have, you can load the bike on the ball itself and have zero issue... Basically, rule of thumb is to try and center the weight right over the axle. You are way over thinking this thing, though. Slap her on the center of the axle and tow away.

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Loading on a single-axle trailer is more critical than on a tandem axle. Tongue load should be approx >10% and <15% of the total trailer+load weight. If you load the trailer so that the COM (Center of Mass) is close to or behind the axle, you will induce an essentially uncontrollable sway.

Read here: http://www.sherline.com/lmbook.htm#refrn9

Check out the site for additional info on hauling loads.

EDIT: For weighing a lightweight trailer like yours, you can use a simple bathroom scale (most read to 250-300#) to get a measure of how much weight is on the tongue. Use a few blocks of wood for supporting the tongue at the ball hitch to prop the trailer at the proper height, i.e., frame level with road surface.

Edited by Bubba
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STATICS!

Summation of moments and forces = 0. You've got a portion of the weight acting downward a distance from the tongue and the axle. The ratio of length it is away from either is the ratio of weight that is being supported as well.

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In my opinion the key is to ensure the weight of the load on the trailer falls in front of the axle(s) just enough so you have tongue weight that prevents the trailer from tipping back and staying there but not so much that you drop the tow vehicle's rear end down more than an inch or so.

As far as bearings, the only way I know how to pack is with grease in one palm and a bearing in the other hand. Don't rely on a bearing buddy to get grease to those inner ones. They are the hardest to get to when they fail.

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On a single axle the axle is usually 60% towards the rear from the tongue. If you have a custom trailer with the axle in the middle then you have to load more towards the front. Again, just make sure you can't super easily lift the trailer off the ball hitch.

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Bro, what KTMBrian said, really you'll be fine. Load 40% of wt in front of axle and 60% behind. Or basically center the bike on the trailer then move it back 2 inches or so. If you are adding more weight or stuff to the trailer then take that into consideration. You want SOME weight but not half or more of it up front. Honestly, your best bet will be to put anything and everything you can over the rear axle of the car, i.e. back seat or in the front of the trunk.

If I was in your shoes, I would put the bike and fuel can only on the trailer, but that's just me. Everything else really should fit into your car, esp. if you have a folding rear seat, then you're money.

I might recommend upgrading the trailer lights to LED's too, but that's just me. Mine aren't yet, but it's also much larger and I know the HF lights are known to not work 50%+ of the time. Personal experience on a lot of trailers.

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