Quote:
Originally Posted by UtopiaCRD
Great project! I was wondering when someone would start looking into single wheel trailers for this purpose.
I have some experience with this type of trailer, and I wanted to make a suggestion on the ride quality issues you had at first (and I assume still have, although you have moved on).
It is VITAL that the trailer (or more specifically, the wheel pivot) is level. If there is a slope, it can be slightly toward the front (i.e., the front of the trailer slightly lower than the rear), but never ever should the front of the trailer be higher than the rear. The physics of this causes the wheel to try to move to the side rather than line up as it is being towed.
The reason that adding weight helped you get a better tow is that it leveled out the trailer and corrected the physics. That's why there is usually an adjustment on the hitch attachment for the ride height to be able to level the trailer.
Looking forward to your success on this project so I can copy it!
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I'm not sure of the actual pivot wheel's caster angle when the trailer is level or how much it changes when at either extreme (high or low) with my current vehicle hitch height. I'll have to spend some time to measure it when I git to some level ground and see what the differences are.
When I first got my trailer, I attached the pivot at the lowest point and the trailer bounced pretty badly in the back. I understood it as the pivot point was lower than the rear which allowed the trailer to bounce more readily. On the trip back home with the trailer, I moved the pivot point to it's highest adjustment which is slightly higher than the rear of the trailer. Although I did load the trailer down, there was significant rolling/movement due to the slop in the hitch adapter I was using. Since having the hitch rewelded to a 2" setup, I haven't adjusted from the highest position yet. Since I have 5 different adjustments to choose from, I'll have to try the different levels with the new trailer setup and see if they improve or make the towing worse.
This piccie is after I picked up the trailer and moved the pivot point to it's highest setting...
I have some different thoughts/ideas about how to make the trailer tow a little bit smoother but will take some time to figure out how feasible it will be to implement those ideas. I'll keep you posted if any of them come to fruition.
