Trailer towing

[Bigdog]

I thought this link was good and had some pointers for everyone who tows a trailer. I will leave it on the main forum for a couple of days and then move it to the safety forum.

http://fwix.com/cleveland/share/2dc3d3d ... gency_isnt

Thanks to Lildog for the link.

[Mr E]

Good post ! After seeing the couple of flats on trailers leaving the Tug, I have made the decision to go ahead and put new tires on my trailer. Some mileage left in them, but I do not like flats on the side of the road.

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

That is a good post, but he overlooked a very important thing, and that is brakes on a trailer. i used to have a little 5x10 trailer I put brakes on. I do not like the feeling of having a trailer push me down the road.

[Bigdog]

I agree John - I thought there were enough good points to warrant posting the link but as in most internet links there is always more to the story.
The article is especially good for those who have never towed a trailer or have towed very little.

[Lee_Petrie]

Thanks for the link, BD , maybe another worthy note about trailer towing , my tire supplier states that tires have an average life of 6 years , that is including the "shelf life" , before they're installed ! Then to top that off , the "only trailers" I was able to find for my single axle flat bed trailer, were ones made in China , they just happen to be the Cooper brand ! Last year my inside dual blew apart on my camper, I figured it must have been 9 years old , with NO dry rot cracks ,even between the great tread ,that still remained, in pieces ( $3,000. damage to the camper) ! Everyone should check with their supplier, before you have tire problems ! Lee

[CharlieK]

GREAT POST--a cub don't weigh that much---but---in an emergency situation it's like a ton of bricks behind you while trying to steer and brake at the same time counting the weight of the trailer. very hard to do; even the nascar boys would have trouble doing this

[Jim Becker]

There were a couple things in the article that aren't right. For one:

Make certain the trailer is loaded with at least 60% of it's gross weight on the trailer hitch

Some people advise to put 60% or the load ahead of the axle as a way to get 10% of the weight on the hitch, which is probably what he was trying to say.

The other is:

Make certain the tires on the trailer are sound and are properly inflated - in hot weather this means you may need to let air out of the trailer tires after they are tested running hot.

Letting air out of the tires was conventional advise 50 or 60 years ago. Nobody recommends that any more. Inflation pressures are always stated for cold tires and an increase with running (usually 4-5 pounds) is normal. Letting air out just makes them run hotter yet. If the tires are getting too hot or pressure builds up excessively, it is overloaded. The fix is to take some of the load off, not let air out.

If you have any doubts about weight, either for balance or total load on the tires, get it weighed. It isn't needed for short trips at low speeds. But for longer trips, it is cheap insurance. CAT scales are pretty easy to find and they will weigh you twice for $10 or less. If you aren't in the cab of an 18-wheeler, the call button is a tall reach.

[tccanoe]

I was pulling a big Coleman Pop-up camper with a Suburban down hill at 55 several yrs ago. When I hit the bridge bump at the bottom, the hitch popped off the ball (wrong size ball). With the safety chains crossed, I let it coast to a stop. All the while my wife was saying, "Stop, stop." No way was I going to touch the breaks with that camper bucking around behind me. The only damage was to the chains that almost got ground through. Pride damage only.

[lombard]

WITH DUAL TIRES KEEP ALL 4 ON THE ROAD----WITH THE OUT SIDE TIRE OFF THE ROAD
THIS DOUBLES THE LOAD ON THE INSIDE TIRE ( IT IS HARD )-------
MOST TIRE SUPPLIER WILL HAVE NITROGEN TO FILL YOUR TIRES--THIS IS A LITTLE BETTER THAN AIR
AND WILL RECHECK THEM AS NEEDED-----THIS IS REAL TRUE WHERE IT GOES DOWN TO 40 BELOW
AT NIGHT---------

GOOD LUCK
LOMBARD------SC---

[Like-em-all]

There were a couple things in the article that aren't right. For one:

Make certain the trailer is loaded with at least 60% of it's gross weight on the trailer hitch

Some people advise to put 60% or the load ahead of the axle as a way to get 10% of the weight on the hitch, which is probably what he was trying to say.

The other is:

Make certain the tires on the trailer are sound and are properly inflated - in hot weather this means you may need to let air out of the trailer tires after they are tested running hot.

Letting air out of the tires was conventional advise 50 or 60 years ago. Nobody recommends that any more....

Wow, glad someone else noticed those points. I agree with your comments, Jim. If using that 60% formula, I already had visions of a 3,600 lb. tongue load lifting the front wheels of my wimpy F-350 off the ground -- that is until the 6000/600 lb. rated hitch turned South.

Bill

[Jeff Buster]

Hello Members of the Farmall Cub blog,
Thanks for your administrator's link and your user's conscientious comments regarding my trailer safety post at http://realneo.us/content/towing-trailer-easy-controlling-trailer-emergency-isnt

I have become a user on the Farmall Cub site in order to continue this important safety discussion regarding hitch pulled trailers. Trailer tire cold/hot pressure and proper tongue weight are on the front burner.

I will be back for more discussion here soon.
Best,
Jeff Buster
Trailer puller from way back (and had a few accidents with 'em too - no injuries)

[Goraidh (Jeff)]

Excellent article, BD. I was talking to a guy last night who said his wife jack knifed a Ford 8N and hay waggon. The tractor didn't have enough horsepower to get up this one hill and it all slid back down. Luckly wasn't much of a hill and all was OK, but if she tried that on a taller, steeper hill, who knows what would have happened.

Jeff