JohanMeert
27.04.2021 18:47:45
To understand the measurement specifications of a travel trailer you first need to know how a travel trailer is measured.
See full version: How are travel trailers measured
To understand the measurement specifications of a travel trailer you first need to know how a travel trailer is measured.
However, when talking to a salesperson there might not be a standard from one to another. That’s why it’s important for you to ask what exactly the measurement means. Is it the usable box footage or the overall length including tongue and bumper.
Since manufacturers may or may not include the A/C unit in their measurements your best bet as to the actual height of your travel trailer is to use a tape measure to get precise height.
Let’s think about what will happen when we hook that up to your car and drive over the bump. Again, think about the trailer setup with perfect balance over the axle, and the tongue has Zero load. As the car goes up over the bump, the end of the long tongue goes up with it. However, because the tongue is so long, the trailer itself does not tilt as much, so there is less “bucking” — even though the trailer has the improper loading. Also, the tongue works as a long lever to move the load up and down, which works to further reduce the effect of buckling.
Next, as your car comes down from the bump, the process goes the other way. The tongue pulls down and the load rotates back to where the tongue has Zero load. Then the trailer goes over a bump. The dynamic load switching causes some weird dynamics for the driver that feels like it is “bucking”. The same, but opposite, is true for a car going into a hole in the road.
Turning Radius is compromised with a really short tongue. The tongue should be long enough for a good turning radius, and to allow clearance when backing. Short tongues impede back up ability, turning radius and jack-knife susceptibility. Backing a long trailer is much easier than a short one, and part of that is trailer tongue length. here
Finally, the loading distribution on the trailer is less sensitive with a longer tongue. This is a minor effect, and you must always be conscience of the way a trailer is loaded, but having a little less tongue weight with a long tongue is easier to manage. Basically, the shorter the tongue, the higher the percentage of trailer weight should be on the hitch. Within the guidelines, of course. here
For instance, you may find that your garage will not accommodate a camper with a tall rooftop air conditioning unit, but you may be able to get a tall camper with a side-mounted AC unit. [links]
Measure the total length and width of your camper as well as the length of just the box of the camper without the trailer.
I’ve watched many videos of campers being decapitated by low bridges. Even if your camper is of legal height, you may still have to watch out for low bridges as older bridges may not conform to newer standards. [links]
With these three sets of measurements, you have the information you’ll need to make a smart purchase.
The Casita Liberty is listed as having an overall length of 16′ an overall height of 7’8″, an interior height of 5’10” and an overall width of 6’8″. here
Again, make sure your trailer is fully loaded and parked on a firm, flat surface. Place a brick on the ground to the side of the coupler, about one foot away, perpendicular to the trailer (so, left to right). Place a bathroom scale down on the opposite side of the tongue from the brick, this time two feet away from the coupler. Make sure the brick and the scale are about the same height (use a different brick or stack things to make them even). here
When discussing fifth wheel trailers, the term “pin weight” also describes this very same thing, making things even more confusing for those who are just learning the ropes.
The answer? It’s no different at all! Tongue weight and hitch weight are both terms that refer to the force a bumper pull trailer puts on a hitch.
Now that you understand what trailer tongue weight is, how important it can be, and the various terms for this weight, you may be wondering how to measure tongue weight so you can start setting up your trailer and tow vehicle to hit the road.
Place a tongue weight scale under the tongue jack and lower the jack until it is pressing on the scale, without the trailer being pushed taller than where it normally sits while being towed. more