> A bit of experience - I towed a ITS 280Z from Rochester, NY to Summit Point,
> WV and it was the longest, nerve wracking drive I have ever had. I was using
> a Jeep Cherokee with a tandem trailer and a standard Class 3 hitch.
> Since then, I have towed all over the NE with the same Jeep, a weight
> distributing hitch, and a two wheel trailer. I haul the Z or my vintage race
> 1600 roadster. This combo tows at any highway speed with minimum sway, and
> with straight line braking. I have electric brakes on the trailer. I feel
> anyone is nuts to tow a car or other heavy trailer without the right hitch
> and brakes.
> The hitch works with two bars that attach to the car's hitch and the trailer
> tongue. By adjusting the tension chains between these bars and the tongue,
> you actually lift the hitch/tongue, applying more weight to the car's front
> wheels and the trailer wheels, thus distributing the weight more evenly
> between the axles of the car and trailer. This also minimizes the car's
> tendency to ride low in the rear/high in the front, which in turn makes the
> whole rig more balanced and stable.
> Sam Turner
I agree with Sam. I have a 3/4 ton Ram van that I use to tow a 31', 5000 lb
travel trailer with. I use a weight distribution hitch also. With the hitch
torsion bars disconnected the rear of the van is down about 3" from where it
sits with no load on the hitch.
By marking the same reference marks on all 4 corners of the van and hitching
up the trailer, then adjusting the tortion bar chainsuntil the van drops the
same amount front and rear, the rear end of the van will only be about 1.5"
lower than the hitch sits with no load. I also have electric trailer brakes
that work fine. The only problem that I have with the brakes is that it would
be nice to have different amounts of braking when going slow or fast. If I
set the brake controller for highway speeds, I get thrown forward when using
the brakes at low speeds! I am planning on modifying the brake controller to
take vehicle speed into account, but that won't be any time soon.
Peace,
Pat
--
- Support Habitat for Humanity, A "hand up", not a "hand out" -
Pat Horne, Network Manager, Shop Supervisor, Hardware Guru
CS Dept, University of Texas, Austin, Tx. 78712 USA
voice (512)471-9517, fax (512)471-8885, UUCP:cs.utexas.edu!horne
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