So today, I checked my tongue weight of my tailer (R23 w/ upgraded Boatmate). It was 300lbs! Less than 5% of my overall load as the boat and trailer weigh in at 6,500lbs.. It seemed pretty light to me at first so figured I would check. I'm not worried on short trips but I may be putting my "lead" bags up front when traveling longer distances. I assume all R23's are similar? With that and the VERY low rear clearance of the trailer, I just don't think Boatmate did their engineering diligence.
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Was the trailer level from front to back? What part of the trailer did you use for reference when measuring level?
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Yep. Measured the distance at both the front and rear rails. It actually measured a little “down hill” towards the front. Then put a tongue scale at the ball receiver.
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Does it wander back and forth driving down the road? Stucco That is crazy light. Last time I measured mine it was 525. Thats just a little ‘ol 22i.You'll get your chance, smart guy.Comment
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My Z1 is about the same. These boats are very aerodynamic and the trailers are a perfect match to the boat. I personally believe boats like ours don’t need to comply with the 15% rule.Comment
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That honestly sounds reasonable. Especially for a Z for the bow is pretty small compared to the rest of the boat. Now for an rzx on tandem totally different story.Comment
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Was the bow hook all the way against the keel roller? A couple inches forward or backward could be a couple hundred lbs difference if it isn't far enough forward on the trailer.Comment
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Are u sure the tongue scale is accurate? Try measuring 3 leadwake bags on your bathroom scale, then put the bags on top of the tongue to see if the tongue scale measurement increases by the amount measured on the bathroom scale.
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this makes sense tongue weight is low. i have the same boat and at highway speeds >65 I'll get a shimmy. tow vehicle F150 w/ 3.5 turbo, heavy tow pkg, trl sway and brake controller.
i was thinking I'd get a weight distributing hitch and that would help, but some lead in the bow might help too.
good to have some facts behind my suspicion now.
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I'd have a hard time believing this if it was said from boatmate, but I wonder if wind load played a factor in the design. I know my boat has a lot of wind load when I tow with the cover on. This adds quite a bit of tongue weight. Either way, my boat/trailer tow dead straight, even in a bad side wind.
All that really matters is that the trailer tows straight without any movement. If you have any movement I'd add weight up front. Don't forget to plan for that day when you're towing in a bad side wind. That's when you will really wish you had 10-15% tongue weight.Comment
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Wired was that measurement with any lead in the rear? Adding several hundred pounds in the rear will of course reduce tongue weight. I notice after I put 600 lbs in mine in the back it towed considerably worst, and my 2500HD truck doesn't squat at all when I hook up the trailer. For long trips Ill move 300 lbs to cooler area and drivers area. Makes a big difference. I've also considered leaving the lead in the rear and leaving the bow ballast with a few hundred lbs water instead. Might try that. For me the problem isn't towing straight or getting tail happy its the way it rides. Over bumpy roads you can feel the hitch bouncing on the ball and pulling up on it with negative weight. God forbid you forget to lock your hitch :/Comment
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Lots of replies!
So, I'll go down the list...all good points.
It does bounce and wonder a bit when hitting larger bumps on the highway. I towed it home from the dealer down I-5 for two+ hours and compared to my 20V, (which oddly wasn't much lighter), it wanted to bounce the truck and sway a bit. This alone tells me it's light on the hitch. Also when hooking it up, I can tell it's light on the tongue as it only dips the truck about 1/2". Now I have air bags but I usually keep them at 5lbs when hooking it so let's not get that into the equation.
Yes, the boat is all the way up on the bumper.
The scale is brand new out of the box. No, I have not tested it with known weight but given the above, I have no reason to believe it's off.
No water or lead was present when taking the measurement. Hell, I didn't even have the swim deck on when I weighed it and that thing is HEAVY! Yes, this would make it worse. I would love to keep the lead in the boat but with lack of weight up front, I don't think I can. This is the real reason I'm putting this out there as a concern.
I think I have a few options, some suggested. For long trips anyway..
- Keep a few hundred lbs of lead or gear in the front. I just don't like having to constantly move crap around. Bummer
- or keep some water in the front sacks. I don't really like this idea as the sloshing water could make things worse when towing.
- find a way to put more weight on the front of the trailer (not in the boat).
- Live with it as I proved I can tow it for hours with no real serious issues as I agree, these boats may not need to follow the 10-%-15% rule but I think 5-10% would be nice to keep it in control if I run into a bouncy road going, around a corner and having to slam on the brakes all at the same time (eessh).Comment
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Another thing to consider (if you like worrying about stuff like this) is most half ton trucks have a Class III hitch on them. These are rated to 500lbs tonque (ok) and 6000lbs total (not ok). If you want to get higher than that, you need a weight distribution hitch. In most applications that just makes sense. However in the unicorn world of tow-boats, you can easily eclipse 6000lbs, with no need for weight distribution due to the discovery you made in this thread. So to be legal, you actually need an upgraded Class IV hitch (10,000lbs). Of course, in all practicality, it's truly the tongue weight that they are trying to manage, so we end up in this oddball scenario where it's safe, but it's outside the regulations (hence not legal).
I've heard the new EcoBoosts went to a Class IV from factory, but I have no proof on that. GM as far as I know has stuck with Class III.Last edited by JohnnieMo; 05-22-2019, 12:23 AM.Comment
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Tongue weight
You are right and yes, I’m one to worry about those things so I upgraded my hitch already to a class IV. I’m not worried about the stock hitch breaking but more worried that if in an accident, someone can come after my $$$$.Originally posted by JohnnieMo View Post
Sent from my iPad using TapatalkLast edited by wired1236; 05-22-2019, 12:47 AM.Comment
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I have a 2019 R23 and upgraded trailer as well and I’m thinking my tongue weight might be too low. I have noticed excessive bounce when towing over bumps, actually bad enough it can be an unpleasant ride in the truck. Too low of tongue weight can cause excessive bounce right?Originally posted by wired1236 View Post
SURELY tige and boatmate collaborated on their designs, what a mistake it would be to mess up tongue weight right? That’s such a fundamental spec, if they messed that up what else did they mess up?
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