figuring allowable trailer weight

(mossy44) · (mossy44) **Join Date: Oct 2001** 02-05-2003, 7:20 AM

i have a '02 xstar and am trying to figure out how much lead will be ok to leave in the boat while traveling.

i looked at the trailer and it said 6,000 lbs.

i looked at my owners manual and it said (approximately) 3,050 lbs.

so am i missing something here or do i have about 2900 lbs. to spare between gas, gear, and extra weight? what am i forgetting. that catn be right, can it?

(troyl) · (troyl) **Join Date: Feb 2002** 02-05-2003, 7:28 AM

You are forgetting the weight of the trailer itself. Plus the tires may not be rated to handle the full 6k.

(mossy44) · (mossy44) **Join Date: Oct 2001** 02-05-2003, 8:09 AM

how do i figure how much the tires can handle?

(magic) · (magic) **Join Date: Mar 2002** 02-05-2003, 8:12 AM

Load range of the tires should be on the sidewalls. I bet you have either B or C load range tires.

(csquared) · (csquared) **Join Date: Jan 2002** 02-05-2003, 9:19 AM

Yup...don't forget about the weight of the trailer. I think the DOT requires that tires from the manufacturer support the full GVWR?? Not 100% sure though. You probably have about a 1000 lbs to play with but there are a lot of other potential issues to keep in mind.

(mossy44) · (mossy44) **Join Date: Oct 2001** 02-05-2003, 10:42 AM

so that rating on the front plate of the trailer doesnt include its own weight??? thats stupid. ok, so i got this so far
trailer weight, boat weight, gear, and gas. anything else?

shawn, what are some other potential issues you are talking about. anything offhand?

(mossy44) · (mossy44) **Join Date: Oct 2001** 02-05-2003, 10:44 AM

sean - how do i find out more about load ranges? B and C dont really mean much to me.

(csquared) · (csquared) **Join Date: Jan 2002** 02-05-2003, 11:43 AM

I think most tires list both the load letter and capacity in pounds on the sidewall. If not, call a local tire place that sells trailer tires, they'll be able to tell you.

(csquared) · (csquared) **Join Date: Jan 2002** 02-05-2003, 12:59 PM

Matt,

Some of the other things to consider:

1)trailer bunk design. If you have only two, there will be an increased pressure on the hull at those points as you add weight. Fairly minor consideration, but potentially important.

2) Distribution of the weight. Important to keep the weight even between the two axels and keep the tongue weight of the trailer around 10% of the total weight.

3) Coupler and ball rating. You'll want to be sure the ball and coupler on the trailer are rated appropriately. If you are using a 2 inch ball, be sure it is has a 6,000lb rating and not 5,000lb (both are common).

5) Trailer brakes. If your trailer has five lug nuts on each wheel, it is most likely using 3700 lb axels (7400 lb total). If the trailer brakes are on both axels, you're in good shape to add weight. If they are only on one axel (front or back postion depends on the suspension type of the trailer) you won't be able to add much/any weight without overloading the brakes. With a 5 lug wheel, you are limited to 10 inch brakes and a single set is only good for stopping about 3600 lbs.

Basically, go through all the parts from the truck to the trailer and make sure that everything is rated for 6,000lbs or more. If everything is good, you could add about 1,000 pounds of evenly distributed weight without overloading anything. This assumes you don't mind the increased wear on the trailer and truck.

jjeboarder 02-05-2003, 1:11 PM

the tire should say (1989 LBS.)
or something like that.

wantboatnow 02-05-2003, 1:44 PM

why not make the lead portable and just put it in the back of the truck. The truck will take the weight better and then there will be no worries aobut the trailer.

(bob) · (bob) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 02-05-2003, 4:38 PM

dont forget about the gcwr of the truck(is it rated to tow more weight then just you, passengers, gear, boat, trlr, etc)

(cyclonecj) · (cyclonecj) **Join Date: Jul 2001** 02-05-2003, 5:41 PM

I think that the trailer tires on my trailer (tandem) are 215x75x14, and they are rated at 1750lbs ea. Look in one of the boat catalogs that magically appear in your mailbox after you buy a new boat. There are charts in some of them that have load ratings. Ski Unlimited has good prices on replacement tires, by the way.
Don't replace your trailer tires with car tires, they are only rated at 1350 for the same size, and they have thinner sidewalls that may cause your trailer to sway at the wrong time.