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IMPORTANT: The total weight of the load must
never exceed the weight of cargo listed on the tire
label and/or the maximum load carrying capacity
listed on the VIN tag on your trailer. The GVWR
(Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) listed is the
maximum total weight of the trailer with accesso-
ries and all cargo allowable to be carried on the
tires that are installed on the trailer.
WARNING: Fishtailing caused from improper
tongue weight on the tow vehicle hitch ball can
cause loss of control of the tow vehicle and
resulting serious injury or property damage.
CAUTION: The maximum load applied to the trailer
must never exceed the carrying capacity of the
trailer as stated on the VIN label and/or the tire
placard. Doing so may cause failure of one or more
component parts of the trailer causing potential
damage to the trailer and/ or a potential accident.
All concentrated loads must be spread over as
large an area as possible to eliminate potential
damage to the decking.
Shown below is an example of the tire label that is
placed on your trailer showing the items just discussed
above. Once you have familiarized yourself with the
information supplied on the example tire label and VIN
tag, check the tire size and capacity of your trailer as
shown on the VIN tag on your trailer.
Proper Weight Distribution & Tongue
Weight
Ensuring that your trailer has the proper GVWR is very
important. Once that has been established and you
have the load on the trailer it is equally important that
you have proper weight distribution.
Tongue Weight
The tongue weight on your trailer is 10%-15% of the
total weight of the trailer and all the cargo that it is
carrying. This is the amount of weight that is then trans-
ferred to the tow vehicle through the ball hitch.
Example: The total weight of the trailer with load is
6500 pounds. The tongue weight should not be less
than 650 pounds (10%).
Too light of tongue weight can cause the trailer to “fish-
tail” (sway Weight Rating) as you travel down the
highway. This creates excessive strains on the tow
vehicle, hitch and on the trailer itself. It can very easily
lead to an accident.
To adjust for too light of a tongue weight the load must
be shifted forward with respect to the axle. This will
increase the weight that is transferred to the tongue.
Adjustments should be made until the tongue weight
falls within 10% -15% recommended range. Likewise, if
you have too much tongue weight adjust the weight
backwards with respect to the axle until the tongue
weight falls in the recommended range
Tow vehicles vary on how much tongue weight they
can support for proper towing.
Tire Pressure
Proper air pressure for your tires is printed on the
sidewall. Check pressure while tires are cold. Do not
raise or lower pressure to meet load. Pressure other
than recommended pressure will lead to excessive tire
wear or tire failure. Balancing recommended.
Wheels
Check wheels for hole elongation or “out of round”. This
condition can be caused by lug nuts not being tight or
being too tight. Trailer wheels can be damaged by
chuck holes or curb jumping. You may not be aware of
the road shock to the wheels without periodic checks.
Replace any wheel that is bent. Replace any wheel if
you see elongation of the bolt holes.
Wheel Lugs
Wheel lug nuts must be tightened with a torque wrench.
Refer to the chart below for proper torque.
1. Start all bolts or nuts by
hand to prevent cross
threading.
2. Tighten bolts or nuts
following sequence at
right.
3. The tightening of the
fasteners should be done in stages. Following the
recommended sequence, tighten fasteners per
wheel torque chart below.
4. Wheel nuts/bolts should be torqued before first
road use and after each wheel removal. Check and
re-torque after the first 10 miles, 25 miles and
again at 50 miles. Check periodically thereafter.
Landa ECOS 7000 Operator’s Manual 9.801-316.0 - G
