Loading and Unloading
Loading and Unloading a Trailer Safely
How you load a trailer matters more than what you load. A 1,500-lb load placed wrong will sway worse than a 5,000-lb load placed right. Here’s how to do it right, with notes for each trailer type in our fleet.
The 60/40 rule — tongue weight
This is the single most important loading rule: about 60% of the load weight should sit ahead of the trailer axles, and 40% behind. That translates to roughly 10–15% tongue weight for bumper-pull trailers like ours. Tongue weight is the downward force the trailer puts on your hitch ball.
- Too little tongue weight (load too far back) → the trailer fishtails and sways. This is the most dangerous loading error.
- Too much tongue weight (load too far forward) → the back of your truck squats, headlights point up, steering goes light, front brakes lose grip.
If you don’t have a tongue weight scale, the rule of thumb is: load heavy stuff over the axles and slightly forward, then test by lifting the tongue at the jack. It should feel firm but not impossible.
General loading sequence
- Park on flat ground. Chock the trailer wheels before loading anything significant.
- Heaviest items first, positioned over or just forward of the axles.
- Distribute side-to-side evenly. A trailer leaning left will eat its left tires.
- Fill in around the heavy stuff with lighter cargo.
- Secure as you go. Don’t wait until the end to think about straps.
- Final walk-around. Tug every strap, confirm nothing extends past the trailer’s footprint.
Trailer-by-trailer notes
20' enclosed cargo
The big advantage of an enclosed trailer is weather protection — the disadvantage is you can’t see your load on the highway. Strap things to the D-rings (we have them welded along both walls). Stack heavy on bottom, light on top, and don’t pile against the doors.
24' full-tilt deckover
The tilt feature is for loading equipment that can’t go up a ramp — think mowers, small tractors, scrap. Tilt the deck, drive on, release the tilt, and the deck will return to level. Never load with the deck tilted and unlocked; engage the lock pin before strapping down.
30' deckover with mega ramps
The mega ramps are heavy — use the assist springs and a buddy if you can. Load over the axles. Tractors, skid steers, and Bobcats go on with the heavy end (the operator end) forward. Drive on, never back on, unless you’ve done it before — backing a piece of equipment up a steep ramp is how people roll machinery.
20' car & equipment hauler (electric winch + electric brakes)
This trailer has a Domin8r electric winch on the front for loading vehicles that won’t run. Position the trailer on the flattest surface available. Chock the trailer wheels. Run the winch line out, connect to the vehicle’s tow point (not the bumper, not a tie-down hook — the actual tow point), and winch in slowly. Stay out of the line’s recoil path. See our Electric Winch Guide for the full procedure.
14' hydraulic dump
Load from the rear with the gate down or open as a ramp. Distribute weight forward — concentrating it all at the rear tail will lift the tongue when you dump. The hydraulic ram lifts up to ~14,000 lbs, but the trailer must be on level ground or it can tip sideways during the dump cycle.
16' open utility / 16' multi-purpose utility
Use the rear ramp gate. Tie-down points are spaced along both rails. Open utilities mean nothing is holding your load in side-to-side except your straps — strap accordingly.
Unloading
Reverse the order: chock the wheels first, then unstrap from the rear forward (so the load doesn’t shift on you), then unload. For ramps and tilt decks, lower or release only after you’ve checked nothing will roll on its own.
Packing & Securing Your Load
Electric Winch Guide
Driving With a Trailer
