How to properly balance a trailor load??

Also when I load the tractor and bushhog what is the proper way to balance the load. I heard the best way is to hook up the trailor to my truck without a load, then take a yardstick to the back bumper of the truck and draw a mark. Then load the tractor and bushhog slowly to the front of the trailor. When the trailor starts to tip forward and the back bumper goes about 3 inches below the mark with the empty trailor, that this is the best indicator for a properly balanced load. Any ideas??

If you added 24 inches to the back of your trailer, you may have shifted the center of the trailer's empty weight to the rear, causing the tongue to be light. That can cause a trailer to be unstable.

Careful here as if you load this trailer you won't make it very far without biting the big one,ie; accident. If the trailer pulls bad empty it will only get worse with load weight applied, increasing sway.

We'll assume your working with a tandum axle, tag trailer. Unkown tow vehicle type.

Tires, axles, suspension, frame, coupler all rated for the intended gross loaded weight?

GVWR = gross vehicle weight rating, or trailer weight plus loaded weight can NOT exceed GVWR. Look for the mfg tag on the tongue frame area.

Measure from the center of the coupler to the center of axle(s). This measurement should be 2/3 of your total trailer length from the coupler to the end of trailer.

Example: If your total trailer length is 18ft, then the center of coupler to the center of axles should be approx. 12ft.

When you added the extra 2ft on the back of the deck, this unloaded the required 10% to 15% tongue weight causing the sway condition.

You need to find the above coupler to axle distance then add more length to the tongue of the trailer if your short (most likey).

Once you increase the tongue length then you add more stress to the frame. Your asking alot of a trailer frame once designed as a 16ft trailer.

As Dave pointed out using a rule, you can also use your tongue jack to set load weight. Run the jack down on a empty trailer just to where it touchs the ground, then run the jack up 2". As you load weight observe the jack to ground clearence. On most tow vehicles you don't want to be less than 2" as that indicates to light of tongue weight for a given load.

Are you sure you don't want to buy the correct trailer for the intended load?

T_Bone

Now I know which forum to post to, I have a Massey and usually post there, this is great.

I know, too expensive to do unless one does it themselves.

Think he kinda ruined the trailer at this point, by totally unbalancing it. I've towed a few farm implements home with the pickup at real low speeds that were rear-heavy, and _not_ fun, that whipping can really bite a person on a downhill, can't get control back.

He repeated his question on most of the forums around here, hope he goes through them all & picks out the good answers, not just the easy ones.

--->Paul