Trail Manor puts the axle further back than most trailer manufacturers do. They do this to make the trailer almost sway-proof, and it works wonderfully well. Most owners can (and do) tow without sway control and do not experience sway.
The downside of this axle placement is that it increases the tongue weight for a given trailer weight. It seems to be generally agreed, through many reported measurements, that the tongue weight of a TM is about 14% of the total loaded weight. As you point out, that can vary a bit due to load placement, but it seems to be pretty accurate.
Once you have your TM, you can measure the hitch weight directly by using a bathroom scale (and perhaps a couple wood blocks and a beam). Or you can go to a CAT scale with their three-platform measurement capability, measure several weights, and do the math to determine the hitch weight.
Hope this helps.
Bill
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