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I've noticed several things that help when towing a bumper-pull trailer (single or tandem axle, enclosed or open bed, travel/camping or cargo):- 1) load balance of the trailer, front to rear, is critical no matter what the total weight is,
- 2) you get safer towing if your towing vehicle is equal to, or heavier than the trailer,
- 3) make sure that the combined braking capacity of TV and trailer is up to the job, under all circumstances.
* 1)
load balance of the trailer: it took me many trips (on all my trailer types) to find the "sweet spot" re: load placement to achieve the best tongue weight/total weight on each. I wasn't able to always determine the best/safest place for all loads (for instance, retrieving a project car/truck, not knowing the weight of it), so I always used a Weight Distributing Hitch (plus sway control), whenever I used the open-bed car hauler. When my squareback trailer was notably tail-heavy (prior to moving loads forward, over the years), the WDH was used, to effectively "transfer" the load forward, to secure the light tongue-to-hitch as-if it was much heavier. I no longer need the WDH on the little trailer, but carry it along, ready if I think I'll need it (rough roads, higher speeds, long-distance trips), just in case,
* 2)
weight of tow vehicle vs trailer weight: examples:[list][*] a) 1500 lb tandem axle open-bed trailer with 3500 lb car loaded with centerline of weight over the axles; if pulled by a 3500 lb truck (1969 Chevy C1500), then a Weight Distributing hitch is needed, to equalize the load better,[*] b) same trailer and load, pulled by a 5150 lb truck (2004 Chevy Silverado 2500HD WT), with 1000 lbs cargo in the bed, the WDH helped, but wasn't actually required, for safe operation,
* 3)
have enough braking capacity for any situation: I started building my squareback 4x8 to be towed by lightweight Chevys (2008 Cobalt or 2009 HHR Panel), which had a tow-rating of 1000 lbs; I aimed for under 1000 lbs, but if I slightly exceeded that mark by 20-40%, it was ok...I thought. After a few hard stops on the freeways driving to/from work each day, I concluded that the braking capacity (front disc/rear drum) of the two little cars was barely enough to stop them, let alone adding a 1200-1400 lb unbraked trailer. So, I switched over to the 2004 Chevy, with good tow capacity (10800 lbs from the factory, modified with transmission and suspension upgrades), which has four-wheel disc brakes, and never had a problem. I later added a 3500 lb axle with brakes (the trailer had grown to 1600 lbs, and is now at 2222+ lbs, after several more additions), anyway, to my 4x8. And, when I was still using my car-hauler, I installed two new 3500 lb axles, both with brakes, for added braking power. you can never have enough....