Towing yet again

[Jim Grammer <jimg@domain.elided>]

Lots of excellent comments about towing. Based on a bunch of vehicle 
recoveries using rented car/equipment haulers(always with one T-all or the 
other) equipped with surge brakes, I urge extreme caution when exceeding 
the weight of the tow vehicle unless you have a properly set up electric 
brake system(preferably on both trailer axles. A typical rental trailer 
weighs about 1200-1500lbs, so add that to a typical IH light truck(4000# 
for the older stuff I bring home) and you've got 5500#-ish. Behind a 119" 
wheelbase Travelall, surge brakes on that kind of load are functional, but 
you have no trailer brake sway control(apply trailer brakes only from the 
controller), and by the time you get the surge brakes really working(as 
noted by Tarq) you are hard into the truck's brakes and not really able to 
modulate your braking at all. On any kind of down grade this will bother 
the heck out of you(if you're smart ;)). I pushed the envelope a couple 
months ago bringing an S pickup back from 200 mile away, and I came down 
Cuesta Grade(well over 6% in spots) in first gear, braking to keep it below 
30 mph. I felt really lucky to make it down the hill in one piece(semis 
passing, narrow lanes), and will NOT be doing that again until I have my 
own trailer with electric brakes. My $.02....

Coming back from MN last year with the '53 T-all in tow behind a rental 
truck, I saw a Jeep Cherokee(2 door, I believe) that a 25'(or so) travel 
trailer had gotten the best of in crosswinds on I15. Jeep and trailer were 
still attached, at about a 45 deg angle across the median. Jeep was on it's 
roof, trailer on it's side, personal effects strewn like a plane crash. 
Looked like everybody was OK, but emergency vehicles hadn't reached the 
scene yet(middle of nowhere). Ugly...

Jim