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547
Driving your vehicle
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Weight of the trailer
How heavy can a trailer safely be? It
should never weigh more than the maxi-
mum 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, altitude, road
grades, outside temperature and how
often your vehicle is used to pull a trailer
are all important. The ideal trailer weight
can also depend on any special equip-
ment that you have on your vehicle.
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Weight of the trailer tongue
The tongue load of any trailer is an
important weight to measure because it
affects the total gross vehicle 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 will 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 within
the limits of the maximum trailer tongue
load permissible. 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 moving some
items around in the trailer.
Tongue loads can be increased or
decreased by redistributing the load in
the trailer. This can be verified by check-
ing the total weight of the loaded trailer
and then checking the load on the
tongue.
WARNING - Trailer
• Never load a trailer with more
weight in the rear than in the
front. The front should be loaded
with approximately 60% of the
total trailer load; the rear should
be loaded with approximately
40% of the total trailer load.
• Never exceed the maximum
weight limits of the trailer or trail-
er towing equipment. Improper
loading can result in damage to
your vehicle and/or personal
injury. Check weights and loading
at a commercial scale or highway
patrol office equipped with scales.
• An improperly loaded trailer can
cause loss of vehicle control.
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Gross Axle Weight
Gross Vehicle Weight
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Tongue Load Total Trailer Weight
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