Re: [A/S] Re: [AS} dura torque

["Dr. Gerald N. Johnson, electrical engineer" <geraldj@xxxxxxxx>]

Driving in fog at night shows up a bit of tail sag rapidly... Did that
for me two weeks ago.

I dug for an hour in Iowa's web page to find this in the driver's
license training manual. I'd rather read the administrative rules but
they aren't posted to the internet.

> Required Equipment
> If your trailer and load weigh more than 3,000 pounds
> (1-1/2 tons), it must have brakes. They can be self-actuat-ing
> if the combination is less than 10,001 pounds combined
> GVWR, or brakes you can apply from the towing vehicle.
> Trailers of this size must also have weight-equalizing hitches
> and sway controls.

Is that trailers (with load) of 3000 pounds or GCW of 10,001 pounds or
more? What about fifth wheel hitches? The hitch location tends to cure
sway problems before they drive the tow vehicle.

So long as my truck weighs more than the Caravel, sway control seems
excess complication. I didn't detect any problems last month with sway
in cross winds or meeting or being passed by big trucks.

In another paragraph the license manual suggests steering with the sway
when passed by a semi. Seems to me its safer to hold fast and not add
motions to make the sway worse. Perhaps a tap on the trailer brakes, but
to try to handle the sway with steering is just asking for a slide
sideways down the highway from making the sway far worse.

Gerald J.