Driving your vehicle
2006
Weight of the trailer
A : Tongue Load
B : Total Trailer Weight
What is the maximum safe weight of
a trailer? It should never weigh more
than the maximum trailer weight with
trailer brakes. But even that can be
too heavy.
It depends on how you plan to use
your trailer. For example, speed, alti-
tude, road grades, outside tempera-
ture and how often your vehicle is
used to pull a trailer are all important.
The ideal trailer weight can also
depend on any special equipment
that you have on your vehicle.
Weight of the trailer tongue
A : Gross Axle Weight
B : Gross Vehicle Weight
The tongue load of any trailer is an
important weight to measure
because it affects the total gross vehi-
cle weight (GVW) of your vehicle.
This weight includes the kerb weight
of the vehicle, any cargo you may
carry in it, and the people who will be
riding in the vehicle. And if you tow a
trailer, you must add the tongue load
to the GVW because your vehicle will
also be carrying that weight.
The trailer tongue should weigh a
maximum of 10% of the total loaded
trailer weight, within the limits of the
maximum trailer tongue load permis-
sible.
After you've loaded your trailer,
weigh the trailer and then the tongue,
separately, to see if the weights are
proper. If they aren’t, you may be
able to correct them simply by mov-
ing some items around in the trailer.
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