The Silver Streak E-mail ListArchive Files[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] Re: [SilverStreak] towing
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
|