How to increase toungue weight capacity on trailer

[bnew17]

Im going to be building a 250 gallon propane tank bbq smoker . Ive swapped out the 2000 lb axle on my trailer with a 3500lb axle. However my toungue weight on the trailer toungue says max 300 pounds. What can I do to increase my toungue weight capacity? Trailer is made of 2"x2" square tubing.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I assume you are talking about the ball coupler???? If so upgrade it for $20 to a 5,000# 500# tongue weight 2" coupler.

Chris

 

[bnew17]

I assume you are talking about the ball coupler???? If so upgrade it for $20 to a 5,000# 500# tongue weight 2" coupler.

Chris

I guess? Thats just what it has stamped on the plate with the rest of the specs at the base of the tongue?

 

[bnew17]

Chris..that looks like what I need. Thanks alot

 

[Diamondpilot]

I guess? Thats just what it has stamped on the plate with the rest of the specs at the base of the tongue?

Well if that is the case that is the limit on the frame of the trailer itself. I would guess you would need to beef it up some or start over and custom build a trailer using the 3500# axle you have.

Chris

 

[Raspy]

It sounds like you need to strengthen the tongue. I've done this on a a lot of trailers.

If it has a vee arrangement you can add a third leg straight back to the first crossmember behind the front to the trailer box. Or stiffen the two vee pieces by adding angle or channel to them. If it just has one box tongue piece, add a couple of diagonals.

To me, the tongue is a very weak part of a trailer and needs to be strong for heavy loads and severe braking, etc., to keep it from bending down right at the front of the box.

Make sure you have a good coupler and a 2" ball.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Make sure your tow vehicle tongue weight is not exceeded. I cant imagine why you would need more than 300 pound tongue weigh for a butane tank bbq pit. Just adjust the centerline of the pit on the trailer to keep the tongue weight within limits.

 

[jeffsw6]

You shouldn't add an extra beam to the tongue if the rest of the trailer frame isn't already designed for that type of tongue.

I don't know what this particular BBQ smoker trailer looks like, but most of your common small trailers are basically a piece of truss with wheels on it. The long beams on the sides are the "chords" of the truss and the shorter beams that run across and support the floor/cargo are its "web."

An A-frame tongue has the tongue attached to the chords, but if you add a third beam to the tongue and weld it onto that front cross-member, unless that cross-member is designed to be loaded that way, it will probably make the trailer frame more likely to fail, instead of making it stronger.

There are two reasons why. One is kinda obvious, you are putting some of the vertical tongue load on the front web piece, and it might not be meant for that much load.

The other reason is not so obvious, you are adding pushing/pulling loads to the side of the beam caused by accelerating and braking the trailer. If that front web piece is C-channel it is almost certainly not meant for having a tongue piece welded onto it because you would be loading it from the side of the beam (front of the trailer), and this can bend it very easily.

I'm not an engineer but if I was going to upgrade a trailer tongue I would just replace the whole tongue, not weld a new beam to a place on the trailer frame that isn't meant for it. $0.02.

 

[Banleno007]

Chris..that looks like what I need. Thanks alot

 

[bnew17]

Make sure your tow vehicle tongue weight is not exceeded. I cant imagine why you would need more than 300 pound tongue weigh for a butane tank bbq pit. Just adjust the centerline of the pit on the trailer to keep the tongue weight within limits.

The total weight of the cooker will be around 1100 pounds give or take. I just want to make sure i dont exceed the toungue weight. i wont be transporting the cooker but from my barn to the back yard, but in case i do want to bring it on the road in town id like it to be safe.