Proper Front to Back Placement of Motorcycle Inside Enclosed Trailer

Updated 04/23/2019 | Published 04/21/2019

Question:

I have a single axle 6by12 enclosed trailer should I mark 6 ft on floor and put 60 percent of weight ahead of mark and forty behind or should I put wheel chock more towards front of trailer

asked by: Dale L

Expert Reply:

When securing your motorcycle inside your enclosed 12 foot long trailer using a chock like the Tow-Rax # TWSPWM the most important factor to consider is the trailer's tongue weight. You will just want to make sure that its tongue weight with the motorcycle and any other cargo loaded is 10 to 15 percent of its total weight. This will help to reduce any trailer sway and movement during travel.

Most likely keeping the motorcycle centered on the trailer front to back will be sufficient but moving it further up towards the front will be better in terms of stability for the bike itself (as there's just going to be more movement the further back on the trailer you get).

You don't necessarily need to be too focused on making sure that 60 percent of its weight is ahead of the trailer axle and the other 40 percent is behind it. As long as your tongue weight remains within the above range your trailer weight will be properly distributed. To help with this process you can use a tongue weight scale like the etrailer # e99044.

expert reply by: Chris R