RE: [A/S] swaying of 19' Bambi

["David & Bret" <dtbw_1999@xxxxxxxxx>]

Lois,
My heart really went out to you on your accident.  A few comments. 

First you mentioned that you think the initiating event may have been a
tire valve stem failure.  Take a hard look at the stem where it enters
the rim.  If there are little black rubber pieces (looks like tiny black
balls) on the rim (around the stem), then I would bet the farm on a
valve stem failure.  I experienced a valve stem failure on our '02 19'
Bambi last October.  The rubber stems A/S installs are rated at 65psi
(max available for a rubber stem), but if you check with A/S and
Goodyear, the recommend tire pressure for a fully loaded Bambi is also
65psi, so no safety margin on the stem.  The rubber stems A/S installs
also seem too long and I suspect that they flex creating heat and
finally failure.  After my experience, I had 150psi rated metal stems
installed as well as installing a tire pressure monitoring system
(www.advantagepressurepro.com).

My second comment will probably start up the old hitch religion wars,
but here goes.  I tow with a Hensley Arrow (www.hensleymfg.com).  When
the valve stem blew (instant deflation), the only thing I noticed was
that the trailer was leaning to the curbside.  Never had the slightest
motion, sway, change in stability or any indication that anything was
wrong...just rock solid straightline stability.  The trailer continued
in a complete straightline situation as I slowed, pulled over and
stopped.  It had been such a non-event, I had no idea what was wrong
until I saw the tire (BTW, the tire was only warm to the touch, so the
valve stem had failed catastrophically). To top this off, I was on I44
in MO where the speed limit is 75 and I was doing 75 being passed by
truckers doing at least 80-85.  All the ingredients for a wild induced
sway situation such as you encountered, but the Hensley keep everything
under TOTAL control. Fortunately, my Bambi had the spare tire option, so
in short order, I was back on the road.   While it is impossible to say
with certainty that the Hensley is the reason my experience with sudden
valve stem failure was a non-event, I certainly became a true believer
that day.  I have had countless comments on the overkill of using a
Hensley with a Bambi, but I have always countered that Bambi's are just
a susceptible to sway as a 34' and anything I can do to hedge my bets to
the max is not overkill.

Hensley and PullRite are the only hitch designs that go beyond resisting
sway after the fact. The Hensley is a simpler installation and uses a
standard class4-5 receiver, the PullRite uses tow vehicle mounted,
specific hardware, which won't transfer to other tow vehicles. Both
systems, although using vastly different approaches, put the pivot point
between the trailer and the tow vehicle at a point at or forward of the
rear axle which is a far more stable towing configuration. With the
Hensley, the trailer is incapable of introducing a pivot...period.  All
pivoting motion must originate from the tow vehicle. If the trailer
attempts to pivot, it much move all the tires on the tow vehicle first
as the rig behaves more like a motor home during straight-line travel.
The PullRite works as a true 5th wheel configuration which puts the
forces of sway directly above the rear wheels, where it can be more
easily absorbed, but the PullRite does nothing to actually prevent the
trailer from attempting to sway.  All other sway controlling strategies
depend on minimizing the sway extent, but the sway is already underway
and as you experienced, even one of the best conventional sway systems
on the market (ie Reese Dual Cam) can be overwhelmed. Once induced sway
starts, it is gamble that nothing will reinforce the situation and you
have little to no control over those factors.    

I would also pass along that at the 2003, Region 9 rally, we met a
wonderful single lady towing a 34' front kitchen with a Chevy Tahoe
(Hensley Arrow also).  In talking to her, this was her 4th A/S, but her
first one longer than 25'.  She said the first few times out, she was
using a conventional equalizing hitch with sway control and each trip
was a white knuckle experience.  She was just about ready to sell the
34' and go back to a smaller rig when the dealer recommended trying a
Hensley first.  She told us that she had not had a single problem since
that time.  Without getting into whether a Tahoe is a good candidate for
towing a 34footer, it does demonstrate that the Hensley can go a long
way in taming a less than ideal situation.  

My third comment is that while SUVs are not an ideal tow car, I
seriously doubt that the shorter wheelbase was a factor in the
initiating sequence of events.  A longer wheelbase would have given you
a slight edge, once the wildly swinging Bambi was able to start pushing
the rear of your SUV around, but it would NOT have guaranteed that you
could have maintained control.  As has been mentioned, about the only
thing that might have reversed the chain of events was applying ONLY the
trailer brakes to pull the Babmi back in line.  But in a sudden, panic
situation such as you encountered, coupled with a limited towing
experience, hitting the brake controller manually was probably not your
immediate reaction.  BTW, this is a good time to bring up that the brake
controller manual control should be easy to reach and operate during a
panic situation.  I tow with a 126" wheelbase Ford Sport Trac which is a
longer wheelbase (126"), beefed up version of the Explorer SUV and that
was another reason that I spent the $3000 on the Hensley...just a bit
more insurance. I also swapped out the factory P-series tires for true
LT series so as to put more rubber on the road.  There is no doubt that
longer wheelbase tow vehicles are safer in emergency situations as they
simply resist changes in stability better, but a SUV is not
automatically a bad choice, especially with a shorter trailer such a
Bambi.

Don't let your accident scare you aware from the great times that
Airstreaming offers.  Accidents happen and that is why you have
insurance.  Airstreams are among the BEST towing trailers on the road,
BUT they are still susceptible to induced sway as is any trailer with a
conventional or equalizing hitch.   Again, I whole heartedly recommend
the Hensley Arrow hitch. If you consider the cost of the Bambi and the
SUV, even ignoring your own safety, $3000 for a hitch doesn't seem to be
too bad an investment.

David