Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 29

Thread: Trailer Questions

  1. #11
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Arkansas
    Posts
    104

    Re: Trailer Questions

    Ranhman,

    I know these are important on travel trailers but around here now one uses one for equipment trailers. Probably not a bad idea but part of the problem with a travel trailer is the fact that its a huge surface are for gusts of wind?

    The setup in your photo connects up in addition to the regular tongue ball mount? Do you have a pic of it all hooked up?


    The comment about not using the ball mounted bumper is a good one. Look around its not hard to find bumpers that are just slightly bent down....wonder what could cause that? [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
    Sometimes you will see one with a 2 5/16 10,000lb ball on that thin little bumper [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] .


    Fred

  2. #12
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    118

    Re: Trailer Questions

    <font color="blue">...but around here now one uses one for equipment trailers. </font color>

    Equipment trailers are generally shorter &amp; wider, but they too can definitely start oscillating. Seen it happen often going down the highway - both on "empty" trailers and with something on them. Matter of fact, saw one going back &amp; fourth about a full foot just the other day (lawn equipment service).

    Is it as critical on a utility trailer as a travel trailer? No - that is it isn't until you wind up in a ditch unexpectedly. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

    <font color="blue">...but part of the problem with a travel trailer is the fact that its a huge surface are for gusts of wind? </font color>

    Yes, the wind can start the oscillation, but it isn't the only cause. Additionally, think about putting something such as a tractor or other "sail" on it. I can definitely feel the trailer get "sucked" in when an 18 wheeler passes me while hauling my tractor or Jeep on the trailer. It's much worse without the sway control (done it a couple of times - never again [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] ).

    <font color="blue">The setup in your photo connects up in addition to the regular tongue ball mount? Do you have a pic of it all hooked up? </font color>

    The pic I posted I got from the web. Next time I hook up my trailer (give me a week or so) I'll take a photo and post it here.

    <font color="blue">Sometimes you will see one with a 2 5/16 10,000lb ball on that thin little bumper. </font color>

    Yep. Some people do truly stupid things! [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] Seen more than one idiot going 75 mph down the highway without safety chains too - makes me sick sometimes thinking about what would happen if the trailer jumped the ball.

    There are lots of folks who will never put a sway control on their utility trailer and never have an accident - I won't deny that. For $100 though, it is the cheapest insurance I know of.

  3. #13
    Member
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Hunterdon County, New Jersey
    Posts
    64

    Re: Trailer Questions

    I towed a car trailer behind my vehicle for many years. The problem of the swaying and eventual loss of control was always in my mind as I drove. Luckily, my setup was extremely stable without any additional sway control. But I always did stay below any posted speed limit by at least 5mph. I did get to notice that there was a greater tendency for the trailer to oscillate back and forth depending on how it was loaded. So I experimented and found the best weight distribution.
    If I was to do it again I'd get the sway control. Better safe than sorry.
    Rich

  4. #14
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    118

    Re: Trailer Questions

    <font color="blue"> I did get to notice that there was a greater tendency for the trailer to oscillate back and forth depending on how it was loaded. So I experimented and found the best weight distribution. </font color>

    Yep. That's definitely the thing to do as it can make a big difference. I did the same thing found though that although I could get it to a "fairly good" balance point with a given load, I would still get a few white knuckles at times. After I added the sway control I found my knuckles didn't change color and my heart rate seemed to stay constant. [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

  5. #15
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
    Posts
    138

    Re: Trailer Questions

    Just curious but how does a weight distributing hitch work? How does it allow an increase in the trailer weight when it's used? Where does the weight distributing hitch distribute the weight to? Seems to me there's only two things in the equation - the tow vehicle or the trailer no matter what kind of hitch you use (?) [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

  6. #16
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Posts
    2,098

    Re: Trailer Questions

    </font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
    Where does the weight distributing hitch distribute the weight to?

    [/ QUOTE ]

    It distributes the tongue weight of the trailer from the rear wheels of the tow vehicles back to the trailer axle and to the front wheels of the tow vehicle.

    And I don't know how to describe it with just the printed word; perhaps someone else can do that better, or if you stop by any RV place that has the hitches, they should be able to show you very quickly how it works. It's really quite simple.

  7. #17
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    118

    Re: Trailer Questions

    Bird's got it. Instead of focusing all that weight on your rear axle (over stressing it) and loosing traction on your front end (because it is now lighter), the W.D. hitch helps, well, distribute that weight across all tires/axles of the tow vehicle.

    (How it works seemed a little counter-intuitive to me at first too.)

    I started to write my version of an explanation, but it was such a convoluted mess, I figured it would be easier to pirate someone else's explanation. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

    Here's a link that gives a little more explanation.

    Another explanation.

    Hope this helps.

  8. #18
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
    Posts
    138

    Re: Trailer Questions

    Thanks! The second explanation you referenced "lit the lightbulb" for me.

  9. #19
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Warrenton, MO
    Posts
    1,223

    Re: Trailer Questions

    Back when US built front wheel drive autos started to hit the market, either GM or Chrysler had an ad on TV that featured one of their vehicles towing a boat on a trailer. The tow vehicle had no rear wheels!. So they either had an equalizing hitch with really tight chains or a ridged connector and no tow ball. I think this was about 20 years back. My memory's not as good as it used to be. But it was a sight.
    Gary
    ----------------------------------------------
    Hey! Aren't you supposed to be working?

  10. #20
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    SW Michigan
    Posts
    320

    Re: Trailer Questions

    <font color="blue"> Back when US built front wheel drive autos started to hit the market, either GM or Chrysler had an ad on TV that featured one of their vehicles towing a boat on a trailer. The tow vehicle had no rear wheels!. So they either had an equalizing hitch with really tight chains or a ridged connector and no tow ball. I think this was about 20 years back. My memory's not as good as it used to be. But it was a sight. </font color>

    That was an ad for the Chevy Citation. I was in high school back then and worked in a body shop. We had a procedure we called "clipping" where a car was cut across the floor between the doors and through the windshield posts to replace either the front or rear on a bad wreck. Those Citations etc. were the first cars we clipped that you could still drive, not that we did.

    I haven't been following this thread closely but a word of caution. A load equalizing hitch is still no substitution for proper load capacity of the tow vehicle. There was a story posted on an RV forum several years ago by a guy who overloaded his light truck and compensated with a load equalizing hitch. The hitch took enough load off the rear axle of the truck that it reduced it's ability to provide lateral stability. He got caught in a curve/crosswind situation and the whole rig became unstable. Ended up flipping over, totalling everything. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.

    So watch those weight limits, read the little sticker on your door jamb and be careful out there [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
    Rob

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •