we are using a dodge crew cab with the diesel for power and dual rear wheels
to tow the 30' on the floor 33' (if i remember right?) over all length 2 car
trailer.
it gets the trailer to and from the track rather well. we have the load
equalizing set up also but no sway controll. hills here in the east are our
biggest problem and we do get bogged down from time to time on long grades.
but that would be expected.
i drive a 1979 (339,000 miles as of this writing) chevy long wheel base van
that pulls my open 1 car trailer. 305V-8 automatc trans p/s, p/ b heavy
duty suspension and heavy duty brakes. the only reason i mention this is
my trailer was built in 1969 of structural steel using cut down mobile home
axles. it is rather heavy empty(it was cheap! and extremly reliable since i
have been using it since 1985!) ! over 2000lbs empty. the ultimate in
sturdy and structurally solid but very heavy by today's standards of trailer
weights. i also use a weight distribution type set up with no sway
controll. when we travel together the dodge out pulls me on long grades and
i play catch up on the down hill side.
one thing that has not been mentioned is the effect of cross winds on car
trailers. the big trailer is very-very stable in all conditions but gets a
bit frightening in high cross winds! even my open trailer gets some "push"
from crosswinds but is reasonably manageable due to it's reduced side area
compared to an enclosed trailer. we had some very anxious moments going to
VIR last october for the SVRA season finale with high cross winds going down
rte 81S.! i actually changed a lane with my van and trailer with one of the
gusts and that scared the living daylights out of me! now! that was an
extreme situation, the winds were very-very strong. but cross winds are
very dangerous to anything that has a lot of side area and articulated
vehicles. my new motto"the weather channel is your friend" !!! lol! i
always watch for a complete forcast so i know what i'm driving into , before
we leave for any trailer towing excursion.
chuck.
----- Original Message -----
From: <WMW79@aol.com>
To: <vintage-race@autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2002 11:44 PM
Subject: Re: Trailer Questions
> An answer for Felix Chiu:
> I used a Ford F-150 for towing a 25 foot Featherlite (2500 lbs.) equipped
> with a tilt rack (400 lbs.) to carry two race cars (about 3800 to 4500
lbs.
> depending on which cars) plus tools, wheels, spares, etc. (maybe 400 lbs.)
> for a total of 7100 to 7800 lbs. I took several trips from Calif. to as
far
> as Watkins Glen, Road America, and Seattle for a total of, at least,
90,000
> miles. The truck performed reasonably well, and towed well with load
> distributing bars, but bogged down on the steep hills and I could tell
that
> the automatic transmission was getting tired toward the end. The end came
one
> hot day while coming up the long hill from Ashland, Oregon toward the
Calif.
> border in first gear. The transmission burst into flames and the truck,
and
> the contents of the bed, were totally destroyed.
> So, my experience shows that you can get away with pulling a heavy load
for a
> while and probably for a long while if you don't have to climb a lot of
long
> steep grades, but there are limits.
> I now use a Ford F-250 with 7.3 liter diesel to pull the same load and I
can
> cross the country, seldom slowing on a hill, and get 3 to 4 mpg better
fuel
> economy. All around a better choice for the job.
> As for whether the discretionary load should be placed in the bed or the
> trailer, I don't think that it matters much except that some of it should
be
> used behind the trailer axle to decrease the tongue weight to a proper
level.
> Bill Watkins
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