Trailer - should it be horizontal or not.

Spade,

I would think the angle would not be all that important, apart from asthetics.

The more important issue is that the tow ball weight is within correct specifications of the vehicle's capability.

I have actually seen a late model Landcruiser towing a sizeable caravan on a bitumen road in the metropolitan area bucking like a half broken-in horse at a Rodeo.
Very scary it was just to look at. God knows what the goose behind the wheel thought of his rig.


Bill.

If the trailer weighs say 1000kg, then the rule of thumb is 10percent of that weight should be on the ball. 100kg.

So you just have to load the trailer correctly.

I tend to agree with Sand Man,

My first experience at towing a heavyish trailer did not go well.

I had a V8 Torana and was confident that it could tow anything. So I borrowed a mates 7x4 and filled it with quite heavy gear. It did sit slightly high at the rear but because I had been concerned about putting too much weight on the back of the car I had loaded it tail heavy.

On a long downhill near Nambucca Heads the trailer started to pull the car around. I could not slow down because that made the sway worse, I could not speed up because the guy in front was slowing down and I had nowhere to go. Thankfully it ended without causing damage to anything or anyone.

I eventually pulled up and relocated some of the gear to the front of the trailer. What a difference. It was still tail high but the balance was so much better. In all the time I have been driving that was probably the most dramatic and effective lesson I have ever been taught.

So in short, get the weight right and don't worry too much about the look. That in mind my trailer tows pretty flat.

Duncs

gday all

wouldnt the theory be that the hitch should be slightly lower than the trailer on the tow tongue to give the tow hitch down force so as (in a tow ball set up ) the tow ball isnt relying on the catch under the tow ball hitch to keep the trailer attached to the tow tongue?

my 2 cents,cheers.

Under braking, the momentum of any load above the height of the trailer axle (which in fact is the whole trailer tray and its load) will try to continue forward and in so doing will rotate around the axle. This will in turn produce a downward thrust on the tow-ball and thus the rear wheels of the towing vehicle.

Under heavy acceleration the reverse will apply.

Interesting subject you chose here Spade.
I would guess that, given a perfect scenario, when the trailer brakes were applied the trailer its self would pitch forward & exert an increased downward pressure on the tow vehicle. In that case I would think that being level or not could have a minimal effect.
With an unbraked trailer the transfer of upward or downward force would have to be in relation to where the most kinetic energy is stored in the load in relation to the tow ball & axle.
A load with a majority of mass up high will have a greater downward pressure than one with the mass down low.
I would think that if the mass were under the tow ball height it would give a lifting effect on the tow ball. That would be increased even more if the mass was under the axle as well (pendulum effect).

I reckon............The change of load on the ball is all about the height of the trailer CofG Vs the height of the axle Vs the length from the axle to the ball and the rate of deceleration acting on the CofG.
Angle of the draw bar won't matter. Height of the hitch might have a minor effect on the tug's response, but the distance of the hitch behind the rear axle is critical.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

gday guys

just googling a few sites and came up with this one Towing guide ....seems to explain things in plain english,cheers.

On a similar thought, when I tow the boat it cuts the corners, hitting most roundabouts, unless I go right out, however the camper trailer would follow exactly the vehicle wheel tracks.

Question is how do you get the boat trailer wheels to follow the vehicle wheels ??
Do you move the axle forward ??
(I can a bit if need be)
The distance between the trailer wheels and rear vehicle wheels is a lot longer than back vehicle wheels to front wheels.

Maîneÿ . . .

Horizontal is generally accepted, the wheels being in contact with terra firma is better.

Cheers,
Dion.

There seems to be some difference of opinion as to what force will be applied to the tow hitch under heavy breaking. There are too many variable situations for there to be an exact answer.

There is a suggestion that regardless of the hitch angle there will be downward pressure. What affect does different hitch angles have on the amount of pressure and more importantly to me what affect would that have on vehicle control under heavy breaking.

I have always, for anything with decent weight, had either a slight downward angle by design or unavoidably a severe downward angle by bad design, so can anyone suggest the general road handling differences between towing horizontal and having some hitch angle. Hitch angle can be caused by hitch design or by poor suspension or both.

Interesting question spade - I don't have a clue about the performance when on the road.

I do wish to point out though, that if the trailer is horizontal, or slightly tilting down to the front, its way easier to set it up level for a decent night's sleep (without disconnecting it from the vehicle) - just use the jockey wheel to get it level. If it were tilting up to the front - might be a bit grouchy in the morning...

Cheers!