Published 2026-10-23 · Ride On Rentals, Delta BC
The part of the trailer's weight that sits on your hitch decides how the whole combination handles. Here is how to get it in range and check it.
Two trailers can weigh the same and tow completely differently. The difference is usually trailer tongue weight: how much of the trailer's weight presses down on your hitch ball. Get it right and the trailer follows the truck. Get it wrong one way and the trailer starts to wag. Get it wrong the other way and the front of your truck goes light. This guide explains what tongue weight is, why it matters on a rented dump or cargo trailer, and how to check it.
When a trailer sits on its own wheels, the axle carries most of the weight and the coupler carries the rest. That coupler share is the tongue weight. ICBC's study guide, Towing a Recreational Trailer, calls it pin weight or hitch weight and explains why it needs to be right: "Too little pin weight or hitch weight can cause the trailer to sway. Too much weight can cause steering problems, as there may not be enough weight on the truck's front axle for proper control."
Tongue weight is not a fixed number for a trailer. It changes every time you load it, because it depends on where the load sits relative to the axle.
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Trailer wags or sways, worse at speed or when passed by trucks | Too little tongue weight; load too far back | Stop and move heavy items forward of the axle |
| Truck's rear squats, headlights point up, steering feels vague | Too much tongue weight | Move some weight back toward the axle or reduce the load |
| Hitch ball sits much lower than the coupler was set for | Heavy tongue or wrong ball mount drop | Check the load and the ball mount |
Sway is not just uncomfortable. Section 7.07(3) of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations makes it an offence to drive a combination where the towed vehicle "whips or swerves unreasonably or otherwise fails substantially to follow the path of the towing vehicle." If the trailer starts to sway, ICBC's advice is to "slow down gradually and steer in a straight path if possible. Avoid sudden braking."
The trailer's tongue weight is carried by your tow vehicle. The CVSE Trailer Towing info sheet is explicit: "a trailer's hitch or tongue weight transfers weight to the towing unit that must be included in the unit's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR)." Those ratings are on the sticker on your driver's door or door post.
So tongue weight comes out of your vehicle's payload, along with the passengers and anything in the box or cargo area. ICBC's worked example uses a truck with a 1,500 kg load capacity towing a trailer with 750 kg of pin weight: "only 750 kg of load capacity remains to accommodate the total weight of all people, fuel and cargo in the truck." Our trailer GVWR guide shows the same arithmetic for a smaller setup.
ICBC's guide gives one figure, written for recreational trailers: "You want to have 15 to 25 per cent of the trailer weight on the fifth wheel or hitch connection (pin weight or hitch weight)." It also gives the principle behind it: "you need more weight toward the front of the trailer than toward the rear."
Hitch makers and vehicle manuals publish their own recommended range for ball-hitch trailers, and it can differ from that figure. Use the hitch's stamped tongue rating and your owner's manual as the limits that cannot be crossed. Within those, aim for a load that sits slightly front-heavy and keeps the truck reasonably level.
ICBC's advice is simple: "You can measure these weights at a public weigh scale." A two-step weigh does it:
If the scale can weigh each axle separately, compare the front axle reading with and without the trailer. A big drop on the front axle is the steering problem ICBC describes.
No scale handy? Measure the height of your front and rear bumpers from the ground before you hitch, then again after. One hitch maker's weight-distribution manual uses exactly that reference to judge how the vehicle settles. If the rear drops a lot more than the front, or the front actually rises, the tongue is heavy. It is a sanity check, not a measurement.
When you book, tell us your tow vehicle and what you plan to haul. We will confirm compatibility and any hitch or wiring needs. Call (604) 767-7977 or see our trailer rentals page.
Tongue weight is the downward force the trailer's coupler puts on your hitch ball. ICBC calls it pin weight or hitch weight. It is part of the trailer's weight that your tow vehicle carries, so it counts against the vehicle's load capacity and rear axle rating.
ICBC says too little pin weight or hitch weight can cause the trailer to sway. That usually happens when heavy material sits behind the trailer axle. Move weight forward, ahead of the axle, and the trailer will track better.
Too much tongue weight can cause steering problems. ICBC explains that it can take weight off the truck's front axle, so there is less weight on the steering tires. It can also overload the hitch, the rear axle and the vehicle's payload.
ICBC's towing guide uses 15 to 25 per cent of the trailer's loaded weight on the fifth wheel or hitch connection, a figure written for recreational trailers. The hard limits are the tongue weight rating stamped on your hitch and the limit in your vehicle's owner's manual. Stay under the lowest of them.
ICBC suggests a public weigh scale. Weigh the tow vehicle alone, then weigh it again with the loaded trailer hitched but only the vehicle's axles on the scale. The increase is roughly the tongue weight.
Questions about a rental trailer? Call Ride On Rentals at (604) 767-7977 or email [email protected].