Looking for some guidance here. I have a 2016 TG that I will be hauling to AZ in my 6' x 12' tandem axle cargo trailer that I have already bought. Although it is tight in width, I do have about 4' of leeway on the length. When I haul it is it better to center the TG over the axles (less tongue weight) or as far as possible to the front? Just checking, I don't have much room to work with, but it is enough. Thank you.

 

Recommended weight distribution is for 12 to 16% of the total weight to be tongue weight. On the 6x12 open trailer I built, the rear wheels are on the axle and the front tire is about 16 inches from the front of the trailer. Only way to truly tell is to weigh it. Not enough tongue weight makes pulling it squirrelly. Too much pushes down on the tail of the tow vehicle, possible affecting steering.

 

Is that cargo trailer even rated for the weight of your tri-glide?

 

I agree, tongue wt (12 - 14%) is key on where to tie the trike (or any bike) down. If you are putting anything else in the trailer with the trike, you need to account for that as well. That said, you need to pay attention to the wt rating on your drawbar as well, so you do not exceed that. Good luck!

 

Don't forget to put your trike in in trailer or towing mode or you will arrive with a dead battery.

 

The proper loading of a trailer also depends on the "tongue weight capacity" of the towing vehicle and also having a compatible ball/hitch height.

With the trailer level, measure the height of the trailer tongue.

The trailer ball (inserted into the hitch) should be tad higher than the tongue of the trailer and once hooked together and loaded, I like the trailer to sit a tad lower in the front than it does in the rear.

I'd say that your trike will need to sit to a little forward of the axle to give you the needed tongue weight but be careful that you don't have it too far forward and have your vehicle "sagging" in the rear when towing the trailer.

Be sure to set the parking brake on the trike and use a wheel chock on the front wheel and securely tie it down.

 

+1 on having enough tongue weight, trust me on this one. Squirrely indeed. The rest is all good advice, too.

Good to see you're using a tandem; where in the heck did you find a tandem 12 footer??? Most I see don't offer that until you get to 14'.

Oh, and if you're not sure, every farm elevator and truck stop pretty much has a scale you can use, you can usually figure out a way to weigh each axle hitched and unhitched and figure it out. Or just sit the tongue on it unhitched and then the whole trailer if it fits, or the axles and add for the total. It's only a buck or two. Most bathroom scales top out at 300 pounds so your tongue weight will be more than that, more like 450-ish.

 

You can also use U-haul's generic advice to load the trailer 60% forward/ 40% rear. Then again, this instruction is for a single-axle trailer and may not apply to your dual-axle. As already mentioned, tongue weight is key and by all means do not go excessively light.

 

Sorry about the mess in the photo.

The etrack from etrailer is exactly what I use for DW's trike. Much much easier than tie downs. I use an el cheapo chock from Harbor Freight for the front wheel - no tie down needed (for the trike; my bike needs them). In the photo you can see how many screws I used - a bunch of them are right under the wheel and others where the strap clips in.

Follow weight distribution guidelines like other people have mentioned. IN our 16' trailer, I put the trike in front and my Ultra Classic behind. Both front wheel forward.

Hope this helps.