Tongue weight too heavy

If your tongue weight is above the recommended range — over about15% of trailer weight for a conventional bumper-pull — it's putting too much load on the back of the tow vehicle. Less immediately dangerous thantoo-light, but still a real problem.

Symptoms of too-heavy tongue weight

• The tow vehicle's rear visibly squats; headlights point up.
• Steering feels light and vague because weight has come off the front axle.
• Longer stopping distances and a harsh ride.
• On a scale, tongue weight is over 15% of trailer weight — or over your hitch's rating.

Why it happens

Too much of the load sits ahead of the axle, or the trailer is short and nose-heavy. Theload-placement calculator shows it: drag cargo forward and watch tongue weight climb past 15%.

How to reduce tongue weight

1. Shift cargo rearward, toward the axle — but keep enough ahead of it to stay in the 10–15% band, not below it.
2. Re-measure until you're back in range.
3. Check your hitch and ball ratings. If tongue weight exceeds them, you need a higher-rated hitch and ball — reducing load is not optional.
4. Consider a weight-distribution hitch. It restores the front-axle load a heavy tongue removed and levels the rig — see when you need one. Note it redistributes tongue weight; it doesn't reduce it, and it never lets you exceed a rating.