Trailer Sway, any thoughts?

[johnday]

Joe; No arguement there, I agree 100% . I've always thought of weight transfer sort of like a liquid. Is this a new physical law? /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I think most tandems [especialy] have the center of gravity rear of the mid point so when they are level you will have close to the proper tongue weight when trailer is empty. We're the ones that screwup the CG by not having it level or improperly loading the trailer. I'm not a rocket scientist, I hope I cleared up my thoughts. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

My trailer has an especially heavy tongue weight for it's length and overall weight. The tandem axles are close to a yard further back than you'd normally see on a trailer of that length. It's designed that way because of it's original intended use.

Because of that and other reasons I tow with the front end high and the tail low. In my case I still have plenty of tongue weight even empty. When I load it i have to make certain I do so based on the location of the load relative to the tandems rather than based on the location of the load relative to the overall bed.

 

[johnday]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( My trailer has an especially heavy tongue weight for it's length and overall weight. The tandem axles are close to a yard further back than you'd normally see on a trailer of that length. It's designed that way because of it's original intended use.

Like you said. What was your trailer originally designed for. Almost sounds like it might be one similar to what is pulled behind dumptrucks with a TLB on it. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

My trailer was designed to allow me to transport two vehicles with it. The trailer is an electric hydraulic tilt bed unit. It's used as follows; the first vehicle is loaded to the front and secured then the second vehicle's front wheels are put onto a swivel platform which is on the rear of the trailer bed. When those wheels are secured the bed is lowered raising the rear of the trailer and, hence, the front end of the second vehicle which is towed much like one would be on a tow dolly.

The tandems are set rearward on the trailer because the load is centered much further back than a conventional load (all on the bed) would be. The second vehicle actually REDUCES the tongue weight when it's secured and the bed lowered.

I posted some pictures of it loaded up with two Chevy trucks hooked behind my little Peterbilt 330 day cab (that had a receiver hitch at the back of the frame) quite a while ago. The Pete was certainly overkill but, as I recall, it was posted to a thread where people were talking about 'the best' tow vehicle to have and I couldn't resist showing that off a little. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I actually tow this behind my little Chevy Tahoe with a Vortec 350, automatic transmission NOT in overdrive using a Valley weight distribution hitch system without anti-sway brakes attached.

 

[johnday]

Gary; I vaguely recall that thread. You sure got me hands down when it comes to a tow vehicle. Could you repost those pictures? I, for one, would like to see them again. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I'll have to take a look through some old disks and see if I can locate those. If I still have them around somewhere I'll be happy to repost them.

The little Pete 330 was just used for the picture to show off a little. I never used it with that trailer. As I said, I usually tow with my little Chevy Tahoe with a Vortec 350 and weight distributing hitch and it pulls just fine.

There is a little story behind the Pete, actually. I'd bought a really nice eight place car trailer from a finance company out of Texas for a very good price. So far, so good...except I'm not IN Texas and don't really have any good way to get it back here.

I found this little Peterbilt 330 at a Kenworth dealer down in Florida that would make a great match to the trailer so I bought it then flew a driver down to Palm Beach to get the tractor, bobtail over to Dallas to get the trailer then bring everything back home.

I could have sold the Pete half a dozen times by itself but then I was going to have just the trailer and nothing with which to pair it so, of course, I wouldn't sell the Pete alone.

As things always seem to work, however, I end up selling the trailer alone (which I never thought I'd be able to do) and then am left with the Pete. Again, as things always seem to work, everyone who had approached me on the Pete had found something else and I ended up taking a little while before a leasing company in Chicago put me onto an end user in Texas who came up and bought it.

Needless to say, while the whole thing didn't go exactly as planned, both ends sold and life goes on. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[KiotiJohn]

Gary, the thread was actually "Updating my old trailer." 10/01/02
Gary Loading
Gary Loaded
John
EDIT: Oh, and here's the page where your post is:
Updating my old trailer (thread)

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

John,

I'm glad one of us knows what I've posted and when. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I have to say your link for a picture of 'Gary Loaded' made me a bit nervous when I first read it. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif You can imagine my relief when I realized it was just a picture of my trailer loaded. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I think this may be a better picture of the trailer tilted with the Tahoe up in the air and the rear of the trailer on the ground being loaded with the front end of the second truck. Again, note how far back under the trailer bed the axles are relative to a more conventional tandem axle trailer.

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I'm glad one of us knows what I've posted and when. )</font>
You have no idea how much time it took me to find that post! I finally found it using Peterbilt in the search and oddly enough, the picture post didn't actually come up in the search, but I found it in the same thread. Looked to me as though both pictures were the same. Is there a suttle difference I can't see? It's a heck of an arrangement though.
John

 

[johnday]

Thanks John.

Gary, That certainly is a different setup. It's quite a unique setup. Thats a nice little Pete too. That thread isn't the one I was thinking of tho. It seemed to me that it was a low-pro type. Petes version of the International Low-pro's you see pulling 5th wheels around. My Dad has one with the 530 HT in it and Allison trans, all airride, crewcab and everything. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif