Re: Towing

[Steve Stegmann <stegmann@domain.elided>]

When I started towing my pop-up camper (dry weight 1050lbs) with my Ford 
Tempo (not your average tow vehicle), my experineces ranged from sheer 
terror to ho-hum.  The difference was in how much air I carried in the 
car tires and how the trailer was loaded.  And trailer brakes.

I started off with 30 lbs in the rear tires, and a toungue weight of maybe 
5% or 50 lbs.  The first 20 miles were sheer terror.  I then put the 
pressure in the rear tires of the car up to 35-36 which helped enough to 
get us through the trip without changing underwear any more.

Next I changed how I was loading the trailer to get about 12% on the 
toungue and added the electric brakes.  Towed wonderfully after that.  
**Be Careful how you load the trailer**   USE A SCALE to be sure you have 
at least 10% on the toungue.  This has a major effect on the stability of 
the trailer.

Pulling with front wheel drive is not optimum.  When you take your foot 
off the gas, the front wheels generate a force towards the rear of the 
vehicle applied at the front.  The trailer generates a force toward the 
front of the vehicle applied at the back.  Guess what!!  The vehicle 
tends to bend at the hinge (hitch).  Trailer brakes carefully applied 
stopeed this.  But again you have to experiment with the brakes to get 
the action right.

Just last weekend we pulled the camper up to Auburn to see Hoffstetters,
Howard, and the museums.  I noticed that the camper was weaving back and
forth behind the Aerostar at 75 mph.  Not really aproblem for the Aerostar
but I could feel it.  It was completely empty.  So... I took a nice cooler
full of ice and food, maybe 35 lbs, and placed it in the camper door. 
This puts it about 2 feet in front of the axle and on the passenger side. 
The trailer immediately stopped weaving. 
 
You better believe how important loading is in stability of a trailer.  
I've even had a professor in college do a section of a class on this.  
They had filmed experiments.  Amazing how the trailer behavior changed.  
And they were using a tow vehicle so heavy that it surely didn't know 
that the trailer was back there.  1000 lb trailer, 15000 lb truck.

I'm looking to get a 24 ft ultralight travel trailer maybe next spring.  
It will weight about 2900 empty.  I will want an equalizing hitch and 
sway bar but loading the trailer right is at least 75% of the battle.

Steve

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Steven A. Stegmann
     _/_/_/    _/      _/_/_/ "No free man shall ever be debarred the use
   _/    _/   _/_/   _/    _/  of arms.  The strongest reason for the 
   _/        _/ _/   _/        people to retain the right to keep and bear
    _/_/    _/  _/    _/_/     arms is, as a last resort, to protect 
       _/  _/_/_//       _/    themselves against tyranny in government"
 _/    _/ _/    _/ _/    _/    
 _/_/_/  _/     _/ _/_/_/         Thomas Jefferson, June 1776
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