The 85/15 ratio (or whatever a trailer has) only applies to the dry weight. Any loading that you put in/on is completely independent. There’s nothing magical in a
trailer that will shift the balance of the cargo elsewhere. WDH’s change that a little, but that’s a separate topic.
The easiest way to do it (without getting into sum-of-moment calculations) is to figure out roughly where your load is, as a function of the hitch-to-rear-axle distance.
Let’s say, for the sake of simplicity, that you’ve got 20’ from hitch to axle. And you’ve got 100 lbs of cargo.
- Put it on the hitch, the weight is all on the hitch
- Put it 5’ from the hitch (1/4 of the way back), and you’ve got 75 lbs on the hitch with 25 lbs on the axle.
View attachment 104038
- Put it halfway between, the load is split evenly.
View attachment 104039Put it 15’ from the hitch (3/4 of the way back), and you’ve got 25 lbs on the hitch with 75 lbs on the axle.
- Put it on the axle, the weight is all on the axle.