[A/S] Re: Overload Devices On Tow Vehicles

["nickcrowhurst" <NickandSandra@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Harvey, thanks for the useful information about the tires. I will be 
delighted not to have to junk $400 of tires. We are from Cornwall, in 
the south-west of England. Our son married a Baltimore lass who has 
just produced a beautiful American daughter. We visit them in 
Maryland each winter, and spend the rest of the winter in the world's 
greatest travel trailer. In England, you connect a travel trailer to 
your passenger car with a ball hitch alone, and drive off. I have 
never seen a distribution hitch, sway control, connecting chains, 
break-away switch or electric brakes. We use mechanical "over-run" 
brakes activated by a steel tube surrounded by a spring to which the 
hitch cup is welded. When the tow vehicle slows, the trailer pushes 
forward, applying a rearward force on the tube, thereby applying the 
brakes in a proportionate manner. Because we are so badly equipped 
for towing, low speed limits (40 or 50 mph depending on weight) are 
legally enforced when towing trailers. Even so, every summer on the 
main highways, wrecked travel trailers are a regular sight. You can 
see I have had a lot to learn! (for example, my post on electric 
brakes). Learning about load distribution hitches was not just 
interesting, but potentially disastrous. We bought the Airstream from 
the owner of an RV campground who also sold used RVs. Let's call him 
Bud. Bud told us the Airstream came with the hitch, with load 
distribution, which would fit straight into our 2 inch receiver. I 
was pleased about this, and eyed with interest the bars, chains and 
other paraphanalia. I researched on the Web and learnt the principles 
of the bars, and then did a trial hitch-up at the campground. The 
bars worked as theory suggested, but I could not understand how the 
rig could go round corners. I asked Bud to explain to this ignorant 
Brit how it worked. As the bars were rigidly welded to the hitch, it 
loked to me as if it would be impossible to turn any corner, unless 
perhaps the bars should be lower than the A-frame along their whole 
length. Even so, I was nonplussed. Bud gave me a pitying look, shook 
his head, and told me that's how millions of trailers were hooked up, 
and that's how it worked. I showed him that as I backed up, even a 
slight turn would cause the bars to foul the trailer. Bud walked off 
laughing at this dumb guy. (Has anyone guessed the truth yet?). I 
determined not to hit the highway until I understood the situation, 
and asked a fellow camper to explain. He couldn't see anything wrong 
with the set-up. We stayed overnight, and made ourselves familiar 
with the new trailer. In a concealed compartment in the arm of the 
lounge, my wife made the wonderful discovery of the Airstream manual. 
I grabbed this and read it from cover to cover. Tucked inside the 
back cover was a leaflet describing.........a Pull-rite fifth wheel 
under-frame hitch. Light dawned. The tow truck has to be fitted with 
a huge rotating wheel under the frame. My set-up was lethal. At the 
first bend we could have rolled right over. I hurried round to Bud, 
and showed him the leaflet. He just smiled and shook his head. His 
wife said " He's just a good ole Georgia boy. He don't unnerstand 
stuff like that." I bought an Eaz-lift hitch with 1000 pound bars, 
fitted them, and, after a few days, carefully drove out onto the 
highway. Recently I posted "The hard way to learn about electric 
brakes". Surely this was the hard way to learn about load-
distribution hitches! Nick