On Mon, 27 May 1996, MIKE_J2@SFOV1.VERIFONE.COM wrote:
> Stability comes down to how the tow vehicle is set up, how the trailer is
> connected, and how the trailer load (the car) is positioned on the trailer.
Absolutely correct. A 4 wheel trailer should be set up so it is dead
level when unloaded, then the load should be positioned so about 10% of
the combined weight of the trailer and load is on the hitch. You don't
*ever* want to put a load on in such a way that it tries to lift the
hitch.
> My BIG bugaboo about car trailers is to suggest getting electric brakes for
> the trailer and an electronic actuator in the tow vehicle. If the trailer
> starts to get out of hand you can just reach down and nudge the trailer
> brakes without using the tow vehicle's brakes to settle things down. Surge
This is important info; I've been there too. Get electric brakes. My
favorites are plumbed into the hydraulic system of the tow vehicle so the
trailer brakes are applied in proportion to the tow vehicle brakes. The
first time you park a surge brake rig downhill with the nose of the tow
vehicle against a fence, you will know why electric brakes are better.
> brakes are a bear, I don't like them when trying to back up, I don't like
> them when on slick or wet roads, I don't like surge brakes on dirt or
> gravel roads. Can you tell I don't like surge brakes?
> One last note, some states in the U.S. seem to require trailer brakes on
> both axles, some don't. Just something to consider.
Ray Gibbons Dept. of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
Univ. of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT
gibbons@northpole.med.uvm.edu (802) 656-8910
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