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Old 01-01-2015, 05:03 PM   #1
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Tongue weight means?

Newbie question, my FC25FB has a 837lb tongue weight. That is dry. Am I correct that TW should remain constant regardless of load, in other words should I be balancing the load to maintain the 837 lb TW or can it be safely varied?
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Old 01-01-2015, 05:06 PM   #2
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The weight that is placed on the receiver of your tow vehicle. This weight must be deducted from your payload capacity.
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Old 01-01-2015, 05:08 PM   #3
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It will vary with load. You should aim to have a certain percentage of trailer weight on the tongue, whatever % you decide. I assume that the 837 is a published figure; if so, it may not be (probably won't be) the same as real world actual when you weigh it. Consider it a starting point.
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Old 01-01-2015, 05:15 PM   #4
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Most likely your tongue weight will be somewhat heavier then the published weight. I was close to 100lbs. over the published weight after adding all my junk and add ons to the trailer.
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Old 01-01-2015, 05:56 PM   #5
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Thumbs up Tongue weight or TW

RD

Welcome Aboard!!

This should be helpful

Along with this

FWIW....the factory stated TW on our 25 Classic is 860lb, actual loaded for two weeks of camping.....


Good Luck

Bob
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Old 01-01-2015, 06:49 PM   #6
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The tongue weight will vary according to how you load your trailer. And also whether you have full fresh water, waste water, and propane tanks.

Options and upgrades also make a difference. It seems that everybody on Airforums who has weighed their tongue has a different value. For the reports of 25FB models I have seen, they are all heavier than Airstream's stated dry weight.

I have a 2013 25FB Flying Cloud. I have weighed the tongue three times, getting values in the range 900-990 pounds. Since the last weighing, I have added an inverter in the front compartment of my trailer, and upgraded the batteries, so I'm probably at 1100 pounds now.
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Old 01-01-2015, 07:30 PM   #7
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Lots of variables.

Read and understand the two links at etrailer.com that Robert Cross referenced above and you will know more about tongue weight and weight distribution than most people towing travel trailers.
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Old 01-01-2015, 08:54 PM   #8
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A certain amount of tongue weight is essential for stable towing, i.e. avoiding trailer sway.

There is no standard formula. The actual percentage is a function of where the centre of gravity of the trailer is. Tall 5th wheels with 4 slides will have up to 20% of gross trailer weight on the pin. Conventional travel trailers with slides seem best with up to 15% tongue weight.

At the other extreme are European "caravans" that have very small water tanks and are designed to be very low (and don't have slides). They seem to get by with as little as 5%, without weight distributing hitches.

Airstreams are well-balanced with a relatively low centre of gravity. Personally, I would be comfortable with tongue weight at about 11% of gross trailer weight; others may have different experiences.

In general, I would try to carry the heaviest items in the trailer, atop or slightly forward of the axles. Don't load heavy items in the back of the trailer in an attempt to reduce tongue weight; the tail is certain to wag the dog if you do that. Believe it or not, I once got surging and sway with a tiny 4x6' utility trailer (gross weight of about 500 lbs) that was improperly loaded.
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Old 01-02-2015, 06:13 AM   #9
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Adding cargo to the trailer should be adjusted so the tongue weight is still around ten to fifteen percent if the total trailer weight. Peace, jim
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