Pulling an enclosed trailer cross country

[Richter415]

I too must agree with Rooster,

As you may look and realize that I am only 18, My family owns a boat/motorsports dealership and I am experienced in hauling crosscountry on deliveries.
When loading the company 27 ft enclosed I prefer tongue weight. For example If I put a Ski-doo Rev in the front and a Yamaha APEX in the back MY trailer will sway. Therefore I have learned to load the front heavier.

This would be why your 4000 pound boat's trailer has the axle(s) so far back. The companies like Crownline or Rinker have companies like Shorelan'r or Tennessee Trailer design their trailers to match the build and weight of the boat. That is why boats on matching trailers experience less sway.

This would also be why when hauling pontoons with a crank up or hydraulic trailer you try to get the trailer as far back as the transom allows.

I may have lost the original point of this topic but hopefully I accurately helped Mr. Rooster explain the difference to Mr. lkwinnipesaukee

 

[Richter415]

I have also found it best to try and adjust the hitch to keep the trailer as level as possible, This helps equal the weight on the axles and also helps to avoid trailer sway.

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

I pull a 16' enclosed trailer behind a Sport Trac of all things. I carry PA equipment, which is very heavy, all over Texas and loading is the key. The trailer is a tandem axle and I load the majority of the weight over the wheels when possible. I installed a bulk head in the front 4 foot section of the trailer and I carry all the PD stuff there along with a pair of 2x18 cabs, lighting contolers and incidental stuff. In the back section which is right over the wheels I carry the heavy cabs, 8 JBL SR's, 6 floor wedges on top of them, and a variety of tubs and cases that will fit on those. Against those I load a 32x12 monitor console, several more very heavy cases and the FOH console. The amp racks are in the very rear to take weight off the front. I can tow 75mph safely with a 6 cylinder sport trac. Loading is the key!

 

[Atruckee]

As far as what route to take, you could go PA turnpike to I-70W through WV, OH, IN, IL to St. Louis then I-55 to I-44 then get on I-40W in Oklahoma. BUT, I would do as Indy said and take PA turnpike to Carlisle, PA and get on I-81 South. This follows the Shenandoah Valley down through Virginia into TN. 81 runs right into I-40W near Knoxville. 40 will take you all the way to AZ. This is slightly longer than going I-70 but much more pleasant. Beautiful scenery, much smoother roads (at least until Arkansas) and fewer large cities and traffic jams. I live in Reading PA and have taken both routes many times. I much prefer the southern route. Also, this may save you some trouble- get in the habit of checking your vehicle and your load every time you stop. Thump the tires, check marker lights, hitch and connections, look under trailer. Get inside trailer and check straps, look for stuff rubbing together, etc. You'll be surprised how much damage you can avoid this way. Hope this helps. Have a good trip.

 

[sick 96 250]

awesome info, how much longer is the I40 route compared to going the other way?

 

[LBRaptor]

the bigger truck the better tower. the lighter your truck the more the trailer is going to throw you around. so after this trip you feel like you need a larger truck dodge 3500 is your answer.

 

[Brian]

I didn't read through all 4 pages so I don't know if anyone mentioned it or not, but your best bet with the Weight Dist setup id the E-Qual-izer brand. It is similar to the typical spring bar setup but does not use chains. It uses a 4-way sway control built into the bars, so you also eliminate the need for a friction-type sway bar. This setup costs about the same as the tradition chain-style WD setups and is both easier to use and it works better.

 

[D Lafleur]

Brian that is an excellent addition to this thread. If you havent picked up a WD hitch yet, get the Equalizer.


On ball type trailers less than 7% total weight on the hitch is a no no. The reason your boat works well at 5% is due to distance from the hitch to the axle vs. the length to the end of the boat/motor. Enclosed trailers do not use this ratio, they also are much less aerodynamicly efficient and are affected much more by large vehicles. I personally would not tow with less than 10% tongue weight. I drive a dually I need the weight to sweeten the ride.

Sick 96 you are going to be fine with your tow vehicle. The RV guys have more wind/truck issues than you will if you have a typical height trailer for your size.

If you trailer is 12 ft. tall, you are in the big leagues and need to plan for less than 60mph as top speed.

If you look in my profile you will notice that I am not a 16 year old boat trailer tower. I am not picking on you, but I have been towing trailers about twice as long as the typical 16 year old has been out of diapers.

I have over 200,000 miles towing a similar trailer, and well over 300,000 towing above 20,000 lbs.

 

[sick 96 250]

well I'm pretty much set for my pull, I found a WD set-up locally through a private seller which I picked up for $250, has a friction sway control mount with it. The trailer is an oversized one than your normal height, I believe it stands about 8ft. I might be replacing the tires tomorrow but I am still in the air about it. Dont really need them but its always a good piece of mind knowing they are new. My main thing is I cant really find and decent tires well priced near me. Not to many trailer places my way from what I can gather. We'll see what happens, I have been reading a ton of info on rv dot net but each question over there has 50 different answers that go each way so I cant seem to get any straight info, especially on tires, majority of those guys drive 1000's of miles each year, I'm doing this once. And each tire apparently sucks and is great at the same time.

 

[WaltCMoto]

If you are travelling thru Indiana on 80, There are numerous trailer dealers which can sell you tires on your trip. My experiance has been 10% on the tounge weight and a level trailer. get a hitch with the proper drop to make that trailer level. most Ive seen swaying are way high in the front.

 

[sick 96 250]

forgot to add up on this, I made it out to AZ with no troubles at all and no sway issues either. I left the philly area May 10th around 10pm and 50 miles from Texas by friday night around 10pm then decided to get a hotel room. I was with a friend and we almost made the run straight through but decided we really need a cold beer and some decent food. Ended up arriving in Mesa, AZ around midnight Sat night the 12th, unloaded and kicked back with my new roomates and just caught up. Been riding a few times already which is crazy because I got out maybe 3 times a year at home because of no locations to ride. Rooster and everyone else, thanks for the advise for pulling a trailer. I made it!!!

 

[squeaky]

:cool: Congrats Sick - from me and Rooster!

Glad you had a good trip! Enjoy the southwest!

 

[sick 96 250]

thanks squeaky!!! Heres a few quick pics from being out here, totally different scene that back home, lol

Had the quads out for most of the day, bike wasnt running right though

The truck and trailer