Truck vs Car as a tow vehicle

On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 10:02:00 PM UTC-4, AS wrote:
On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 8:39:38 PM UTC-4, 2G wrote:
On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 10:58:34 AM UTC-7, AS wrote:
Nowadays, we prefer a 24' motorhome for the long trips.

Has been mentioned numerous times before here but since the secret weapon of any teacher/instructor is repetition, I say it again:
Beware of vehicles with a long overhang, i.e. distance between the rear axle and the tow hitch. Any bumps in the road the towing vehicle goes over will be amplified as far as up and down motion goes. Class-C Motorhomes can have a ridiculous overhang.
Also, if the trailer has no brakes and the rig gets out of line during hard braking, a long overhang can wreak havoc and end in a jack-knife much faster than towing with a vehicle having a short overhang.

Uli
'AS'

I have never heard of a Class C motorhome jackknifing while pulling a glider (I have heard of passenger car towing accidents, however). Perhaps you can cite the accidents you are referring to.

Tom

Interesting! So because you have never heard of if means it hadn't happen? You keep a running log of every accident involving a class C camper towing a trailer worldwide ever since class C campers or similarly sized vehicles were equipped with trailer hitches? ;-)
Also, please reread my comment - 'can' being the operative word to look for. My assertion is based on simple physics. A top-view free body diagram should make it clear why a longer lever arm between the tow hitch and the rear axle is a disadvantage when the trailer and towing vehicle is not in line during hard braking.

Uli
'AS'

Oops - forgot to mention: I used to own a class C motorhome and I towed a brakeless trailer with it. The motorhome was based on a 1977 Dodge B-Van, so no ABS or any other electronic assistance on this blue shag-carpeted puppy.. I ended up almost jack-knifing on my way to Caesar Creek when traffic ahead came to a sudden stop in a rain storm and I tried to change lanes. Fortunately, there was nobody next to me but seeing the trailer in it's full glory in the outside mirrors was not fun.

Uli
'AS'

AS wrote on 10/28/2020 7:09 PM:
On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 10:02:00 PM UTC-4, AS wrote:
On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 8:39:38 PM UTC-4, 2G wrote:
On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 10:58:34 AM UTC-7, AS wrote:
Nowadays, we prefer a 24' motorhome for the long trips.

Has been mentioned numerous times before here but since the secret weapon of any teacher/instructor is repetition, I say it again:
Beware of vehicles with a long overhang, i.e. distance between the rear axle and the tow hitch. Any bumps in the road the towing vehicle goes over will be amplified as far as up and down motion goes. Class-C Motorhomes can have a ridiculous overhang.
Also, if the trailer has no brakes and the rig gets out of line during hard braking, a long overhang can wreak havoc and end in a jack-knife much faster than towing with a vehicle having a short overhang.

Uli
'AS'

I have never heard of a Class C motorhome jackknifing while pulling a glider (I have heard of passenger car towing accidents, however). Perhaps you can cite the accidents you are referring to.

Tom

Interesting! So because you have never heard of if means it hadn't happen? You keep a running log of every accident involving a class C camper towing a trailer worldwide ever since class C campers or similarly sized vehicles were equipped with trailer hitches? ;-)
Also, please reread my comment - 'can' being the operative word to look for. My assertion is based on simple physics. A top-view free body diagram should make it clear why a longer lever arm between the tow hitch and the rear axle is a disadvantage when the trailer and towing vehicle is not in line during hard braking.

Uli
'AS'

Oops - forgot to mention: I used to own a class C motorhome and I towed a brakeless trailer with it. The motorhome was based on a 1977 Dodge B-Van, so no ABS or any other electronic assistance on this blue shag-carpeted puppy.. I ended up almost jack-knifing on my way to Caesar Creek when traffic ahead came to a sudden stop in a rain storm and I tried to change lanes. Fortunately, there was nobody next to me but seeing the trailer in it's full glory in the outside mirrors was not fun.

Uli
'AS'
I chose my Class C motorhome in big part because it has the longest wheelbase (and shortest
overhang) in it's size (24'), but primarily for stability in strong winds, trucks passing, and
to reduce the amount of scraping on the hitch entering/exiting driveways and gas stations. It
would never jackknife on good surfaces, but I can see the problem with slippery conditions -
rain, snow, gravel, etc, even with brakes.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1

The Class C motor home I had was built on a Mercedes Sprinter 3500
chassis. One of its features was stability control in cross winds. I
did not know how well that worked until driving home to Moriarty, NM
from Corpus Christi, TX with 40+ kt winds. After driving for a while in
a direct cross wind, the system gave out and the vehicle became
extremely difficult to control above about 30 mph.

I discovered that, if I pulled off the road and shut it down for a
while, the system would work again for a little while until it
overheated again. Once I got back on I-40 and into a head wind, the
system worked again just fine.

I'm glad I was not towing a trailer on that trip!

Dan
5J

On 10/29/20 6:45 AM, Eric Greenwell wrote:
AS wrote on 10/28/2020 7:09 PM:
On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 10:02:00 PM UTC-4, AS wrote:
On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 8:39:38 PM UTC-4, 2G wrote:
On Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 10:58:34 AM UTC-7, AS wrote:
Nowadays, we prefer a 24' motorhome for the long trips.

Has been mentioned numerous times before here but since the secret
weapon of any teacher/instructor is repetition, I say it again:
Beware of vehicles with a long overhang, i.e. distance between the
rear axle and the tow hitch. Any bumps in the road the towing
vehicle goes over will be amplified as far as up and down motion
goes. Class-C Motorhomes can have a ridiculous overhang.
Also, if the trailer has no brakes and the rig gets out of line
during hard braking, a long overhang can wreak havoc and end in a
jack-knife much faster than towing with a vehicle having a short
overhang.

Uli
'AS'

I have never heard of a Class C motorhome jackknifing while pulling
a glider (I have heard of passenger car towing accidents, however).
Perhaps you can cite the accidents you are referring to.

Tom

Interesting! So because you have never heard of if means it hadn't
happen? You keep a running log of every accident involving a class C
camper towing a trailer worldwide ever since class C campers or
similarly sized vehicles were equipped with trailer hitches? ;-)
Also, please reread my comment - 'can' being the operative word to
look for. My assertion is based on simple physics. A top-view free
body diagram should make it clear why a longer lever arm between the
tow hitch and the rear axle is a disadvantage when the trailer and
towing vehicle is not in line during hard braking.

Uli
'AS'

Oops - forgot to mention: I used to own a class C motorhome and I
towed a brakeless trailer with it. The motorhome was based on a 1977
Dodge B-Van, so no ABS or any other electronic assistance on this blue
shag-carpeted puppy.. I ended up almost jack-knifing on my way to
Caesar Creek when traffic ahead came to a sudden stop in a rain storm
and I tried to change lanes. Fortunately, there was nobody next to me
but seeing the trailer in it's full glory in the outside mirrors was
not fun.

Uli
'AS'
I chose my Class C motorhome in big part because it has the longest
wheelbase (and shortest overhang) in it's size (24'), but primarily for
stability in strong winds, trucks passing, and to reduce the amount of
scraping on the hitch entering/exiting driveways and gas stations. It
would never jackknife on good surfaces, but I can see the problem with
slippery conditions - rain, snow, gravel, etc, even with brakes.