How to Determine Tongue Weight of An ATV Trailer with Two Four Wheelers Towed with a 2011 VW Tiguan

Published 08/15/2011

Question:

I purchased this hitch for my 2011 VW Tiguan, and it seems to work great, but I was looking at my VW manual and it says a max tongue weight of 220, and this hitch is 350, does that mean Im over? I dont want to hurt my car. Im pulling a 5x8 trailer that weighs 380, with two fourwheelers that weigh 430 each, so Im ok for my max tow weight of 1600 without brakes, but wasnt sure how that tongue weight worked. Thanks.

asked by: Xena

Expert Reply:

I believe you will find that your trailer setup will be within the 220 lb tongue weight limit of your 2011 VW Tiguan. You should check the actual tongue weight to be sure, but I did some calculations and found that if your trailer is loaded properly the tongue weight should be somewhere around 190 pounds at most. Close, but within the limit the manufacturer set for your Tiguan.

Normal tongue weight for trailers is between 10 and 15 percent of total trailer weight for best towing performance. I have provided a link to some information on towing that you should find helpful. At the beginning of the article it explains how to accurately weigh the tongue weight of your trailer. Keep in mind the that trailer needs to be fully loaded as it would be when you are ready to travel.

expert reply by: Robert G