What Did I Do Wrong?
- Thread starter oe2x
- Start date
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hutch4472
Silver Member
Nope.....Dan married to Sue.......I cant find the road he is off of right now, you'll know if you meet him, he will be the guy that you can only listen to because he never stops talking, great guy anyhow.......
crbr
Veteran Member
This is exactly what I was talking about in the thread about the guy towing the mini-van.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/1154447-post2.html
Then another guy went on to say KAKA...
Too little tongue weight.
One cannot know that feeling and believe it until you experience.
Glad you didn't have a wreck.
Accelerating to regain control is a myth. Been there. Anyone that tells it or believes it hasn't been there.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/1154447-post2.html
Then another guy went on to say KAKA...
Too little tongue weight.
One cannot know that feeling and believe it until you experience.
Glad you didn't have a wreck.
Accelerating to regain control is a myth. Been there. Anyone that tells it or believes it hasn't been there.
machmeter62
Platinum Member
- Joined
- May 24, 2004
- Messages
- 638
I been there and disagree; if I didn't accelerate while going down a small grade while the trailer was controlling me---I would have ended up inverted on the freeway because of too little tongue weight!!crbr said:This is exactly what I was talking about in the thread about the guy towing the mini-van.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/1154447-post2.html
Then another guy went on to say KAKA...
Too little tongue weight.
One cannot know that feeling and believe it until you experience.
Glad you didn't have a wreck.
Accelerating to regain control is a myth. Been there. Anyone that tells it or believes it hasn't been there.
browns40
Gold Member
Wow, glad you are okay!
I had the same thing on an F150 happen with my 3320 with a bushhog on the back, and luck outweighed my stupidity that no one died that day...
As far as acceleration to keep control, it is not a myth--it squats/plants the rear tires like any other acceleration, plus hauls the trailer tongue down with it as it drops... had I not floored it, I might not be writing this...
I did not have an brake controller hooked up at the time--the best way to stop that once it's begun is to activate the trailer brake...
And what went wrong was low tongue weight relative to your load--if that trailer is tongue light with that load, back on so the backhoe is up front, or rest the bucket in front of your front bracket instead of up to it.
I check no less than three times now to be sure I have the front tires on the trailer displaying more load than the rears, and that I have the tongue weight high enough that I can barely budge it... course my gear weighs 2/3 what yours does across the board--your F350 should be rated for a full 1000 pounds at the tongue--be sure you have 900 on there for the 9000 pound load if you have no load levellers.
Glad you are okay--these are cheap lessons everyone gains from sharing!
I had the same thing on an F150 happen with my 3320 with a bushhog on the back, and luck outweighed my stupidity that no one died that day...
As far as acceleration to keep control, it is not a myth--it squats/plants the rear tires like any other acceleration, plus hauls the trailer tongue down with it as it drops... had I not floored it, I might not be writing this...
I did not have an brake controller hooked up at the time--the best way to stop that once it's begun is to activate the trailer brake...
And what went wrong was low tongue weight relative to your load--if that trailer is tongue light with that load, back on so the backhoe is up front, or rest the bucket in front of your front bracket instead of up to it.
I check no less than three times now to be sure I have the front tires on the trailer displaying more load than the rears, and that I have the tongue weight high enough that I can barely budge it... course my gear weighs 2/3 what yours does across the board--your F350 should be rated for a full 1000 pounds at the tongue--be sure you have 900 on there for the 9000 pound load if you have no load levellers.
Glad you are okay--these are cheap lessons everyone gains from sharing!
Please forgive my further ignorance on checking my tongue weight:
If I don't have nearby access to a truck scale, what is the best way to check the load on the tongue?
My towing history is mainly just pulling a 24' -2,500 lb Zodiac boat. It's pretty much a no brainer and I've never experienced what occurred the other night.
If I don't have nearby access to a truck scale, what is the best way to check the load on the tongue?
My towing history is mainly just pulling a 24' -2,500 lb Zodiac boat. It's pretty much a no brainer and I've never experienced what occurred the other night.
Bird
Rest in Peace
I guess I'll have to put in my 2 cents worth, since trailering is something I have lots of experience with.
1. A fishtailing trailer is usually the result of too little tongue weight, although a flat, or very low, tire can cause it, as can a sudden cross wind.
2. Letting off the gas suddenly may make it worse, and suddenly hitting the brakes almost ensures a crash.
3. Accelerating might help (I'd even say probably help) for the immediate moment, but no way I'd do that without trailer brakes. Instead, ease up on the accelerator and gradually slow down.
4. And if you have trailer brakes, then you definitely want to apply the trailer brakes while simultaneously accelerating very slightly and you'll pull everything back straight. I once drove over halfway across South Dakota in cross winds keeping one thumb on the trailer brake controller.
5. Any RVer who has pulled a conventional travel trailer has undoubtedly had 18-wheelers pass them, and when they do, it feels as if the back of the towing vehicle/front of the trailer is being sucked toward the 18-wheeler. It can really scare a person new to trailering, even to the point of them hitting the brakes, which is the worst thing they can do. In that scenario, nothing needs to be done at all. The rig will almost immediately straighten itself, although it does not hurt anything to accelerate a bit.
1. A fishtailing trailer is usually the result of too little tongue weight, although a flat, or very low, tire can cause it, as can a sudden cross wind.
2. Letting off the gas suddenly may make it worse, and suddenly hitting the brakes almost ensures a crash.
3. Accelerating might help (I'd even say probably help) for the immediate moment, but no way I'd do that without trailer brakes. Instead, ease up on the accelerator and gradually slow down.
4. And if you have trailer brakes, then you definitely want to apply the trailer brakes while simultaneously accelerating very slightly and you'll pull everything back straight. I once drove over halfway across South Dakota in cross winds keeping one thumb on the trailer brake controller.
5. Any RVer who has pulled a conventional travel trailer has undoubtedly had 18-wheelers pass them, and when they do, it feels as if the back of the towing vehicle/front of the trailer is being sucked toward the 18-wheeler. It can really scare a person new to trailering, even to the point of them hitting the brakes, which is the worst thing they can do. In that scenario, nothing needs to be done at all. The rig will almost immediately straighten itself, although it does not hurt anything to accelerate a bit.
podagrower
Silver Member
oe2x said:
For my trailer weighing purposes, I've used the scales at my local scrapyard. They are always nice (may have something to do with the scrap I bring them). If that isn't convenient for you, I've seen a way to determine tongue weight using a bathroom scale and a long board for a fulcrum. The idea is to only weigh a percentage of the tongue on the bathroom scale. I don't remember all the details, maybe someone else here does.
Bird
Rest in Peace
Rara Avis
Veteran Member
oe2x said:
Gave up on scuba diving Huh????
