Trailer Axle Adjustment

"Future next gen S2000 owner" (future-next-gen-s2000-owner) 05/15/2018 at 09:52 • Filed to: how hard can it be?

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Has anyone ever adjusted the axle location on a trailer to get the correct tongue weight?

Seems straight forward, if a bit tedious and time consuming. Measure tongue weight, jack up trailer, slightly relocate axle, rinse and repeat.

How hard can it be?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/15/2018 at 10:00

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Yes, though it was a little more involved. Not a torflex axle, so required moving shackles.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/15/2018 at 10:07

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Wouldn’t it be easier to use a weight distributing hitch?

Future next gen S2000 owner > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 05/15/2018 at 10:16

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Probably. But I’m still looking into whether or not the Taco can handle one. It is rated for 650 lbs tongue weight and I think that is enough but I’m having difficulties tracking down any good numbers.

OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/15/2018 at 10:17

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Weight distributing hitches are magic.

Future next gen S2000 owner > OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars 05/15/2018 at 10:22

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I’ve got to do some research into all of it. But know I have multiple options makes me feel better about the whole thing.

Urambo Tauro > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/15/2018 at 10:26

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What kind of trailer? Do you not have the option of shifting cargo around to adjust tongue weight?

Future next gen S2000 owner > Urambo Tauro 05/15/2018 at 10:53

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Slightly, but not much. It’s a boat. You can basically have a tank full of gas or not. In this case that comes in at ~350 lbs of fuel.

HammerheadFistpunch > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/15/2018 at 11:18

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Im in a similar...boat? (sorry). We are looking at boats and the leading choice right now is a 5700 lb lardass that would stretch the 6500 lbs limits of anything my family would use to tow it except a denali XL that has overheating problems.

vicali > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/15/2018 at 11:22

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Holy carp - I thought boats were supposed to float?

Taco (w tow pkg) is good for 6500lbs and 650 tongue. Our 19ft trailer is about 4800lbs and 475 tongue..

Weight dist hitch makes is super nice - I would guess that without it you’d be punding the bumpstops all the way there and back- plus looking out the windshield at the sky..

Future next gen S2000 owner > HammerheadFistpunch 05/15/2018 at 11:40

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Does that 5700 include gas and trailer? Don’t forget people and gear.

HammerheadFistpunch > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/15/2018 at 11:44

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4700 boat, 1600 trailer, 400 lb gas = 6600 lbs without cargo or passengers.

Future next gen S2000 owner > HammerheadFistpunch 05/15/2018 at 11:46

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Yep....That’s pushing it.

HammerheadFistpunch > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/15/2018 at 11:48

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To be fair we’d never been transporting it full of fuel, since it would live at the lake and only move in the off season for storage. So figure 6200 but even then, you have to go over nearly 10,000 foot passes to go from here to there and back. Even the GX would struggle mightily, let along a Tacoma.

Meatcoma > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/15/2018 at 14:59

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You should be able to move the front winch post bracket slightly back or forward to accommodate the weight.

Meatcoma > Meatcoma 05/15/2018 at 15:02

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Back to decrease tongue weight, forward to increase. There is a balance and you don’t want the tongue weight too light as bumps in the road could pop it up.

Future next gen S2000 owner > Meatcoma 05/15/2018 at 15:15

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I’m shooting for ~10% on the tongue if it already isn’t at that level.

Urambo Tauro > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/18/2018 at 14:39

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I don’t know if you’ve put a plan together yet, but I was just thinking about this again-

You mentioned possibly having to relocate the axle(s) more than once, but I’m thinking that you can eliminate a lot of trial-and-error here, especially if the shackle-brackets are welded to the frame.

Start with a fully-loaded trailer, including boat and whatever fuel or cargo you plan to travel with.

Put the frame on jack-stands, and set the tongue on a scale (or a board straddling two scales if one scale isn’t enough).

Remove axle(s) and set aside.

Reposition jack-stands to simulate axle location until desired tongue weight is achieved. (Technically this is still trial-and-error, except that you’re not reinstalling the axles over and over again.)

Mark frame, reposition jack-stands out of the way, and install new shackle-brackets.

Remove old shackle-brackets if necessary, and reinstall axle(s).

Future next gen S2000 owner > Urambo Tauro 05/21/2018 at 12:11

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That’s a good plan. Essentially mimic the axles with jacks. Once the house sale goes through, we’ll see what is in store for the boat situation.

deekster_caddy > Future next gen S2000 owner 05/29/2018 at 12:27

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Usually I adjust the load. Especially with a car trailer, I have whoever is assistng me to load the car watch the level of the whole trailer while I drive the car up. Tilted back? Keep inching forward. Tilted forward? Back it up a bit... usually I end up with the car pretty far back.

Another useful tip - have a 250 lb friend sit on the back bumper of the truck and measure how much the trailer hitch drops in height. Now you know how much it will drop with 250 lb tongue weight on the trailer! Use tape measure for before and after hooking trailer to see how you are doing...