Having a boat trailer is common and also trendy nowadays. people love to have a ride on their weekend or in a particular season to enjoy natural environments. But at the same time, some are facing problems with a boat trailer.
A common question frequently asked to us is how can I increase my boat trailer’s tongue weight, or my tongue weight is too little what to do now?
Well, let’s give a solution quickly to this problem. You have to maintain the proper weight of your tongue weight; otherwise, it will create a disbalance between your vehicle and trailer, which can create a big problem while driving.
To prevent this problem, let’s discuss how can we solve it.
What is a tongue weight?
The tongue weight is the trailer tongue’s constant pressure acting on the hitch ball. In simple words, the downward force exerted by the tongue of the trailer on the hitch linked to the vehicle is known as tongue weight.
You may want to read: Top 5 Hitches for Boat Trailer with a high tow capacity
Maintaining a good tongue is very important before traveling with your trailer. Too little tongue weight can cause the vehicle’s back end to rising, resulting in fishtail moves, problems in breaking, and trailer swaying, which is a very dangerous condition.
To calculate tongue weight, subtract the car’s weight without the trailer from the weight of the vehicle with the trailer. The discrepancy is due to the trailer’s tongue weight.
Is it safe to tow a boat trailer with little tongue weight?
Whenever you are traveling, it’s very much important to keep safety measurements properly. Otherwise, within a minute, there could be a big problem which can cause a lot. Traveling with a trailer that has a low tongue weight is not recommended.
In some circumstances, a small tongue weight can cause problems for your vehicle as well as your trailer. If there isn’t enough weight on the tongue of the trailer, it may swing from side to side, which makes it difficult to manage.
On the other hand, if you put too much weight on the hitch ball, the force will overload the tow vehicle’s rear tires and push the vehicle around. As a result, correct tongue weight adjustment is usually recommended.
So obviously, you have to put standard weight on your tongue and keep a good knowledge about gross trailer weight, which is the total weight of your fully-loaded trailer, which includes the trailer’s weight as well as everything loaded onto or into it.
A balanced line from the front of the truck to the back of the trailer, with the coupler between the vehicle and trailer approximately level, will be reflected with just the proper amount of tongue weight which should be between 10-15% of GTW.
What to do if tongue weight is too little?
It’s difficult to control your vehicle properly if the tongue weight is not properly adjusted. When it comes to towing, adjusting your tongue weight is very necessary. When the entire weight of your vehicle is correctly balanced and accounted for, it is considerably safer to tow and drive on highways. Dangerous towing is more prevalent than you might believe, and you don’t need to tow dangerously.
So, what to do now? The best option is to put some more weight. If your tongue has little weight, you have to increase the weight and balance it properly. You can put some weight into your tongue trailer if you want.
Your tongue requires a certain amount of weight to rest upon your hitch correctly to correctly rest upon your hitch. If the back of your trailer is heavier than the front, your trailer’s tongue may rise off the hitch of your tow vehicle. Furthermore, a dangerous tilt in your trailer can result in road accidents. So, it’s better to buy a perfect tongue trailer.
Another good thing to keep in mind is to try to be accurate about your vehicle’s weight before buying a trailer so that you can have a proper idea of how it could be properly balanced with the tongue in the future.
The importance of tongue when towing your boat?
It is much easier to maintain a boat when it is on a trailer. Everything from simple washing and waxing to repairs and maintenance is considerably easier when the boat is on a trailer. Having a boat ride on the weekend is a great pleasure indeed. But this pleasure could be a big problem if you don’t maintain your tongue weight properly.
When towing a boat trailer, the tongue weight is one of the most important factors that you have to consider. One of the essential things you can do to keep your passenger and yourself safe while towing a travel trailer is maintaining the tongue weight.
It will assist in towing vehicles and hitches to handle the trailer you choose. Also, it will ensure that you have full control of the travel trailer even when stopping and driving downhill on difficult roads.
Here’s a video guideline on how to balance a boat trailer:
Conclusion
There was a time when people were not used to it but now traveling by a boat trailer is common nowadays. It is fun to enjoy your quality time with your favorite boat and so proper knowledge must be required, which we are ready to give you.
From the above discussion, we hope that you got your answers on what to do when the tongue weight is too little. Tongue weight is an important part to be maintained on your trailer. Always try to maintain a good weight balance of your tongue, and too little weight can create major problems, which we already mentioned earlier.
As a smart driver, it’s good to have proper knowledge about Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and a good understanding of trailer weight. And keep a good distribution between your vehicle and tongue trailer.
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