Why are the tires so far back, increasing tongue weight.

[Raspy]

Having the axles farther back helps with stability in general. Even if you have enough tongue weight, you might still have a heavy weight near the back of the trailer and it becomes a pendulum that can cause fish tailing from side to side. This could be a full water tank, for instance. It's not just tongue weight that gives stability, but mass centralization near the axle center and slightly forward. Also, the height of the trailer factors in and even the width when comparing the distance from the axle to the ball and the track width.

It seems like stability can be more likely, throughout a trailer's life and in all different load situations, if some factors are exaggerated, like placing the wheels farther back.

 

[Turbys_1700]

The formula for figureing axle placement is to place the center of the axle one inch back for evey foot in lenght of the trailer bed. Ex. If you have a single axle trailer with a 10 ft bed, the axle would be set back toward the rear of the trailer 10 inches of the center of the bed, or 5ft 10in from the front of the trailer. If you have a two axle trailer of the same lenght, the center of the two axles will be at the same 5ft 10in from the front of the trailer. For longer trailers with 3 or more axles, you would use the same formula for placing the center of the axles in relation to the center of the bed lenght. This will result in an even 60/40 split for the proper tounge weight.

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I wonder if this formula holds true for goose necks and fifth wheel trailers...
I would expect the axles to be placed back further for them since the tongue weight ratio for those are greater than tag trailers...
It would be interesting to know the formula for them it this is true...

 

[Army grunt]

Another thing is to get the weight on the pull tr. so as to have the breaks work good.