John,
Adding to what Jim wrote when he said:
>Unless your tounge weight is low and the towing vehicle's rear springs
>are stiff, you really should have a weight-distributing hitch. The
>reason is to transfer some of the tounge weight onto the front wheels of
>the tow vehicle and the trailer's wheels. W/O such a hitch, you lighten
>the front wheels of the tow vehicle, a situation that gets worse when
>you're braking. (the trailer brakes make the tounge go down, levering up
>the front of the tow vehicle even more)
John, without such a hitch, you lighten the front wheels of the tow
vehicle, a situation that gets worse when you're braking >>> AND gets
doubly worse when you're braking or steering on a rain soaked road.
A simple measurement is to park your vehicle on macadam and with a
yard stick, measure the distance from the wheel well trim strip to
the ground. With a piece of chalk, write the number of inches on
the macadam beside that wheel. Do the same on both sides, front and
back.
Then, put the trailer on the hitch ball without using the equalizing
hitch. Retract the jack as though ready for traveling. Next, measure
the distance from the wheel well trim strip to the ground. With a piece
of chalk, write the number of inches on the macadam beside that wheel.
Do the same on both sides, front and back.
Analyse the data. If the front end of the truck is higher with the
hitch on the ball, then your opportunity for hydroplaning on wet
roads has just increased. You can be cavalier about it and discount
the amount as irrelevant. That may not be the most prudent decision.
It's your call,
Terry
Websites useful for restoring Airstreams
http://www.phrannie.org/phredex.html
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Cabana/4868/
http://www.escapees.com
http://www.tompatterson.com/Streamline/Airstreamlist/Spares7.html
