>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.
Sorry about the clipped message. Let me try again.
I'm glad we got into this. We're getting ready to buy a new truck and
build a new flatbed car/utility trailer. One thing I'm very concerned
about is safe and comfortable towing on long trips, like out to Shasta
and maybe back east, too. I had a Chevy 1500 (350 V-8 with 3.42 gears and
all the usual towing goodies) and I've been wondering if I might need to
get something more heavy duty to comfortably do the long distance tows.
Sounds like the right hitch is also a factor. I figure the 510 and
trailer will be around 3200 pounds, maybe a bit more. Of course I also
need to take into account luggage, tools, tires, parts, etc. Still, for
general use and the occasional long tow it sounds like a 1/2 ton, set up
right, will do the job.
The Kelsey-Hayes brake controller installed on the Chevy P/U used a Hall
Effect transistor mounted on a pendulum that swings past a fixed magnet
to generate variable voltage to the trailer brakes. The faster you were
moving when you hit the brakes, the faster the transistor moves past the
magnet and the greater voltage to the brakes for quicker stops, the
slower you were moving..., you get the point. Additionally, as you slowed
down it reduced the voltage to the trailer brakes, reducing the chance of
locking them up. Really pretty slick. I think I paid around $140 for the
K-H unit installed, but I'll probably do the next install myself as the
controller by itself is well under $100.
As far as using a dolly is concerned, I'd never use one. On the way back
through New Mexico after Shasta '98 we watched a driver in a cab over
mini motorhome towing a 280 ZX on a dolly almost lose it, twice. Granted
he was towing it too fast (70 plus), but I can't see much difference
between a dolly and just flat towing the car. We flat towed the '73 510
from SoCal to Texas in '85 and then to and from DC using a custom built
tow bar that attached to brackets bolted to the front bumper mounting
holes. Worked like a charm. If you don't have a big enough tow vehicle to
handle a car/trailer combo, consider having a good tow bar built.
FWIW, Ron
Ronnie Day
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Dallas/Ft. Worth
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'71 510 2-dr (Prepared Class Autocrosser)
'73 510 2-dr (Street Toy)
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