Re: [SilverStreak] towing

["Tom Patterson" <pattersontj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Here is what sway can do for you....

http://www.tompatterson.com/gallery/Rudy-Valles-1959-Tradewind

Rudy's tow vehicle blew a tire and the trailer started to sway.  The trailer 
took control and took itself and the truck off the highway and down into a 
ravine.  Fortunately, the trailer came loose from the truck which stayed 
upright, and no-one was injured.

-Tom

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eddie" <EddieHuffstetter@hotmail.com>
To: <sslist@tompatterson.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2008 9:20 AM
Subject: Re: [SilverStreak] towing


> Vincent,
> No, you chain idea won't work. The most important thing when towing any 
> trailer with anything is tongue weight. Go to the site Tom Patterson 
> linked and read the whole thing. Read every word he wrote because it is 
> exact, perfect, and complete. You must understand that like a crane 
> overloaded, there is a point of no return with sway. There is usually no 
> warning sufficient to stop the oscillation and regain control. Any 
> application of brakes is usually sudden disaster. Loss of control is 
> usually at 50+ mph but can be at 45mph. You can induce for sway at 40mph 
> to find out if you have probable loss of control. So speed attention and 
> patience for your turning a 4 hour trip into a 5 hour trip may make a lot 
> of people behind you angry, but get you to destination. Still, that semi 
> that passes you will try to first blow the trailer off the road but then 
> immediately suck the trailer in behind the semi. A good cross wind being 
> blocked by a semi passing you wants to put the trailer into the semi, then 
> throw you off when it finally passes. You cannot control these 
> environments. It will bite you! You must get tongue weight on your truck 
> or the trailer is driving you and your truck.
>
> I have an anti-sway bar. You will need to attach the plate it needs and 
> comes with beneath your hitch ball. If you did not use antiseize compound 
> or grease on your ball threads, it probably won't come off if it is fine 
> threaded, so be prepared to buy another ball when you have to cut off the 
> old one. My sway bar uses a L handle which you can adjust on the fly for 
> as much tension as you want until the trailer cannot be turned any corner. 
> It uses two disk brake pads which the L handle clamps on both sides of the 
> sliding bar. Relatively inexpensive and needing only one of two possible, 
> you will get extremely good anti-sway control results. The load 
> distribution levelers are two required. There must be a receiver installed 
> for the bars to attach to your truck. This will require a adapter, but 
> usually a different hitch on your truck designed for the bar system you 
> choose. It is expensive. It will make the truck and trailer level instead 
> of dipping down at the hitch. It will transfer the weight on the truck so 
> as to load the trucks front wheels. It will give you more control in the 
> form of weight on the trucks front wheels. IT WILL DO NOTHING FOR 
> ANTI-SWAY!
>
> There is no substitute for getting a trailer nose heavy versus balanced 
> level or tail heavy. No sway bar or anything else will overcome a level or 
> tail heavy trailer. When you let the trailer down on your truck, and the 
> truck does not substantially drop down (in your case) with the added 
> weight, you do not have enough tongue weight. You don't have enough truck, 
> because the trailer is too close to the weight of your truck, but you can 
> safely do your tow if you follow everything Tom and the others have said 
> about tongue weight, and spend the money to buy and use an anti-sway bar.
>
> I never use my anti-sway bar. It was a one time use when I towed my 79 
> Supreme Luxury Liner 3200 miles with a 78 Argosy motorhome. Not a weight 
> factor, I had a wind factor created by towing a trailer with a motor home, 
> which created a draft envelope on the trailer problem, from the motor home 
> which was destroyed with every passing semi. If you are in or near 
> Houston, I will lend you my anti-sway bar complete system for your trip. 
> It works.
> -Eddie-
> Houston, TX