Towing a heavy trailer

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Zaedock
eTrailer is awesome. Check this out.


https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-determine-trailer-tongue-weight.aspx


$139 is a lot for something I will use once for 30 seconds.

 

[ls1mike]

Find a truck scale or certified scale near you. It was what I did for my set up. I spent about 45 minutes. Weighed complete setup. Trailer all alone, then tongue, then just trailer on axles, and then the truck.

Having said all that, I am in the if you are towing heavy you can never have too much truck camp.
Not saying you should go crazy just saying it doesn't hurt.

 

[DoubleWasp]

I haul large boats with surge brake trailers. One time I lost my brakes while hauling a 6 ton Wellcraft. I was able to continue on my way without much duress to the truck, even with typical Miami traffic.

 

[390pi]

People forget that boats do not have the tongue weight that other trailers/travel trailers have.
Boats are usually at 10% or less.

I tow a Searay 290 that is 11,700# wet, on the scales. 760# tongue. Triple axle surge, with disc brakes on all axles.

Pushed my Suburban 2500 around a little; Ram 2500 CTD, not so much.

 

[meep]

boats also don't generally have the air drag that full trailers do. It's hard to tell the comfort threshold or exactly what the OP senses is happening. Rattly-loose hitches are unsettling to me, poor shocks in the rear are unsettling, or it could be something else like under-inflated tires.

 

[Donald]

If the surge brakes are working perfectly vs marginally, how big a difference will that make?