[KeithInSpace]

I grease my ball. I have this fear of it someday binding on some bump and something breaking.

He who greases the plates of a sway-control device, however, is an idiot.

[Soapbox] Very generally speaking, I agree with your zero-tongue-load, multi-axle trailer example. Folks don't seem to get just how little 500# of tongue weight is relative to a 5,000# load...it is very, very little. The tongue weight is crucial simply because the tongue is designed to interface with positive, not negative, pressure. Therefore, the tongue mechanism is not designed to withstand repeated shock load of an evenly loaded tongue or the constant upward pressure of a negatively loaded tongue. Not to mention that you're literally LIFTING the wheels upward on your tow vehicle either on bumps or constantly...very bad thing.

I'd put GOOD MONEY on a bet that at least 4 in 5 trailers (yes, 80%) have an improperly loaded tongue, most being overloaded RELATIVE TO THEIR PAYLOAD.

Good example: 10k# capacity trailer (2,200#) with 5k# payload over the axles, total 7,200# with 800# tongue load.

Bad example: 10k# capacity trailer (2,200#) with 3k# tractor driven to the front rail. Total load is less (5,200#), but probably over 1,000# of the tractor and 500# of the trailer are on the tongue...nearly 30% of the load.

I'll stand on the firing range with you, brother. I KNOW where I see most tractors, skidsteers, ZTRs, lawn mowers, refrigerators, and any other amount of bounty positioned on trailers...all the way to the front, nearest the tongue. [/Soapbox]

I'd advocate the use of sway control on most any trailer except boats. Can't hurt...

AND FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, DON'T GREASE THE PLATES!!!