Re: [A/S] towing

["Rich Walbridge" <richwalbridge@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gene and Jayne,

I think, what you are saying is that you towed the trailer without any hitch
and only used the ball in the bumper?  Not sure.

The trailer's tongue weight is pretty hefty to be towing without a hitch
designed to distribute some of the weight from the tow vehicle's rear tires
to its front tires.  Putting  too much weight on the rear of the vehicle,
you could not only damage tires that aren't rated for that much weight,
damage the bumper, tear up the ball, (if its not the proper size, etc)
screwed in there, mess up the rear springs, throw the driveability of the
tow vehicle WAY OFF, and all this makes for a very unsafe driving condition
with the trailer and tow vehicle probably not riding flat.

I see that others do it, but I don't recommend it.  For the life of me I
can't see the logic in doing so.  Just dropping it onto the ball and off we
go?  In my opinion this sort of activity shows a substantial amount of
disrespect to your fellow travelers.

The tongue weight has to be about 450 pounds or so and that is quite a lot
of weight to hang off the back end of a vehicle.  Then add to it all the
factors of pulling, maneuvering, stopping safely.  Safely,  not just for you
but for the others around you.  When you don't stop or tow in a straight
line, you affect the vehicles next to you and behind you.

Eaz-Lift is a brand of towing equipment that is well-respected and has a
long history.  They are rated one of the best among the leaders in the
industry for that type of equalizing hitch.  Their customer relations folks
are great too, they'll help you set it up, send you instructions and sell
you what you need.
 http://www.eaz-lift.com/

There is a lot to setting a hitch system up correctly without knowledge;
following the easy set of directions available from the hitch manufacturer
is easy and the only way to do it.

IMHO!

Rich Walbridge
mailto:richwalbridge@airstream.net
mailto:wbcci@gis.net
WBCCI#3371