how to load a horse trailer, best way to load a horse trailer, trailer stability, horse trailer stability, horse trailer hauling, trailer hauling
Here’s advice from
BY TOM SCHEVE Hauling Hints
an expert on the
best horse configu-
rations for various
types of trailers to
maximize control
while hauling.
ecently, a USRider
Member asked whether
there is a correct
way to distribute the
weight of differentsized
horses in a
trailer that might improve road stability.
Where do you put your horses if you
are not going to use all the stalls, or if you
have horses of drastically different sizes?
First, you need to know the basic
principle of what makes any trailer track
well behind a tow vehicle, and how and
why horse trailers are engineered according
to the number and sizes of the
horses being hauled.
Load your trailer right! Here, we
tell you where to put your horse
or horses if you are not going to
use all the stalls, or if you have
horses of drastically different sizes.
Load For Stability
The Basic Rule
A well-balanced, fully loaded trailer
with adequate tongue weight will track
and handle much better than one that
has a lighter tongue weight and is
poorly balanced. The lighter the tongue
weight, the more the trailer is apt to
sway and bounce.
A tag-along (bumper-pull) trailer
should have 10 to 17 percent of the
trailer weight carried on the tongue.
A gooseneck trailer should have 25
percent tongue weight. The closer
your trailer is to the maximum tongue
weight, the better it will track.
Manufacturers manipulate the tongue
weight by moving the trailer tires forward
or backward to balance the trailer
properly when the trailer is fully loaded.
CLiX PHOTO
18
So tongue weight is good as long as the
towing vehicle can safely carry it.
But problems can arise when the tow
vehicle and hitch can’t carry the trailer.
Now, we add live weight into the mix.
Professional truck drivers know that you
always load a trailer with the heaviest
weight on the bottom and directly over
the axles.
This distribution balances the trailer
and keeps the heaviest weight closer to
the ground, where it is more stable.
However, horse owners cannot adhere
to this rule, because horses are top
heavy by nature. Top-heavy weight that
moves inside a trailer causes sway, and
can easily cause loss of control.
Plus, horses are always moving in the
trailer — balancing, stretching, fidgeting,
and lowering and raising their heads
to eat hay. But if your rig is properly
matched between horses, trailer, and
tow vehicle and is equipped with all the
right hitch equipment, you can easily
manage this movement.
Your Tow Vehicle
It’s important to have a tow
vehicle that has adequate towing
capacity, good proportionate weight
to the loaded trailer, and a longer
wheelbase. It will give you greater
control and more options on how to
load your trailer to give you the best
tongue weight and traction.
Determine your loaded trailer
and tongue weight in all the various
configurations listed here. With this
knowledge, you can choose the tow
vehicle to do the job safely.
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