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Author Topic:   Trailer Set-up; Adjusting Tongue Weight

andrey320 posted 11-20-2010 03:16 PM ET (US)
I finally got the chance to measure the tongue weight of my rig 15 foot Dauntless with a 50 Honda on a Pacific single axle trailer. [The tongue weight] came at 200-lbs. Here is my math on the total tow weight:
850 (boat) + 220 (engine) + 600 (trailer) + 200 (fuel, gear, battery) = 1870-lbs
Plus or minus 10-percent can get me over 2,000-lbs. So the tongue weight seems to be about 10-percent of the total weight. From all the things I've read, it seems about right, but some people recommend getting it a bit lower, to 7-percent.
So far, the car has towed really well. No sway problems. My concern is that I may be overloading the rear suspension on my not-so-heavy-duty suspension on the Camry wagon. I have had concerns about the ability of this car to tow in the long term, so I am thinking of reducing the tongue weight. The plan is to move the bow stop a few inches back. At the moment, the transom is right at the end of the bunks. So for every inch I move the bow stop back, the transom will hang the same length over the bunks.
Before I go ahead with this plan, I wanted to have the experts look over the figures and give me their opinion. Please comment if you wish.
Thank you!
PS: I also want to lower the bow stop a bit because every time I trailer the boat I have to lift the bow to get it to sit on the rubber roller. This does not seem right to me because I feel like I am supporting a lot of weight on the bow hook. When I get home though, I can loosen the bow rope and the boat doesn't drop. Should I lower the bow stop?
ConB posted 11-20-2010 04:11 PM ET (US)
I think your tongue weight is on the high end of OK. Seven to ten-percent is the rule I've read.
Does your Camry have a manufacturer's tow rating? What is the hitch rating?
Being your transom is even with the bunks and if you still want less tongue weight, take a look to see if the axle can be moved a head a few inches.
How much are you lifting the bow to get it just right on the roller? My own boat needs a firm pull to get it just right on the bow stop.
Con
Tom Hemphill posted 11-20-2010 04:22 PM ET (US)
Your weight estimate for the trailer sounds high. Does your registration or other paperwork list its light (unloaded) weight? Rather than guess, take your rig to a place with a truck scale. (I took mine to a quarry yesterday, and there was no charge.)
I don't think changing the tongue weight by 60 pounds will have much impact on the safety and longevity of your tow vehicle. If you want to change the tongue weight, moving the axle rather than the boat may make more sense.
I'm confused by the description of your bow stop problem. Is the forward part of the boat supported by a roller under the keel? The bow eye and bow stop of the trailer shouldn't have to support anything.
andrey320 posted 11-20-2010 04:39 PM ET (US)
Con, Tom, thank you for your replies.
Con - I believe the tow rating for the Camry is 2000lbs total/200lbs tongue.
Regarding the bow issue, when i pull the boat onto the trailer, the bow sits a few inches below the roller, so I have to back off a bit and pull the bow up manually over the roller - maybe 6 to 8 inches. I then place the hook on and tighten. What puzzles me is that when I get home and take pressure loosen the strap, the boat doesn't move.
contender posted 11-20-2010 05:35 PM ET (US)
I think Tom is correct, to much tongue weight for a 15 Whaler, also listen to ConB, can you move your axle forward a little? Mark the spot were the axle is and try moving it forward some, The other way is to set the boat a little farther back on the trailer and just move the winch mount back some. Then you need to give the trailer a test run, make sure you reach the speed you tow at to make sure it tows OK.
ConB posted 11-20-2010 06:08 PM ET (US)
andrey, are we taking about the bow eye and winch stop relationship? Or a roller lower down toward where the keel and bow meet?
Con
andrey320 posted 11-20-2010 06:55 PM ET (US)
What do you think the trailer weighs? I am getting my 600-lbs figure from www3.team-logic.com/userfiles/file/painted(1).pdf – the PC15 model. It is not the exact trailer, I have a 1996, but it’s the same manufacturer. So I am making a big assumption here.
(Mine has the removable tongue and side rails)
Con, I think I am confusing you by calling the bow stop rubber thing a roller… sorry, I am new to boating and don’t know all the terms.
Also, if the trailer weight is lower than my estimate, that makes the tongue weight over 10%.
Do you guys advise against having the transom hang 1 to 2 inches off the bunks?
andrey320 posted 11-20-2010 08:47 PM ET (US)
One other question - should there be any space between the rails of the trailer and the boat? Or should the boat fit snuggly in between?
contender posted 11-20-2010 09:14 PM ET (US)
Transom should not hang over the end of the bunks, but can you make the bunks longer? I try to have my bunks sit against the rails. outside of the rail wider more support, centers the boat better and will not bounce around on the trailer. Use a good strap that will go over the boat from one side of the trailer to the other for a hold down.
ConB posted 11-20-2010 10:16 PM ET (US)
In a perfect world the bow eye of the boat should be just under the bow stop of the trailer when in normal position.
May be an adjustment will help.
If going further than to my local ramp I put a tie down strap from bow eye down to the trailer in addition to my transom tie downs just to sure the boat will not move.
Con
Bulldog posted 11-21-2010 09:55 AM ET (US)
I have a larger Pacific trailer the axles are pretty easy to move, but I agree with Contender don't have the transom hang off the bunks. The weight of the motor on the transom is best supported if the bunks are right at the transom.....Jack
jimh posted 11-21-2010 11:43 AM ET (US)
If the trailer axle can be easily moved, you may want to move the trailer axle forward a small amount to reduce the tongue weight.
Please describe the method you used to measure the tongue weight. I am curious to know the technique used.
jimh posted 11-21-2010 11:47 AM ET (US)
Advice on trailer set-up for Boston Whaler boats is provided in
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/trailering/trailer.html
The article discusses tongue weight and provides a method to predict changes in tongue weight which result from changes in the axle position.
The article also discusses the location of the winch stand in relation to the bow eye on the stem of the hull. Pay special attention to the caption for the photograph titled "Loading a Keel Roller Trailer."
andrey320 posted 11-21-2010 01:10 PM ET (US)
Thank you for the replies everyone!
Does anyone have any estimates on the weight of my trailer?
I am probably not going to try to reduce the tongue weight because it is within the capacity and about 8 to 12% of total the rig weight.
I will review that trailer setup page and probably try to adjust the bow stop.
Jim, I weighed it with a bathroom scale. I measured the height the tongue hangs at, placed a scale with a board and a jack stand.
andrey320 posted 11-21-2010 02:11 PM ET (US)
Read the article - great stuff!
So now I now that I've got a float-on trailer, no rollers, what I was calling bow stop is actually called a winch stop, and my axle is not adjustable....
I think I will adjust the winch stop down and back a bit. If I only lower it, that will bring the boat forward increasing my tongue weight....
andrey320 posted 11-21-2010 02:14 PM ET (US)
No wait, it is a bow stop... I am slowly getting it.

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Author	Topic: Trailer Set-up; Adjusting Tongue Weight
andrey320	posted 11-20-2010 03:16 PM ET (US) I finally got the chance to measure the tongue weight of my rig 15 foot Dauntless with a 50 Honda on a Pacific single axle trailer. [The tongue weight] came at 200-lbs. Here is my math on the total tow weight: 850 (boat) + 220 (engine) + 600 (trailer) + 200 (fuel, gear, battery) = 1870-lbs Plus or minus 10-percent can get me over 2,000-lbs. So the tongue weight seems to be about 10-percent of the total weight. From all the things I've read, it seems about right, but some people recommend getting it a bit lower, to 7-percent. So far, the car has towed really well. No sway problems. My concern is that I may be overloading the rear suspension on my not-so-heavy-duty suspension on the Camry wagon. I have had concerns about the ability of this car to tow in the long term, so I am thinking of reducing the tongue weight. The plan is to move the bow stop a few inches back. At the moment, the transom is right at the end of the bunks. So for every inch I move the bow stop back, the transom will hang the same length over the bunks. Before I go ahead with this plan, I wanted to have the experts look over the figures and give me their opinion. Please comment if you wish. Thank you! PS: I also want to lower the bow stop a bit because every time I trailer the boat I have to lift the bow to get it to sit on the rubber roller. This does not seem right to me because I feel like I am supporting a lot of weight on the bow hook. When I get home though, I can loosen the bow rope and the boat doesn't drop. Should I lower the bow stop?
ConB	posted 11-20-2010 04:11 PM ET (US) I think your tongue weight is on the high end of OK. Seven to ten-percent is the rule I've read. Does your Camry have a manufacturer's tow rating? What is the hitch rating? Being your transom is even with the bunks and if you still want less tongue weight, take a look to see if the axle can be moved a head a few inches. How much are you lifting the bow to get it just right on the roller? My own boat needs a firm pull to get it just right on the bow stop. Con
Tom Hemphill	posted 11-20-2010 04:22 PM ET (US) Your weight estimate for the trailer sounds high. Does your registration or other paperwork list its light (unloaded) weight? Rather than guess, take your rig to a place with a truck scale. (I took mine to a quarry yesterday, and there was no charge.) I don't think changing the tongue weight by 60 pounds will have much impact on the safety and longevity of your tow vehicle. If you want to change the tongue weight, moving the axle rather than the boat may make more sense. I'm confused by the description of your bow stop problem. Is the forward part of the boat supported by a roller under the keel? The bow eye and bow stop of the trailer shouldn't have to support anything.
andrey320	posted 11-20-2010 04:39 PM ET (US) Con, Tom, thank you for your replies. Con - I believe the tow rating for the Camry is 2000lbs total/200lbs tongue. Regarding the bow issue, when i pull the boat onto the trailer, the bow sits a few inches below the roller, so I have to back off a bit and pull the bow up manually over the roller - maybe 6 to 8 inches. I then place the hook on and tighten. What puzzles me is that when I get home and take pressure loosen the strap, the boat doesn't move.
contender	posted 11-20-2010 05:35 PM ET (US) I think Tom is correct, to much tongue weight for a 15 Whaler, also listen to ConB, can you move your axle forward a little? Mark the spot were the axle is and try moving it forward some, The other way is to set the boat a little farther back on the trailer and just move the winch mount back some. Then you need to give the trailer a test run, make sure you reach the speed you tow at to make sure it tows OK.
ConB	posted 11-20-2010 06:08 PM ET (US) andrey, are we taking about the bow eye and winch stop relationship? Or a roller lower down toward where the keel and bow meet? Con
andrey320	posted 11-20-2010 06:55 PM ET (US) What do you think the trailer weighs? I am getting my 600-lbs figure from www3.team-logic.com/userfiles/file/painted(1).pdf – the PC15 model. It is not the exact trailer, I have a 1996, but it’s the same manufacturer. So I am making a big assumption here. (Mine has the removable tongue and side rails) Con, I think I am confusing you by calling the bow stop rubber thing a roller… sorry, I am new to boating and don’t know all the terms. Also, if the trailer weight is lower than my estimate, that makes the tongue weight over 10%. Do you guys advise against having the transom hang 1 to 2 inches off the bunks?
andrey320	posted 11-20-2010 08:47 PM ET (US) One other question - should there be any space between the rails of the trailer and the boat? Or should the boat fit snuggly in between?
contender	posted 11-20-2010 09:14 PM ET (US) Transom should not hang over the end of the bunks, but can you make the bunks longer? I try to have my bunks sit against the rails. outside of the rail wider more support, centers the boat better and will not bounce around on the trailer. Use a good strap that will go over the boat from one side of the trailer to the other for a hold down.
ConB	posted 11-20-2010 10:16 PM ET (US) In a perfect world the bow eye of the boat should be just under the bow stop of the trailer when in normal position. May be an adjustment will help. If going further than to my local ramp I put a tie down strap from bow eye down to the trailer in addition to my transom tie downs just to sure the boat will not move. Con
Bulldog	posted 11-21-2010 09:55 AM ET (US) I have a larger Pacific trailer the axles are pretty easy to move, but I agree with Contender don't have the transom hang off the bunks. The weight of the motor on the transom is best supported if the bunks are right at the transom.....Jack
jimh	posted 11-21-2010 11:43 AM ET (US) If the trailer axle can be easily moved, you may want to move the trailer axle forward a small amount to reduce the tongue weight. Please describe the method you used to measure the tongue weight. I am curious to know the technique used.
jimh	posted 11-21-2010 11:47 AM ET (US) Advice on trailer set-up for Boston Whaler boats is provided in http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/trailering/trailer.html The article discusses tongue weight and provides a method to predict changes in tongue weight which result from changes in the axle position. The article also discusses the location of the winch stand in relation to the bow eye on the stem of the hull. Pay special attention to the caption for the photograph titled "Loading a Keel Roller Trailer."
andrey320	posted 11-21-2010 01:10 PM ET (US) Thank you for the replies everyone! Does anyone have any estimates on the weight of my trailer? I am probably not going to try to reduce the tongue weight because it is within the capacity and about 8 to 12% of total the rig weight. I will review that trailer setup page and probably try to adjust the bow stop. Jim, I weighed it with a bathroom scale. I measured the height the tongue hangs at, placed a scale with a board and a jack stand.
andrey320	posted 11-21-2010 02:11 PM ET (US) Read the article - great stuff! So now I now that I've got a float-on trailer, no rollers, what I was calling bow stop is actually called a winch stop, and my axle is not adjustable.... I think I will adjust the winch stop down and back a bit. If I only lower it, that will bring the boat forward increasing my tongue weight....
andrey320	posted 11-21-2010 02:14 PM ET (US) No wait, it is a bow stop... I am slowly getting it.