Re: Trailer scare

["Mark Young" <myoung@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I agree on the equalizer hitch!
Tried pulling my travel trailer without it once and it was scary....
But with it on I drive just about normal, handles very well.
There was a thread on the BB just a few days ago at:
http://atlas.binderbulletin.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8673
A lot of what I learned about towing with a Scout Traveler started from an
article from John Hoffstetter at:
http://www.binderbulletin.org/faq/1.htm#9

Hope that helps!
Mark

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Hofstetter" <hofs@domain.elided>
To: "joel brodsky" <travelall1974@domain.elided>
Cc: <ihc@domain.elided>
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2003 7:57 PM
Subject: Re: Trailer scare


> On Friday, June 27, 2003, at 06:55  PM, joel brodsky wrote:
>
> > --okay, Traveler with trailer brakes, Traveler on the
> > trailer.  Trailer is about #2k.
> >
> > @55mph starts waving around side to side.  Truck is
> > held to trailer with chains and ratchet tie downs (the
> > real big kind for autos...).  So, too much tongue
> > weight, too little, crosswind?  what?  It did this
> > about 3 years ago when I tried it then, and I never
> > figured it out that time either.  That time was a
> > Scout II on the trailer towing with a Travelall.
> >
> > Please let me know, I have to drive 400 miles with it
> > tomorrow!
> >
> > Joel
>
> Joel,
>
> For the future you need an equalizer hitch.
>
> For now, I would guess that you have too much tongue weight which would
> take the weight off the front wheels of the tow vehicle making it very
> unstable.  No way for me to be sure without being there to see it, but
> thats my best guess. I would suggest having someone watch the rear of
> the tower and the front of the towed.  Pretty much like you do so well
> on the teeter totter, what you want to do is move the load forward on
> the trailer until the tongue of the trailer and the hitch start to
> slump.  This is assuming that the ball is the right height for the
> trailer when the trailer is level.  When the rear of the tower sags
> about as much as it would if Allan E. were standing on it, youll know
> that you have an appropriate amount of weight on the tongue.
>
> John Hofstetter