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# Guide to Measuring Tongue Weight
Mar 10, 2022
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Making sure you understand the various weight needs and limitations associated with your rig is one of the most important things you can do to keep your family and yourself safe while towing a travel trailer. Ensuring your tow vehicle and hitch are capable of towing your trailer, and its cargo, will help you maintain control of the trailer while on the road. Stay safe while towing by properly .
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## What is Tongue Weight?
Tongue weight (TW) is the downward force applied at a vehicle-trailer connection point when your trailer is connected for towing. The tongue weight should be between 10-15% of the total trailer weight. Measuring tongue weight is essential to be certain that your trailer is loaded properly. The other weight to keep in mind is the (GTW) 
### **Tongue Weight vs. Hitch Weight**
The phrase “tongue weight” and “hitch weight” are both often seen when discussing trailer towing. Don’t let these two terms confuse you, because they both mean the same thing. When discussing fifth wheels, you may see “pin weight,” which is also the same concept.
## Why Is Tongue Weight Crucial for Towing?
Measuring tongue weight is important when towing. Without knowing this piece of information, you may end up creating a driving hazard to yourself and others on the road. Too much tongue weight can cause your vehicle to be less responsive to turning and braking, making it difficult to control the trailer while driving. Too little tongue weight is also an issue and can cause trailer sway. Trailer sway is the most common problem that occurs when tongue weight is incorrect. Trailer sway can become very dangerous because it causes the trailer to fishtail back and forth and this can be unexpected to the driver and difficult to regain control.
## Too heavy of a downward force will effect steering, too light means risk for trailer sway.
With the incorrect tongue weight, you may also experience:
* Rear tire overload
* Tire blowouts
* Brakes that become unresponsive
* Traffic accidents
* Serious damage to your vehicle or trailer
* Personal injury or even death
## Measuring Tongue Weight on a Trailer
Measuring tongue weight before you hit the road isn’t overly complicated. There are a few ways to determine tongue weight.
### **Using a Tongue Weight Scale**
The easiest way to calculate tongue weight is with a tongue weight scale. These have come a long way with modern technology. They can be purchased at various towing supply shops or online for under $200.00. They are small and designed specifically for measuring tongue weight. Before taking the measurement, make sure that you are loaded down with everything you intend to haul. This includes camping gear if you are hauling a travel trailer for camping. The steps for measuring tongue weight with a tongue weight scale are as follows:
1. Load up your trailer and/or put all of your gear inside and park the vehicle and trailer on a flat, hard, level surface.
2. Place the tongue weight scale beneath the tongue jack and lower it down until the jack is pressing on the scale.
3. Avoid lowering any other jacks, then detach your trailer from the truck and take your reading from the scale.
### **Commercial Scale for Measuring Tongue Weight**
Another easy method for measuring tongue weight is to use a commercial vehicle scale. You can typically find these at a truck stop, quarry, or material supply center. Once you’ve figured out where you will be weighing your trailer, make sure it is loaded up with everything you plan to haul. Follow these steps:
1. Weigh your vehicle without the trailer hooked up.
2. Weigh your vehicle again with the trailer attached but do not let the wheels of the trailer onto the scale or you will get an inaccurate number. You want just the weight of the vehicle with tongue weight, not the entire weight of the trailer (you will get this measurement later).
3. Then take the weight of your vehicle **with** the trailer attached and subtract the weight **without** the trailer attached and this equals your trailer tongue weight.
### **Measuring Tongue Weight for a Weight Distribution Hitch**
Using a weight-distribution hitch is an incredibly helpful piece of equipment when towing a trailer. It is typically not recommended to tow a trailer any long distance without one. Measuring tongue weight is necessary when selecting the proper weight distribution hitch. You will need to know the weight of the gear you plan to load behind the rear axle of the tow vehicle and add this amount to the total tongue weight. Do so by following these steps:
1. Weigh your vehicle with the gear you intend to haul.
2. Weigh your vehicle without the gear.
3. Subtract the weight without gear from the weight with gear to get the total gear weight.
4. Add the total weight of your gear to the tongue weight.
5. Select a  that will support the amount of total tongue weight.
### **How to Determine Tongue Weight Adjustments**
Every towing vehicle is rated for the amount of weight it can safely tow. It is a good idea to check that you are not trying to tow more than your vehicle can handle. Weigh your trailer with all gear loaded. If you’ve chosen to determine the tongue weight on a commercial scale, you can easily check your trailer weight:
1. Pull your tow vehicle and trailer onto the scale to weigh them together. This is your Gross Combined Vehicle Weight (GCVW)
2. Since you already have the weight of your vehicle from the previous steps used for measuring tongue weight, simply subtract the weight of your tow vehicle from the GCVW.
3. An easy equation to use is: **GCVW – GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) = GTW (Gross Trailer Weight)**
You may find that you are over or under the appropriate tongue weight or gross trailer weight for your vehicle. If this is the case, you will need to adjust your cargo. If the tongue weight is too low, try moving some cargo closer to the front of the trailer to add more weight to the tongue. If the tongue weight is too high, you can try moving cargo further away from the tongue. As you are adjusting your cargo from front to back, try to keep it as balanced on the left and right side as possible. If your gross trailer weight is too high for your vehicle, you will need to remove cargo or you could risk damaging your tow vehicle.
## Install Blue Ox SwayPro Weight Distribution Hitch for Safe Towing
Measuring tongue weight, trailer weight, and vehicle weight are key steps in creating a safe towing experience, but sometimes trailer sway can occur due to weather or poor road conditions. Having a weight distribution height that prevents trailer sway before it starts adds a layer of safety for you and other drivers on the road. Rather than attempting to manage trailer sway once it has begun, the  stops it from occurring. Trunnions on each side of the SwayPro hitch head use a caster effect, which works in conjunction with spring bars, to keep the trailer in line. SwayPro is one of the afest and easiest-to-use sway prevention devices currently available. To f, visit the Blue Ox website.
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# Can You Back Up With A Tow Bar?
Nov 06, 2021
When towing a vehicle behind your RV, there are some things you be aware of. If you have experience with flat-towing a vehicle behind an RV, this scenario might sound familiar. Imagine that you’re pulling into a gas station or rest area with a car in town behind your RV. You misjudge the turn and need to back up to avoid clipping a sign or curbing it. Or maybe you made it to your RV park and missed a turn and need to back up to make it into your spot. So, can you back up with a tow bar connected to the towed vehicle, or do you have to disconnect?
      * 
## Benefits of Flat-Towing Behind an RV
Taking a trip in your RV can create some long-lasting memories with your loved ones. There are some incredible places you can travel in an RV! Bringing along an extra vehicle can increase the fun by having a way to quickly get around town, travel onto rough terrain, or take a trip to the beach without needing to figure out how you’ll be able to maneuver a gigantic RV in potentially tight areas.
## How Do Tow Bars Work?
A tow bar is a vital piece of equipment you will need if you want to flat-tow a vehicle (aka dinghy or toad) behind your RV. Flat-towing is an excellent way to travel in an RV and still have the ability to drive around and explore your surrounding without moving your RV. Having an additional vehicle with you means more fun for you and the family. Flat-towing is different from other ways to tow a vehicle and it means all four tires of the vehicle are on the ground. The setup is pretty simple as a tow bar connects to the back of your RV to the front of the towed vehicle. To safely bring your tow vehicle along, it must be equipped with base plates or brackets on the front end, and your RV needs to have a receiver hitch. Base plates should be made for your tow vehicle specifically so that you don’t cause damage to your RV or tow vehicle’s frame.
## Do Not Backup with a Tow Bar
It is so tempting when your RV is in a tight spot and you just need to re-align to back up with a tow bar and tow vehicle still attached. But do not give in to temptation on this one! You will regret it and it might end up ruining your trip by adding vehicle repairs to your list of activities. When you have your towed vehicle connected to the RV and attempt to back up, you will certainly cause damage. Tow bars are designed to handle the load and stress in one direction. Your dinghy-towed vehicle has no ability to steer when you are backing up. You will end up with damage to the vehicle and the tow bar.
##### **Causing Damage to the Tow Bar**
If you attempt to back up with the tow bar still connected, you will end up bending the tow bar if you don’t disconnect first. This can cause damage to your RV, tow bar, tow vehicle, and probably your ego, too. The dinghy can start to jackknife, forcing the tow bar to bend. Once the tow bar is bent, it will not function the same way and may not be safe for you to continue using to tow your vehicle. You also run the risk of jamming the arm locks badly enough that you may not be able to get them to release once you try to unhook. Attempting to un-jam the arms can be very difficult.
##### **Damaging Your Vehicle**
If you try to back up with a tow bar still connecting your RV and towed vehicle, there is a good chance you could damage the dinghy-towed vehicle. Even if you think that you only need to back up a short distance, it could be enough to cause serious damage. The tow bar is connected to the frame, so any pressure or force applied to the tow bar will be transferred to the frame of the towed vehicle. There is also the chance that you could cause damage to the steering system and end up with an expensive bill for vehicle repairs.
## Backing Up With Other Towing Equipment
Backing up while towing anything can be tricky and it takes a lot of practice. Those who are beginners at it are likely to jackknife it a few times and end up going over a curb or two. Knowing how each vehicle or trailer moves together takes time to understand. Once you have mastered the art of backing up with a trailer or vehicle in tow, what kind of towing equipment can you stay hooked up to while backing up?
##### What Towing Equipment Can You Back Up Without Disconnecting?
One piece of equipment that you can stay connected to while backing up is the SwayPro and TrackPro from Blue Ox. Both of these products are weight distribution hitches that allow you to back up without disconnecting. SwayPro and TrackPro are both valuable towing equipment because they prevent trailer sway caused by bad roads, wind, passing vehicles, and weather before it starts. They are quick and easy to connect and disconnect, but there is no need to unhook while backing up.
## Tow Safely with Blue Ox
Blue Ox offers a variety of tow bars for all of your flat towing needs including custom base plates that fit your tow vehicle perfectly for flat-towing. Not all tow bars are created equal and we understand that you never want to compromise your fun or safety when you’re out on the road because of inadequate towing equipment. Blue Ox has  to handle whatever towing needs you have, ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 pounds. Visit our website today to browse our selection and find the right tow bar for you.
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