Utilizing the proper equipment is essential to any application in any industry, but it can be a life-and-death matter when it comes to trailer coupling equipment.

Premier Manufacturing has been designing and manufacturing couplings, front-end assemblies, and hinge assemblies for nearly a century, and it’s important that fleets choose the correct equipment for their application.

First, determine the gross trailer weight, usually established by the gross vehicle weight rating attached to the trailer by the manufacturer.

Then, determine the tongue weight capacity, which is the maximum expected weight at the drawbar eye.  If a hinged drawbar is used, the maximum weight will be approximately one-half the overall drawbar weight.  If a non-hinged drawbar is used, and the actual tongue weight is unknown, you can approximate the weight by multiplying the gross vehicle weight rating of the towed trailer by 15 percent.  However, best practice is to weigh the tongue when the trailer is loaded to its GVWR.

The third step is considering your operating conditions and environment.  In general, increasing the gross trailer weight from step one and the tongue weight capacity from step two by a minimum of 25 percent will be sufficient for many applications.  However, each application is unique, and every environment is different.  Therefore, your application may require more than 25 percent.  Once both gross trailer weight and tongue weight capacity have been determined, evaluate your operating conditions and apply an appropriate margin of safety.

Finally, visit Premier Mfg’s website at premier-mfg.com or browse pages four through seven of the Premier Mfg catalog.  There, you can find cross-reference charts for coupling-to-drawbar eye pairings, as well as coupling-to-wear gage numbers.  In addition, you can determine if one of Premier Mfg’s premium options – such as Premalloy or Extended Life – is right for your application.

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