Mikelly

So this is my first Porsche, and it's a Turbo 996. I've got a 24ft. enclosed trailer and I'm getting ready to do a track weekend event. Those of you with enclosed trailers, how do you position your cars within your trailer?

Mike

tar6day

I have a 24ft Haulmark that I put my 993TT in rear first. Therefore the engine sits between the tandem axles. The trailer rides much better in this configuration vs having the engine over the rear of the trailer which takes away tongue weight.

smlporsche

You want to position the car such that the center of gravity of the car is slightly forward of the center of the 2 trailer axles.

It will depend on where & how you store your other gear (tires, fuel etc) as to exactly where your car is best positioned. You might want to have a friend stand outside and tell you when the trailer hitch goes down maybe 1/2" over what it was before the car was put inside.

It took me a couple of tries to get it to where I felt I got the best ride.

Tom W

I have a 24' TPD. I put mine in front first and have a line on the floor that tells me when it is positioned for the right tongue weight. I winch my car in and out to avoid the hassle of trying to drive it in and get out of the car through the window.

I use the scale from sherline to ensure the tongue weight is correct. The site also has useful info for those new to towing. I also suggest you invest in a load distributing hitch.

Bull

You want to position the car, and everything else you will carry in the trailer, so that approximately 10-12% of the total weight of the trailer and contents is on the tongue. Using a simple tongue weight scale is the easiest way to set up your trailer. Less that that weight on the tongue will give you sway, more will make the trailer try to "drive" the tow vehicle under braking.

Larry Herman

Don't be cheap with your expensive toys. I second what Tom says and advise you to spend $110 and get the Sherline scale. You never know what you are dealing with unless you measure. My Featherlite is setup for rear engined cars ( the axles are set more rearward) and it actualy has 800 lbs of tongue weight empty! I never would have known that without that simple scale. It's always in the trailer now.

ltc

If you are new to towing, this is good reading material:
http://www.sherline.com/lmbook.htm

Cory Jump

I think that you are getting some good advice on this thread.

One of the things that is often overlooked is how much you are carrying on each axle. It is important to have the trailer sitting level enough that it is carrying the load evenly. It is often the case that one of the axles is carrying far over the limit and one is very light.
This is a huge source of trailer tire problems especially if your trailer is equipped with 15" tires. There are not any really heavy duty tires available in 15" diameters.
I would load the trailer in a manner that you feel is close to wear you would like everything to sit and proceed to your local truck stop. Pull on the scales and measure each axle independently including the front and rear axles of your tow vehicle. ( These scales are equipped with pads to measure the axles in this manner) Then pull into the lot and unhook weighing your front and rear axles to be sure of your tongue weight . It is a simple way to be sure you are setting the trailer up correctly.

It may seem stupid to mention but you will find if you load the trailer for a 1/2 ton rated vehicle it will not necessarily be loaded correctly for the spring rates of a 3/4 ton vehicle. Typically the higher the rating of the vehicle you will want more tongue weight to get the combination to drive properly.

Without a doubt get a distribution type hitch.



I have had more than a dozen enclosed trailers over the last 15 years and have tried all sorts of combinations.

A 24 foot tag trailer tows much harder than a 44 foot gooseneck so it is very important to get the setup correct

Mikelly

Guys thanks for the responses... I'm not new to towing, and have towed for many years with a number of different trailers. I've just never towed a rear heavy car and wanted to get a good baseline from someone who has similar setup.

I'll order a Sherline scale, just to have. My rig is already setup properly otherwise, and has done well with various front engine cars being towed in it.

Mike

Gary R.

You may be surprised once you get the scale, I sure was. I pull my car in now and just 6" make a substantial difference in tongue weight.

smlporsche

Question for those of you with a scale.

How do you measure the tongue weight with the trailer attached to the tow vehicle to keep the trailer from jacking up?? Or do you detach it after the car is in the trailer and then weigh it??

Tom W

I can load my car without it being attached to the truck, but I measure the weight with the scale at the same height as the ball when the truck is attached.

Just remember that with a toolbox full of tools and a winch and other "stuff" up at the nose of the trailer, the rear engine is not going to make that much difference (perpotionally). My tongue weight changes by 100 lbs with a 1-2 inch difference in loading position, so position is pretty darn important. With my trailer, the load per axle is less of a concern because I have 3 axels, but it is a factor to consider in loading - I just think the junk up front usually will ofset the difference due to engine location.

Gary R.

You can either unhook once the car is in place or block the rear and unblock it when weighing..

Mikelly

Just ordered my scale. I'll have it in a few days and start sorting out the whole "positioning" of the car in the trailer. I'm also going to coat the floor of the trailer and maybe install some better lighting while I'm at it.

Mike