trailer aero

[trooper Tdiesel]

Originally Posted by euromodder

On this side of the Atlantic, most passenger cars allow with 100-150 lbs, some 200lbs on the hitch. We don't use special sway gear, or special bars to move some of that weight forward on the tow vehicle, and yet we tow more trailer weight with passengers cars than what's allowed in the US.

would you by any chance know what the tow rating of GEN1 troopers 1984/1991 are in your country.
unless there all rusted out where your at, from road salt.

there's very little info on them for towing rating in the US all i know is there rated at class I likely do to the rather low hp numbers...

best i know, Isuzu really did'ent even want people to tow with them at USA road speeds...

[drmiller100]

Originally Posted by euromodder

On this side of the Atlantic, most passenger cars allow with 100-150 lbs, some 200lbs on the hitch. We don't use special sway gear, or special bars to move some of that weight forward on the tow vehicle, and yet we tow more trailer weight with passengers cars than what's allowed in the US.

While a positive downforce on the tongue is good to control the tow, and keep it from unloading the rear axle of the towing vehicle, there's no need for excessive tongue weights.

10 to 20 percent is the standard. Less than that and you will kill someone, hopefully yourself.

[skyking]

Originally Posted by drmiller100

10 to 20 percent is the standard. Less than that and you will kill someone, hopefully yourself.

There is no need for that kind of comment.

[drmiller100]

Originally Posted by skyking

There is no need for that kind of comment.

hmmm......

Well, when his trailer and truck starts whipping back and forth, and he crosses the center line and head on collision with someone else, someone is likely to die.

And, it doesn't seem very fair the other people should die, and he should live.

So, my point is, if he is going to be a dumbass and endanger other people, and someone dies, I hope it is him, and not some poor innocent person who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Having less than 10 percent tongue weight is DANGEROUS. PEOPLE DIE.

[slowmover]

12-15% tongue weight [TW] is the RV standard. Less than that isn't as effective, and up to about 18% is good (old SAE papers).

A weight-distribution hitch [WDH] is the requirement by the big automakers even on one-ton diesel dual rear wheel pickups past around 350-500 lbs TW. TW is not static . . that lever arm extending back to the axles can exert many thousands of pounds of force in adverse circumstances. A WDH has two jobs:

1] Restore the Front Axle to it's unhitched weight when activated.

2] "Distribute" the remaining TW between the tow vehicle and the trailer.

The effect is to keep the steering (especially) close to stock vehicle feel/action (some level of understeer), and for braking & handling otherwise to remain close to stock.

The addition of weight to the trailer axles helps that vehicle as well, especially in braking.

A 600-lb TW might wind up as 150-lbs back onto Front Axle, and the remaining 450-lbs spread between Drive Axle and Trailer Axle as 270-340-lbs on Drive Axle and the balance back to the trailer.

Obviously, a tow vehicle drive axle carrying around 300-lbs trumps 600. But the Steer Axle not being lightened is the key.

And, yes, a well-sorted WDH will certainly help mpg . . less movement inside the lane, less reaction to crosswinds, etc.

The addition of anti-sway devices (the right ones, not the old friction bar type) will definitely be noticeable.

There is new design in WDH hitches, and it's simplicity is appealing:

Andersen WDH

An apt discussion here.

That and LT tires (not ST tires: unacceptable failure rates on tires made on obsolete equipment [is the current surmisal]) would be high on my list for reliable trailer performance behind such a marginal tow vehicle (tall, short wheelbase and underpowered).

Same for a TEKONSHA P3 Brake Controller (at minimum). That's one helluva long trip.

Trailer tires should always be at cold sidewall maximum pressure. That and lug nut torque value is what I check before ever moving the trailer. Every time.

Trailers have a tendency to want to pass their tow vehicle. However well loaded they'll move around quite a lot in the lane. A good WDH damps this tendency greatly. It's noticeable at the steering wheel and at the fuel pump.

Lessened driver fatigue is the real MPG secret, and WDH plus best brake control adds immeasurably to this.

.

[BamZipPow]

How does a WDH compare to something like the ProPride or Arrow hitches?

[skyking]

WDH = Weight Distributing Hitch
Propride and Arrow/Hensley are brands of WD hitches.

[BamZipPow]

Originally Posted by skyking

WDH = Weight Distributing Hitch
Propride and Arrow/Hensley are brands of WD hitches.

So they all work the same way? Wouldn't one of the more expensive ones eliminate the sway?

[skyking]

weight distribution is the big benefit.There are other systems that couple the weight distribution with a hydraulic dampener.
In the end, you still need to be able to turn. If it can turn, then a combination of bad bumps and bad pilot input can get things going.
In the aviation business we call this Pilot Induced Oscillation (PIO).
A seasoned driver can keep things in check. A rookie can fudge it up with the best equipment.

[slowmover]

WDH -- weight distributing hitch[es] -- are available at several tiers of anti-sway control capability. PULLRITE, PROPRIDE then HENSLEY are the top tier, REESE Strait-Line / Dual Cam, then Equal-I-Zer are the second (with the new ANDERSEN), then the old (and unacceptable) "friction bar" antisway add-ons to cheap generic hitches.

Please don't think "experience" matters much. I'll put mine against anyones (type, variety, terrain, trailer type, miles travelled, etc). It's good for knowing what to do when a tire blows . . on a steep downgrade being passed by semi-trucks (always a bit hairy) . . in any number of ways that matter, experience is a good thing. But it is trumped by these latest hitches (about 15 years now) for the "elimination" (a manner of speaking) of trailer sway, incipient or dangerous.

I might wish my children learn to drive in a slow old pickup with manual steering, brakes and transmission. Tall, tippy tires. With me aboard guiding them in how to deal with the vehicle. But I'd want them running the highways in a well-sorted Camry (or the equivalent) with best tires and book maintenance, etc. Same for a tow rig. The dynamics need to be experienced to find out how little one can actually do (in accident avoidance) to drive home the need for certain principles to apply first.

One can make the same arguments about bias ply tires or drum brakes versus radials and disc brakes . . at the end of the day "experience" is a code word for "testosterone" if it is put as a substitute for best equipment (best engineering) and excused as a matter of "too much money" for the better equipment (ridiculous versus the value of the combined rig).

Towing accidents are often lumped under "driver induced loss of control" which means the two vehicles are trying to head in separate directions (jack-knife, for instance) and some hitches are much better at heading that off in the first place (would be the point). In the same way would we want our family in a modern vehicle with state-of-the-art design and devices . . and the skill to not have to use them.

A margin for error that favors the moments inattention.

.