Airstream Classic Trailer 25' 2005, Owner'S Manual

Page: 24 / 126

AIRSTREAM CLASSIC TRAILER
B-9
Place the trailer on a scale with both axles only on the scale (see 2). If the weight on the axles exceeds the
axle system G.A.W.R. then some of the personal cargo must be redistributed forward in order to place
some of this weight on the tongue.
The tongue weight should be in between 10% - 15% of the trailer's total weight, but must not exceed 1,000
lbs. Some tow vehicle manufacturers may restrict the amount of tongue load to a lower value. To determine
tongue load, unhitch tow vehicle and place the tongue hitch post on a scale. The trailer must be properly
loaded as determined above, with your allowable personal cargo and variable weights.
Use a scale, such as a bathroom scale, that has a lower weight limit than your tongue load to check the
tongue weight by using the following method (see illustration).
Place a piece of wood of approximately the same thickness as the bathroom scales on the ground in line
with the trailer hitch jack as shown. It should be so spaced that a short piece of pipe or other round piece
will lay exactly one foot from the centerline of the jack extension. Place the scales so that another round
piece can be exactly two feet from the centerline of the jack extension in the other direction. Place a 4 x 4
on the two round pieces and screw the jack extension down on the top of the 4 x 4 until the tongue of the
trailer is supported by it. Multiply the scale reading by three. This will be the tongue weight of your trailer.
If you exceed the capacity of the bathroom scales, increase the two-foot dimension to three or four more
feet, but always multiply the scale reading by the total number of feet between the wood and scales.
CAUTION
: Be sure trailer is level when you read scales.