|
Jeff, a couple of years ago at the International
Rally, one of our members gave a very interesting talk on "the physics of
towing".
During his talk he made the point that physics
shows us that lighter objects tend to follow heavier ones. So, if you believe
him (and my high school physics teacher) then your tow vehicle should be heavier
that the trailer. This is not possible with most modern trailer/tow vehicle
combinations, and most people get along quite well with the trailer being
heavier, but more and more of these people are feeling that it is necessary to
spend big bucks on hitches such as Hensley in order to keep things under
control. Since we have vintage trailers we have an advantage in that most of us
can have a tow vehicle that out weighs the trailer.
That said, in my 20+ years of towing experience
tells me that I want the heaviest tow vehicle I can get with the longest
wheel base available. The difference in how the whole unit handles while going
down the road in all different conditions is quite noticeable, just ask my wife,
who is now happy to drive my 6000+ pound pickup while towing our 5000#
trailer.
While towing my mpg's did not differ much from
10mpg (gasoline engine) no matter what size engine/truck I had. My current truck
has a Cummins diesel engine in it and we average 15 mpg while keeping up with
the flow of the traffic.
Scott Scheuermann
1960 Overlander (26 foot, single axle)
|