> How significant is trailer sway control with a short wheel base?
> Your thoughts and comments.
In my experience, you can use shorter wheelbase if you have your trailer set
up correctly, and I don't mean using a load distributing hitch. I tow a
power cat on a very long trailer (the tongue is long, in order to get the
boat far enough back into the water so it floats off easily, and the trailer
wheels are a long way back from the tow hitch). This set up has NEVER swayed
in the slightest bit, pulling with my (relatively) short wheelbase Tahoe.
Its the heaviest load I have towed, but it is the most stable on the road.
Also proof that there is more to it than wheelbase comes from my comparison
of my first Suburban (1999) with my shorter wheelbase 1997 Tahoe. The latter
handles trailering much better, largely due to a better suspension I think.
On the other hand, with the same vehicle I have towed (much lighter)
F-28s/aluminum trailers, where I had to load as much as I could in the front
of the boat (eg sails in the forepeak, gas can in the anchor locker) in
order to control the swaying. Note that since these were not my trailers I
was not at liberty to make major changes to the way the boat sat on the
trailer.
So what I guess I am saying, is yes long wheel base is better than short
wheelbase for sure, but you can safely two with a medium wheelbase vehicle
if you pay attention to your trailer set up. Once I broke down towing my 28
with an older Suburban I had. As I had not long since left my home town, a
friend came to get me in his F-150, and I couldn't believe how much the
trailer swayed on the way home behind the F-150---behind my Suburban it did
not sway at all so I had no idea the set up was not as good as it should be.
I am intrigued to know whether anyone is using the new Nissan Pathfinder
Armada for towing. The specs look great: 5.6 liter V8, 385 lb ft of torque
at 3,600 rpm, max tow rating 9,100 lbs with tow package which is standard on
the LE model and comes with self leveling rear suspension and a transmission
temperature guage, 6,500 lbs without tow package, and a wheel base of 123
inches (vs 116 for a Tahoe). But at a price of >$30,000 vs about $7000 value
for my '97 Tahoe with 207,000 miles, I doubt I'll be making the switch any
time soon. I'm looking forward to seeing 300k miles on the Tahoe odometer in
the next couple of years. The question I wonder about is how much longer the
transmission will last. I may be living on borrowed time.
--
Don Wigston
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