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

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

I suppose one could add sway and load equalization to most any trailer
tongue. I've not noticed much about horse trailers or utility trailers
with such additions, or even much for brakes. Some do have a breakaway
battery and switch though.

My dad told about a situation where the trailer (no A/S) was bouncing
from wheel to wheel because of a powerful blast or really bad road and
gently applying trailer brakes seemed to make it worse because only one
side was on the ground at a time. He never used a pendulum type
controller or hooked the old hydraulic one to the tow vehicle brakes,
did it all manually. Mom wrecked a trailer but he never had any
problems, except that one time when he hit a bridge rail with the truck
because the wind blast from a semi put the trailer into motion and that
86 F-150 had almost no shocks when it was new to keep it under control.
Very heavy duty shocks helped it a lot.

It would seem to me that a control applying one sided brakes could
change the phase of the oscillation and make it go into orbit far too
easily. A smooth application of both brakes would seem to me to be
better. E. g. straighten, don't kick into a more violent oscillation.

Gerald J.