I'm not a mechanical engineer but here are some observations based on
pulling a 66 Safari with a Ford E-150 van.
I pulled the coach over the Siskiyou pass and down a very windy Hwy 5 with
a full 25 gallon water tank. My tongue weight was over 400 pounds. I had
Reese stabilizer bars, which really tightened up the whole package.
Like the Bambi the Safari has a single axle. I put all my effects in boxes
on or slightly behind the rear axle and made sure that they were braced not
to come forward in the event of a sudden stop. A single axle vehicle is
like a teeter totter.. When you put weight on the back side it reduces the
weight on the front and the tongue.
Theoretically you could produce zero tongue weight but that's not what
Airstream tongue weight. Tongue weight provides stability against
sway. If you have excess stuff that is heavy put it in your pulller. It
is good to have a heavier puller (within reason) so the trailer doesn't wag
puller (tail wag the dog :)
Most important is that your brake controller is properly working and that
you get used to the right setting for a given terrrain. I tend to add
power to the trailer brakes on downhill runs through curvy roads. I
equalize braking power on freeways and high speed roads and put more
strength into the puller brakes on uphill stretches.
Hope this helps.
Bob
At 10:50 AM 5/11/01 -0400, you wrote:
>Empty weight of a vintage Bambi is about 1600 lbs. At the low end of the
>scale (11-15% of total weight), the tongue weight would be 176 lbs. Add
>1000 lbs of stuff, and the range becomes 286 - 390 lbs.
>
>Weigh the trailer fully loaded for travel, and then distribute the load so
>that aout 12% is on the tongue, and see if you still get 400 lbs. (Of
>course, you could still get that, and more, if the trailer is heavy enough).
>
>I briefly towed a '65 Caravel with a Rodeo, and wouldn't recommend it to
>anyone. You're right about the Bambi myth. A lot of people with small
>SUVs are looking for them. I think most folks who follow this list for a
>year wouldn't say that the Bambi is perfect for towing with a Rodeo or
>Cherokee. I'd say borderline at best, unless you keep both the trailer
>and the SUV very lightly loaded. Sherry says she does fine with an Astro
>van, but that's a slightly different beast. A later model Explorer with a
>V8 might be OK too, but I'd prefer a 1/2 ton pickup or a full size van,
>even with a Bambi.
>
>Don
>
>
>
>
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> > I could never figure why my Bambi with a published
>hitch weight of 180 lbs. flattened the rear leaf
>springs on my Jeep Cherokee. I thought that the Jeep
>must have soft springs for better off-road
>performance. I was very careful not to add weight to
>the vehicle when I restored it. It took me two years
>to find a toilet lighter than the original. I finally
>took the Jeep and the Bambi to a hitch shop. The
>hitch weight of the Bambi was a staggering 400 lbs.,
>and the water tank was not even totally full. I guess
>this blows away the myth that Bambi's are the perfect
>trailer for a small car.
>
>
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices
>http://auctions.yahoo.com/
>
>
>
>To unsubscribe or to change to a daily Digest, please go to
>http://www.airstream.net/vaclist/listoffice.html
>
>If replying back to this message, please delete all the unnecessary original
>text from your reply.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>To unsubscribe or to change to a daily Digest, please go to
>http://www.airstream.net/vaclist/listoffice.html
>
>If replying back to this message, please delete all the unnecessary original
>text from your reply.
>
>
To unsubscribe or to change to a daily Digest, please go to
http://www.airstream.net/vaclist/listoffice.html
If replying back to this message, please delete all the unnecessary original
text from your reply.
