Am I gonna screw this up (new trailer/tongue question)

Hi all, I see there are a bazillion questions here about similar topics, but it seems no matter how much research I do, no other situation is similar. I'm afraid my tongue weight is going to be WAY too high... Please help me out...

I have a 2020 OR with the tow package. I have seen the table from the manual, my max tow is 6400, but I'll be way under that.

I'm looking at buying a teardrop trailer with a toy hauler flatbed front end. GVWR of the trailer is 3500#. It's only 1600# dry. Empty/dry tongue weight is 160#.

But...

When I put a motorcycle (dirt bike) and a generator on the flatbed part (closer to the tongue) I'll be adding about 350 lbs... still not accounting for adding any water, etc. So I'll probably be at 400 lbs added to the flatbed. Now, IN REALITY that weight should be equally distributed between the hitch and the trailer wheels, but it is slightly closer to the hitch.

I would guess I'm looking at a tongue weight of 500# with a 2000# trailer.

I don't mind getting a WD hitch, but is that the solution? Will I still have a problem? It seems the weight on the tongue is just far too great. Doesn't help that the trailer is long and the wheels are set way back away from the tongue.

Appreciate your opinions and math!!! Help!

Pic of the trailer for reference:

 

I agree with you right down the line.

If possible, put the jack on a bathroom scale (might need to put a couple pads down for "feet" and straddle those with a piece of 2x4) to see what tongue weight is empty. Then figure flatbed loads will be split ~50/50 between trailer axle and hitch.

Nice looking setup. Wish the axle wasn't so far to the rear for ya.

 

I seriously doubt you need a WDH. In fact I wouldn't pull that trailer unless it had a few hundred pounds on the front. It's better to have a little more tongue weight than not enough. I bet it is fun pulling it home with nothing on it.

Is there not a water tank under the trailer?

I believe that if you experiment with how it is loaded you'll find a way to balance everything out so it pulls OK.

 

So… even at 1600 with a 160# (10%) tongue you think it’ll be sketchy? Crap…

 

You really need to weigh the tongue with it loaded to know for sure. Then check the GVWR sticker on the door post that will give you the payload of the stock truck. Subtract any dealer added accessories and everything you’ve added to the truck, steps, tonneau… everything. That gives you what you have left for you, passengers, dog, cup of coffee, stuff in the bed and the trailer tongue weight.

The problem with that design is that the tongue weight could potentially be pretty high loaded. So the first instinct would be to move the axles more towards the front but then it could become very unstable unloaded.

 

I’m for sure under the payload. I only ride dirt bikes and my heaviest one is 250 lbs.and I only need one at a time. that plus a generator, at 100 lbs (which I could put in the truck bed, if it makes a difference????

 

What the heck are you running that requires a generator that large? Are you running a 4500W+ generator? Generac 2500i weighs 48 pounds and the Honda best of breed EU2200i is 47.4 pounds. What are you powering - or is your weight calc Generator + Fuel and Containers (all-in)?

 

Predator 3500

 

Youw will be fine, tongue weight is a good thing in this case and the axel further back will make it tow better, not worse

 

love the front patio on the trailer!

What the others said, mostly.

Plus, how much crap will you have in your truck bed when in full camping mode? And think about how you load weight from front rear axle.

And check your ride height with that bed load and passengers.

Then you can start to consider what height your ball mount should be.

What occupies the space behind the trailer axle? Is it fixed dead weight Like a battery, or variable like storage or water tank. You won't get much balance moment back there to counteight the tongue, but consider it in your calcs anyway.

 

First of all as others have stated, you're not going to know anything for sure until you actually measure the TW. Either by the bathroom scale method or using an actual tongue scale, you need that as your baseline so you know for sure what you're dealing with. If you're serious about getting a travel trailer, a tongue scale is just a good tool to have.

I don't think you need to worry at all about a WDH since I'd be surprised if it went over 500 lbs TW. As you stated the weight will be distributed between the tongue and trailer axle. If you're hauling a dirtbike you can really make it so it's as far back as possible. Same with the generator. I'd estimate you can lower the TW by 150-200 lbs alone just doing that. Check and see where the water tank is located. I'd imagine it's either right on top of the axle or just forward, so not much of a chance of it impacting your TW if that's the case.

You can put the generator in the bed if the TW is too heavy. What you're trying to avoid is a heavy trailer tongue taking weight off your steering axle, which reduces steering stability and braking. Anything aft of the rear axle technically contributes to this. When you load the truck bed, put all your stuff forward of the rear axle so it doesn't affect that. It will mean the full 100 lbs for the generator will count against your payload, so that's the tradeoff.

To answer your questions directly, I don't think a WDH will be needed. I think you'll be fine, but you need to actually measure the TW to know for sure. The dry TW is likely heavier than 160. Keep in mind that picture has no battery or propane tank on it. Actual dry TW is probably closer to 200-250 lbs. That trailer is right up the Tacoma's ally, and with only a dirtbike and generator, you're not really pushing it too far.

 

I bought one of these. Cheap enough and good enough for gov't work

Tow Ball Nose Weight Scale Indicator Noseweight Gauge RV Camper Boat Trailer

https://www.amazon.com/Weight-Indic...sprefix=trailer+tongue+,automotive,399&sr=1-8

 

Perhaps you could put the generator and other things behind the trailer? Get a little platform that sticks out the back?
The last thing you wanna do is break your truck because it's too heavy on the tongue

 

Rated tongue weight for the Tacoma is 650 pounds, if memory serves. As long as you stay under that, you're good.

In reality and from experience, you'll be hitting the bump stops. You'll want to reinforce the rear suspension and probably get a WDH. Not because it's any more or less safe, but because it'll reduce the strain on your equipment.

 

More tongue weight isn't an issue provided you don't exceed the rating of the truck. Not enough tongue weight is a MAJOR issue, more isn't really until you start hitting extremes.

Assuming 600lb of gear, but halfway in front of the axle, you have 300lbs on the tongue. Add 160lbs for the trailer and you at still under the rated weight for the truck. Finagle stuff around on the "patio" and load in the trailer instead of the truck bed and you should be fine.