TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post

**Bill** · 09-18-2006, 08:10 PM

I'll second most of these posts. That bouncy floating feeling is ALWAYS (in my experience) due to insufficient tongue weight. A trailer MUST put at least 10% of its total weight on the tongue - the TM's are biased more toward 13-14%, for added stability. If you disturb the tongue weight percent, you are asking for trouble.

I remember renting a U-Haul shortly after I graduated from college, to move my household goods (you know, my stereo and my mattress) to my new job. I put the light stuff in first, then loaded the heavy stuff in last, thinking that it would be easier to get the stuff in and out. When it was all loaded, I had to stand on the hitch coupler to bring it down onto the hitch ball. That trailer bounced and wobbled so much that it nearly threw the car off the road. It was so uncontrollable that I had to unload it and repack it on the side of the highway. Not fun - but it sounds like what you are experiencing.

Moral - don't dork with the hitch weight. If you are messing with it in hopes of gaining more towing capacity, then you have another issue to grapple with entirely.

Bill

09-18-2006, 08:10 PM	#10
Bill Site Team Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine Posts: 10,105	I'll second most of these posts. That bouncy floating feeling is ALWAYS (in my experience) due to insufficient tongue weight. A trailer MUST put at least 10% of its total weight on the tongue - the TM's are biased more toward 13-14%, for added stability. If you disturb the tongue weight percent, you are asking for trouble. I remember renting a U-Haul shortly after I graduated from college, to move my household goods (you know, my stereo and my mattress) to my new job. I put the light stuff in first, then loaded the heavy stuff in last, thinking that it would be easier to get the stuff in and out. When it was all loaded, I had to stand on the hitch coupler to bring it down onto the hitch ball. That trailer bounced and wobbled so much that it nearly threw the car off the road. It was so uncontrollable that I had to unload it and repack it on the side of the highway. Not fun - but it sounds like what you are experiencing. Moral - don't dork with the hitch weight. If you are messing with it in hopes of gaining more towing capacity, then you have another issue to grapple with entirely. Bill __________________ 2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL) 2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L Bill's Tech Stuff album