TRAILERS and BRAKES
Florida law requires brakes on any new trailer with a gross weight rating (GVWR) over 3,000 pounds. When buying a new trailer, make sure the manufacturer’s ID sticker clearly identifies a GVWR. Then make sure the trailer is equipped with the correct braking equipment.
Single axles trailers are usually rated up to 2,990 pounds and do not require brakes. Dual-axle trailers with no brakes cannot be rated over 3,000 pounds, regardless of it’s designed capacity. Depending on the weight of the trailer, this may leave very little legal load-carrying capacity. Dual-axle trailers with brakes on one axle can have an increased GVWR but will be less than if both axles were equipped with brakes.
To legally haul the maximum design load of any dual axle trailer, it must be equipped with brakes on both axles. All boat trailers with more than one axle are required to have brakes on all axles or the trailer capacity must be de-rated.
Depending on the age of your current trailer, you may be grandfathered in with lower brake equipment requirements. It is the responsibility of the trailer owner/operator to maintain trailer brakes in functioning condition.
KNOW YOUR LOAD CARRY CAPACITY
When purchasing a trailer it’s important to know what its load carrying capacity is. You can derive this by taking the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) and subtract the empty weight of the trailer. This is your “usable” weight. While shopping around, have an idea of how much weight your intended load may be.
We get many trailers into our service department that have been grossly overloaded. Just because the trailer may physically fit your load, it doesn’t mean it can actually support your load. Be particularly aware of large, tandem-axle trailers. These trailers often have a high empty weight due to their size. If not built with heavy enough axles and springs, the usable weight may only be half of the GVWR. Too many large trailers are sold with only medium-duty axles. This allows dealers to lower the price. Never accept the pitch, “This trailer will do whatever you need it to do”.
Take into consideration what your usage may be in the future. We have many customers that outgrow their trailers in only a few years. It’s cheaper to buy the next size trailer now than a second trailer later.
TRAILER WEIGHT AND BALANCE
Regardless of which type of trailer you’re towing, it’s imperative that your load be within the net-carry capacity of the trailer and distributed properly. Failure to do so may result in damage to the trailer, towing vehicle, or the load itself. Most trailers are designed to have approximately seven to ten-percent of the total weight (load plus trailer) on the tongue. Less than this and the trailer may fish-tail when going down the road. More than this and you jeopardize the design limit of the trailer tongue or maybe the vehicle’s hitch. A trailer is designed to have the majority of its load centered over the axles. Remember, the static tongue weight on a trailer may double or triple for a fraction of a second when you drive over bumps or dips. We often see trailers with bent tongues. Even though the load was well within the total capacity of the trailer, it was all placed up front.
When we fit a boat to a trailer, the first thing we do is adjust the boat position, front to back, so the tongue weight is within the above envelope. Only after that do we make final adjustments of the bunks. The same can be said when loading a cargo, utility, or equipment trailer. We use a scale specifically designed to measure tongue weight. You’re not likely to have one available but you can still make an educated guess regarding your load’s distribution. When empty, take a reference height at some point on the bumper or trailer tongue. As you load your trailer, make sure that height is going down. For any given load the height decrease will be less with a heavy-duty vehicle than a light-duty vehicle. The goal is to make sure you’re fudging the load to add tongue weight and lower the reference height to some degree, thus lessening the chance of fish-tailing. If you’re “driving” the rear end of the vehicle towards the ground you should probably back off the tongue weight. With a little practice you’ll get a feel for proper weight and balance. If in doubt, take your trailer to a dealer or public scale.
The following video series was made in collaboration with Lazy Locations. You can see all the boating-related courses they offer here: https://lazylocations.teachable.com