Weight distribution problem

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Howard Kelly

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Apr 22, 2010
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Have a new to us trailer  a 2012 Coleman 250GS  Balancing weight is a concern as the trailers storage bay is at the front, the bathroom is in the rear which leads me to my problem . On my old trailer the storage bay was in the rear of the trailer so moving weigh from the bay to the truck bed or vise versa was a easy solution to balancing the truck and trailer. Yes I have balance bars
After two short trips the solution I've come up with to solve the  balance problem is to partly fill the grey water tank. the black tank is at the rear, next to it is the grey tank and the fresh water tank is forward of that.  Not a bad solution I think but not happy to carry the additional weight. Wondering if Air shocks put on the TV would solve the problem, and keep the weight down. Cost is about $200.00
has anyone used air shocks for this purpose .
Thanks for any input.
 
I put air shocks on a 99 GMC 1/2 ton to keep the 27 foot Komfort trailer, that I had just bought, and truck level. It worked and I also noted an improvement on the ride quality.

A month or so after we purchased the trailer and got it level we did a trip to the Sierra mountains heading up on top to Truckee California.  Didn't make it.

My 5.3 engine was not up to the task so I wound up buying a 2004 GMC 2500 with the 8.1 gas engine. All problems solved.
 
Just what is your "balance problem"?  There is no particular reason to a perfect balance and more trailer tongue weight is generally better, in the sense that the trailer tows straighter with less tendency to sway. The primary limit on tongue weight is the truck's ability to carry it.  If your truck isn't sagging at the rear (shouldn't be if the WD is set up properly), you don't have a balance problem.

The trailer should have at least 10% of the total weight on the hitch (essentially a 55/45 "balance"), but 12-15% is better if the tow vehicle can handle it.  There is no imperative to always adjust balance to get down to 10%.
 
Gary thanks for the reply, On my first trip the tongue weight was to much, could visually see the front of the truck was higher and it was hard to steer straight and did a lot of bouncing. Drove a few miles and the first opportunity to pull off the Hwy safely I transferred weight from the back of the truck to the inside of the trailer, (making it difficult to go in or out of the trailer as the trailer has a rear door.) Not a very good solution but the driving was much improved.
On the way home I loaded water in the grey tank and  got the same result with out loading items in the trailer.
Will tighten up the WD  a link or two and see if that helps before I spend any $$$
Thanks again
 
The whole purpose of the WD hitch is to transfer weight from the rear of the truck to the front and level it out.  Physically moving the contents of the trailer is always an option, as is water (or not), but utilize your WD first.  The RV dealer set-up is often not optimal and nar always set-up for an empty trailer (as it its on the dealer lot).  It near always needs re-adjustment after the trailer is loaded.

If you don't have the WD hitch manual, get one online and follow the sinstructions. It will ride better and sway less once it is properly set up.
 
As Gary said, it seems you are doing things in the wrong order.  It would really help to load the camper as if going camping and get it weighed.  You need 3 weights: (individual axle weights of each are better)  1.  TV and trailer together  2.  TV only with trailer attached.  3.  TV only without trailer.

From this, you can determine loaded TV weight (compare to TV GVWR)  Total rig weight (Compare to TV GCWR)  Trailer weight (Compare to trailer GVWR)  and tongue wt. (must be at least 10% or more of trailer weight).  Once all of these are within allowed limits, adjust the WD hitch of the loaded trailer per the manufacturers directions.  Properly adjusted, this will push several hundred pounds off the rear axle to the front axle for better handling.

You may need to move stuff around, but it should be based on actual scaled weights, not how it feels.

Once you know how much the loaded camper really weighs without extra water, you can use one of these methods to get accurate tongue was at home.

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-how-to-determine-trailer-tongue-weight.aspx

It is a bit of work, but once you know what needs to be loaded where, it is much easier, faster and safer.
 
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