Relevance of length of vehicle to safe trailer towing
 

Gene Kearns wrote:

On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 21:16:13 -0400, Harry Krause
wrote:


Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know...size matters.

But I'd appreciate it if someone would explain why the length of a
towing vehicle...pickup truck or whatever...seems to matter in towing a
boat.

I was looking at a shortbed truck today, and one of my trailerboating
buddies said, "Hey...get the long bed model...it tows better."

Assuming two vehicles weigh about the same, have the same engines and
transmissions, and so forth, and one simply is a foot or two longer than
the other...why would the longer vehicle be a "better" tower?

And how does one factor in tow vehicle width? Is it as important? Would
a wider footprint truck tow better than a narrower truck?


I don't tow long distances, or even at highway speeds, but I am
interested in the arcana of it all, so to speak.

So...who knows?

I don't.



Personally, I'd prefer the short bed, because it backs better!

It is all about leverage. Think about it....

front wheels:rear wheels and rear wheels:coupler



I remember watching in amazement last season when I happened across a
fellow with a 38' go-fast on a triple axle trailer backing across a
parking lot in a dually Ford F350. Man, that rig looked as big as an
aircraft carrier. He got positioned at the ramp perfectly, the first
time. I'd still be out there, trying to line things up.

Relevance of length of vehicle to safe trailer towing
 

Harry
We just towed our 31 foot ChrisCraft from North Carolina to Florida with a
full size Dodge 1500... Looked like a mouse with and elephant up it's
butt... But it got the job done...

Total length was 51 1/2 feet... 38 of that was the trailer and boat.


"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know...size matters.

But I'd appreciate it if someone would explain why the length of a
towing vehicle...pickup truck or whatever...seems to matter in towing a
boat.

I was looking at a shortbed truck today, and one of my trailerboating
buddies said, "Hey...get the long bed model...it tows better."

Assuming two vehicles weigh about the same, have the same engines and
transmissions, and so forth, and one simply is a foot or two longer than
the other...why would the longer vehicle be a "better" tower?

And how does one factor in tow vehicle width? Is it as important? Would
a wider footprint truck tow better than a narrower truck?


I don't tow long distances, or even at highway speeds, but I am
interested in the arcana of it all, so to speak.

So...who knows?

I don't.

Relevance of length of vehicle to safe trailer towing
 

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
wrote:

Harry
We just towed our 31 foot ChrisCraft from North Carolina to Florida with
a
full size Dodge 1500... Looked like a mouse with and elephant up it's
butt... But it got the job done...

Total length was 51 1/2 feet... 38 of that was the trailer and boat.


"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know...size matters.

But I'd appreciate it if someone would explain why the length of a
towing vehicle...pickup truck or whatever...seems to matter in towing a
boat.

I was looking at a shortbed truck today, and one of my trailerboating
buddies said, "Hey...get the long bed model...it tows better."

Assuming two vehicles weigh about the same, have the same engines and
transmissions, and so forth, and one simply is a foot or two longer than
the other...why would the longer vehicle be a "better" tower?

And how does one factor in tow vehicle width? Is it as important? Would
a wider footprint truck tow better than a narrower truck?


I don't tow long distances, or even at highway speeds, but I am
interested in the arcana of it all, so to speak.

So...who knows?

I don't.





Well, thanks. I'm still shopping for a tow vehicle for our Parker, but
strictly for short-distance tows, and not on Interstates. I'm looking at
used trucks with around an 8000 pound tow capacity, but I really don't
want a full-size pickup truck. My guess is that the Parker rig itself is
close to 33 or 35' long, what with the bow pulpit, the engine bracket
and the trailer tongue.

Get an older F-150 with the straight six.

Relevance of length of vehicle to safe trailer towing
 

Harry Krause wrote:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know...size matters.

But I'd appreciate it if someone would explain why the length of a
towing vehicle...pickup truck or whatever...seems to matter in towing a
boat.

I was looking at a shortbed truck today, and one of my trailerboating
buddies said, "Hey...get the long bed model...it tows better."



snip

He's right. Although "better" is a subjective term, the forces placed on the
tow vehicle, both laterally and vertically, will result in a response tha
varies with the length of the tow vehicle.

Think laterally for a minute. You are moving down the road and make a turn
or the towed vehicle sways for one reason or another. The wheelbase of the
tow vehicle is, essentially a lever with the rear wheels acting as the
fulcrum. With a longer lever, as in the longbase truck, less effort is
required to keep the vehicle moving straight. This lessened effort is
experienced by the driver as less sway and better driveability.

Now vertical. Pass over a bump in the road and the effective wieght on the
tongue cycles through increase then decrease until the suspension returns
the towed vehicle to a steady state. Increasing the tongue weight makes the
bow (since this is a boats forum) of the tow vehicle rise. Decreasing the
tongue weight makes the bow of the tow vehicle raise. Again, the rear wheels
are the fulcrum in the balancing act and again a longer lever, expressed as
wheelbase, leads to less effort required to maintain a steady state of the
load (towed vehicle). The front suspension works less on a longbed and you
experience a more stable, comfortable ride.

Why do you think truckers prefer conventional cabs as opposed to cab-overs?
They are longer and drive/ride better. Ever talk to a trucker on a CB?
Notice a tremor in some voices? Those are driving cab-overs, or they are
bobtailing.

Al (former trucker)
North Carolina

Relevance of length of vehicle to safe trailer towing
 

On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 21:16:13 -0400, Harry Krause
wrote:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know...size matters.

But I'd appreciate it if someone would explain why the length of a
towing vehicle...pickup truck or whatever...seems to matter in towing a
boat.
================================================== ====

A longer wheelbase provides more directional stability if the trailer
trys to "wag the dog" so to speak. That said, for a low speed local
tow it shouldn't make any difference at all.

Relevance of length of vehicle to safe trailer towing
 

"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 21:32:46 -0400, Harry Krause
wrote:

Gene Kearns wrote:

On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 21:16:13 -0400, Harry Krause
wrote:


Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know...size matters.

But I'd appreciate it if someone would explain why the length of a
towing vehicle...pickup truck or whatever...seems to matter in towing a
boat.

I was looking at a shortbed truck today, and one of my trailerboating
buddies said, "Hey...get the long bed model...it tows better."

Assuming two vehicles weigh about the same, have the same engines and
transmissions, and so forth, and one simply is a foot or two longer
than
the other...why would the longer vehicle be a "better" tower?

And how does one factor in tow vehicle width? Is it as important? Would
a wider footprint truck tow better than a narrower truck?


I don't tow long distances, or even at highway speeds, but I am
interested in the arcana of it all, so to speak.

So...who knows?

I don't.



Personally, I'd prefer the short bed, because it backs better!

It is all about leverage. Think about it....

front wheels:rear wheels and rear wheels:coupler



I remember watching in amazement last season when I happened across a
fellow with a 38' go-fast on a triple axle trailer backing across a
parking lot in a dually Ford F350. Man, that rig looked as big as an
aircraft carrier. He got positioned at the ramp perfectly, the first
time. I'd still be out there, trying to line things up.

Practice, Practice, Practice.....

--



Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Southport, NC.

http://myworkshop.idleplay.net/cavern/
Homepage
http://www.southharbourvillageinn.com/directions.asp Where
Southport,NC is located.
http://www.southharbourvillageinn.linksysnet.com Real Time
Pictures at My Marina
http://www.thebayguide.com/rec.boats
Rec.boats at Lee Yeaton's Bayguide


Some can drive, some can write about it.

Relevance of length of vehicle to safe trailer towing
 

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know...size matters.


Assuming two vehicles weigh about the same, have the same engines and
transmissions, and so forth, and one simply is a foot or two longer than
the other...why would the longer vehicle be a "better" tower?

There are two factors that dominate the equation:

1) wheel base

2) distance behind the rear wheels to the hitch.


You should also note that what helps for stability going down the highway
generally hurts when you are trying to back into tight spaces.

The best for stability is to have a long wheel base and a short distance
between the rear wheels and the hitch. The worst would be a short wheel
base and a long distance between the rear wheels and the hitch.

If you had a fifth wheel trailer then the hitch would be over the rear
wheels and then wheel base doesn't matter as much.

Rod McInnis

Relevance of length of vehicle to safe trailer towing
 

Dave Hall wrote in message . ..
On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 21:16:13 -0400, Harry Krause
wrote:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know...size matters.

But I'd appreciate it if someone would explain why the length of a
towing vehicle...pickup truck or whatever...seems to matter in towing a
boat.

I was looking at a shortbed truck today, and one of my trailerboating
buddies said, "Hey...get the long bed model...it tows better."

Assuming two vehicles weigh about the same, have the same engines and
transmissions, and so forth, and one simply is a foot or two longer than
the other...why would the longer vehicle be a "better" tower?

And how does one factor in tow vehicle width? Is it as important? Would
a wider footprint truck tow better than a narrower truck?


I don't tow long distances, or even at highway speeds, but I am
interested in the arcana of it all, so to speak.

So...who knows?

I don't.


Think : "Tail wagging the dog".

A short bed tow vehicle is much better for lot maneuvering, but when
on the highway, the trailer can then transfer a greater amount of
physical motion to a short bed vehicle.

It's a matter of physics and leverage.

Often wondered why I don't see more fifth wheel boat trailers for
larger boats. I have seen people pulling cabin cruisers big enough to
require permits, and they're towing from the "bumper". If I was
looking at towing a 35+ foot trailer (28ft boat and trailer) that was
approaching 10K lbs, I can legally do it with a rear hitch, but I'd
want a looong wheelbase on my tow vehicle. You could quite safely and
comfortably use a shorter wheelbased truck with the load further
forward on a fifth wheel.