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Correct Loading and Balance Verification

14:24
21:13
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At 14:24 in

How NOT to load an equipment trailer. What 99% of People don't know

What happens here

The key to correct loading is to identify the heaviest point of the equipment. For the Bobcat S185 skid steer, this is generally towards the rear of the machine, where the engine is located. When loading with an attachment (like a power rake), ensure the combined heaviest part of the entire setup is positioned directly over the trailer's axles. Drive the skid steer slowly and carefully, constantly monitoring the truck's and trailer's levelness. Once the equipment is in place, visually inspect the truck's stance and the trailer's tire compression. All tires should appear evenly compressed, and the truck should maintain a relatively level stance, neither nose-high nor squatting excessively in the rear. Get out of the tow vehicle to physically confirm the balance and levelness of the entire setup before securing the load and commencing travel. This ensures safe weight distribution for towing.

Goal: Load the skid steer and its attachment by centering the combined weight of the machine and its heaviest components over the trailer's axles, visually confirming proper balance and tire compression.

Tools and materials

  • Bobcat S185 Skid Steer
  • Power Rake Attachment
  • Trailer Ramps

What they say

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let's find the sweet spot on this one now so here's the thing i want you guys aiming on this camera as i'm going forward and backward right now well i'm looking at my trailer right i'm watching my truck settle i'm watching it settle right to where i think it should be and then i'll get out and i'll double check as i'm backing up see that truck lifting up right where my center of my weight is over my tires i'm just getting that feet and i'd rather air on the side of going a little heavy on the top than behind it so it wasn't a big move now remember you are balancing this entire combination so i always get out i never just go oh i've done this you know three thousand times this is right i always get out and i look because every time can be a little bit different there's the weight i feel comfortable about this load here's my the majority of my weight right between my two axles a little bit is just behind it but more is in front of it i would chain down and go down the road like this my two tires look very comparable a little bit more on the back end but now i'm compensating because i've got the trailer not perfectly level so now let's let's do it pass backwards let's put the machine on the other way now this truck is just crying at this point because all of the weight of this is in front of the back axles you can actually see the chains dragging on the ground at this point that should be another big indicator that maybe something's not quite right with this load the back end is squashed down my front end is riding a wheelie this is not a good scenario let's do the worst scenario i mean we're here let's just do the worst case scenario let's let's show it all right i think this is an important one to show for a number of reasons remember the bulk of our machine the weight we were concerned about having centered over the rear axles well we are but now we've got too much weight over the back of the truck look at all the chains have come up in this case even though you may be thinking but my weight is right yeah but the remaining weight is the wrong way this is a dangerous situation going down the road this machine should be repositioned differently let's do it let's do it right let's put it where i think my logic is the majority of the weight is this way we're actually getting the rest of the weight of the machine over those center axles and then we have just enough behind the axles to counter affect some of the weight of the machine on the tr on the tongue this…

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