Re: Birth of a nickname - Part 1, The event

["Joe Smalley" <joes@worldfront.com>]

As I recall, Washington state requires trailer brakes whenever the trailer
exceeds 40% of the weight of the tow vehicle.

The manufacturer lists a maximum GCVW (Gross Combined Vehicle Weight) for
towing. I don't recall if this is with or without trailer brakes.

I have a 10000 pound motorhome and I rarely exceed 4000 pounds on the
trailer but I really notice when the brakes wear through the rust on the
drums to start working at the beginning of every trip.

I don't feel comfortable with a trailer that weighs over 20% of the tow
vehicle weight unless it has brakes.

The ball on the bumper typically has a rating of 200 to 300 pounds tongue
weight and a gross weight of 2000 to 3000 pounds. This is based on the
fatigue strength of the bumper attachment to the frame of the vehicle.

A class 3 or class 4 hitch attaches to more locations on the frame with more
and larger fasteners to prevent fatigue failure. You can put more weight on
a bumper ball and "Get away with it" for a while. Eventually, the bumper
will fall off and make a big mess when the trailer is no longer following
the tow vehicle. If you hook your safety chains to the bumper, they will be
useless since it was the bumper that came off.

Joe Smalley
Rural Kitsap County WA
Fiesta 48 volts
NEDRA 48 volt street conversion record holder
joes@worldfront.com



----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul G" <neong@gte.net>
To: <ev@listproc.sjsu.edu>
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 3:45 PM
Subject: Re: Birth of a nickname - Part 1, The event


> Alan wrote:
> >My Explorer handled a 4000 lb boat just fine, I'd be really surprised
> >if an F-150 couldn't handle 6-7000 lbs, though it would need more than
> >a ball on a bumper to do it.
>
> Now we are striking close to something that is really disturbing me about
> this. "More than a ball on a bumper" - how about trailer brakes? If Geoff
> had showed up in a Honda Civic to tow my Buggy to Portland I would have
> refused. I do not think its safe to tow more than 1/2 the weight of the
tow
> vehicle unless you have some brakes back there. Oh, you can "get away"
with
> it, but before actually mixxing it up with traffic try a 60 to 0mph panic
> stop. 10 points if you keep the trailer in the back an all in one lane.
> Another 10 points if you can haul it all to a stop in less than 250 feet.
> Remember, getting 50% on a test is an "F".
>
> I was quite comfortable with my Buggy behind Geoff's big Ford. I know the
> Pickup weighed in well over 2840lbs (the Buggy is 1420lbs), and I know I
> have alot of positive caster up front on the Buggy (6 degrees thanx to
> caster wedges). That last one only applies to flat towing a vehicle.