Re: [A/S] towing

[rlb <bob.basques@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Joy (Mr. ??, sorry I bet you get that all the time)

"Mr. Joy H. Hansen" wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> I sit with my finger on the delete button and wonder what all the discussion
> about safe towing means to me?

Take all the advice with a grain (or two) of salt, even I dare say, from me.

> How much weight on the front and rear of the
> tow vehicle?

To tell the truth, there are way to many variables to contend with for anyone to
make a blanket statement about towing.

<stuff zapped>

>
> I looked at the massive steel draw bar that holds the tiny 2 inch ball

Hardened Steel, much stronger vs the relatively mild steel of the drawbar.

> for
> my A/S and the short stab

The closer the ball is to the hitch receiver the stronger it is (the more
pressure it will take to break it, alot more than you would think)

> that slides into the receiver on my tow vehicle.
> The label says it's rated for 750 pounds of hitch weight with an equalizer
> and something like 550 pounds without.  I thought about the short stab on
> the drawbar, the  tiny 5/8th inch pin that holds the drawbar in the foot
> long receiver, and finally "How does this equalizing thing work?"  Imagine
> putting enough bind on the receiver to  share the hitch weight on the front
> wheels of the tow vehicle.  I can visualize the tons per square inch of
> pressure at each end of the union of the towbar and the receiver.  It works!
> My job is not to reason why, but I do .  .  . and it levels the tow vehicle
> and trailer as required by the trailer manufacturer.

This always seemed amazing to me also, until I worked out the numbers in my
head. There is still only half the load on the hitch ball (plus whatever might
be also loaded into the rear of the tow vehicle) that is acting on the hitch
during the torque over at the hitch. If A class III hitch (four mounting points
on the frame??) mounting points are divided into the weight, the pressures start
to seem less amazing, but still serious. There is still a levering effect that
multiplies the loads again though.

> So the questions keep surfacing.  Who installed the hitch?  Did GM design
> the aft of my tow vehicle to tolerate the kind of lever to transfer weight
> from the rear axle to the front axle?

I have no straight answer for you (I don't know), but they have been used for
years and hundreds of thousands of driven miles. At least that's what I tell
myself.  :-)

>  Is the receiver prone to stress
> cracks and failure?

If you take a look at the underside of your tow vehicle, you most like see that
the material the hitch is constructed out of will be a few sizes larger than the
frame of the vehicle. I suppose that doesn't help very much in calming your
nerves any (or mine) but if one considers that the manufactures actually have
advisable systems for using these type of hitch and the frame of the vehicle
seems to be the weak link, then all should be well and good, at least that's
what I keep telling myself  :-)

> Are  both my tow vehicle and the trailer at the same
> level when hitched?

That's what I shoot for.

> As a newbee to towing, I was amazed that my neighbor in the camp ground
> towing a new A/S 25 foot was asking me why my hitch had those silly friction
> points on the end of the equalization bars.  Must be an old fashioned hitch,
> since his new model had only a chain attached to the end of his bar.

Here's where those variables come into play, if I had my F700 (9000lb [empty])
ready to pull this spring, I don't think I would need any of that fancy hitch
stuff either.

> And
> that sway bar in the storage area of his unit wasn't necessary.  He related
> that he towed at 80 + without much concern?
>
> As I sat and studied the 1969 A/S owner's manual in the section on towing
> tips, there seemed to be a lot to be concerned with.  Put 15 percent of the
> total trailer weight on the ball.  Be sure both the tow vehicle and the
> trailer are on the same level.  The service technician set everything up and
> said I was a go.

He may know how to install and even adjust things, but It's going to take a
couple of short trips to get it just right, at least the first time.

> On the road, my headlights were scanning the night sky for
> UFO's.

Did you find any?  ;-)

> A bit of input from the steering and the sway of my tow vehicle
> frightened my spouse such that she might not participate in RVing.  More
> pressure on the equalizer bars without using the jack!  Sort of worked OK,
> but those trucks passing at twice my speed put everything in a pendulum
> motion.  With each passing truck I learned more of how to control the sway.
> At one stop, I saw smoke from the trailer wheel - what a nasty electric
> brake controller.  Will I make it home?

Same thing happened to me less than a mile from home, the trailer would budge in
my case until I backed it up and disconnected the wiring plug a couple of times.
Still it bothered me at the rime.

> Is the advice from experienced
> RVers worth listening to, or must all of it be gained from experience?

Yes, and yes. The previous to gauge against your own experience, and the latter
to gauge against the future advice that will undoubtedly be offered in the
future.

> Well, I did my first 800 mile tow and with the "quick learn" by the seat of
> my pants we arrived safely.

Just allow for plenty of stopping (and starting) room as well as making those
turns wide.

> In retrospect, I should have met every RVer in the park and asked for
> counsel about towing.  Surely some of them would have "correct" information
> to share.

Yeah, but which ones, it still comes down to actually taking a couple of trips
of your own.

>  For now, I'm completely involved in restoring my '69 Safari.
> Much like towing, the restoration is much more than I could have imagined
> when I purchased the unit.

> Can't wait to attend a VAC gathering and sit through a towing session and
> visit with  new friends of the egroup.

Ditto, see you there.



--

bobb

http://64.33.167.222/