tongue boxes

[ae6black]

I have a huge tongue box that I made out of pressure treated plywood which I painted over. Upside is tons of storage. Downside is it is heavier than I need and it sweats in the summer heat. I could probably have better results with white paint instead of black but I was wondering. How do those Tractor Supply big aluminum tongue boxes work? Do they sweat in the heat of the day or during long storage situations (I typically don't use my Tear during the summer months). Just curious? I need a tongue box with some weight to it to counter balance my TD which sits on a trailer that I use once or twice a year for other purposes.

Art

[Shadow Catcher]

We have a BIG one and I have not noted any sweating. I think it assumes ambient temperature quickly enough to prevent that. I do have one a bit smaller for sale.

[Andrew Herrick]

Well ... anything can sweat in the right conditions. Winter or summer. But obviously, aluminum handles it better. But yes, I've noticed that the tongue boxes sweat less than the insulated teardrops I've made.

How much weight do you need on the tongue for counterbalance?

[ae6black]

I've never actually measured what I need. All I know is that when that big ole box isn't on the tongue, the tongue pops up into the air. In a TD most of your weight in in the galley area. Since my application isn't normal I just compensate with the box. I'd guess I probably now have several hundred lbs tongue weight with the box loaded. I mean I built this thing to hold chain saws, climbing gear, gas and what not that I didn't want near my sleeping quarters. I've even been toying with the idea of mounting a small fridge in that thing. Right now I have room to spare.

[Andrew Herrick]

I've never actually measured what I need. All I know is that when that big ole box isn't on the tongue, the tongue pops up into the air. In a TD most of your weight in in the galley area. Since my application isn't normal I just compensate with the box. I'd guess I probably now have several hundred lbs tongue weight with the box loaded. I mean I built this thing to hold chain saws, climbing gear, gas and what not that I didn't want near my sleeping quarters. I've even been toying with the idea of mounting a small fridge in that thing. Right now I have room to spare.

... several hundred pounds? Wow.

I need to use this example when I talk to customers about the importance of a custom axle location!

Back to the original question, you can line the interior of a metal tongue box with something like Condenstop to absorb condensation from sweating. Helps keep things from bouncing around as much, too.

[ae6black]

Andrew to get back to you question of how much weight I would need on the tongue, I would say probably just 20 maybe 30 lbs.

Art

[Andrew Herrick]

Hey Art,

I think I'm misunderstanding the situation. Based on the first response, I thought you needed a few hundred pounds extra weight on the tongue to balance it. But your last post says 20-30 pounds extra weight. You're aiming for 10-15% tongue weight, yes?

This isn't really in reference to the topic of wood vs aluminum tongue box, but if all you need is 20-30 pounds extra weight on the tongue, perhaps you could mount a spare tire?

[ae6black]

actually the tire is mounted on the box. I just have more than I need and have been wondering about downsizing to a large aluminum box like I could find at Tractor Supply. The box sweats. I have my dishes stored in there and they get mold on them after sitting for six months. My metal jack stands get a fine coat of rust on them so I've been looking for alternatives. The box is paid for and has become part of my routine. I just don't like doing all of my dishes and pots and pans every time I camp just to be on the safe side.

Art

[Roly Nelson]

My tongue box was an afterthought. My plan was to use it for storage of "stuff", however, since it is nestled tightly aginst the vertical front of my tear, I found an AC unit that fit just fine, cut a matching supply and return vent hole through into the tear, added a curved baffle to keep the cold air off of my head and bingo, it probably would freeze ice on the windows if I left it on for any length of time. Works great, but trips into the Calif desert are rare, so it is mostly just used to haul my light-weight junk.
Roly~~