COBRA Anti-Sway Coupler

Aldo Cernezzi wrote on 9/7/2020 5:55 AM:
please not that European towing bars (except maybe in UK) are very expensive at about 1800 USD with installation, they come to the market only after certification, are installed by few authorised stations, and require a technical inspection by the national authorities before you can hitch anything to it. I've never seen a tow ball coming off a vehicle, not even after 30 years in service.

My understanding is the ball in Europe is an integral part of the hitch, and not
bolted on like they are in the US; nonetheless, in the US it is usually the
trailer coming off the ball, not the ball coming off the hitch, that causes a
disconnect from the towing vehicle.

--
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 weak point in most ball hitches is wear or poor adjustment of the lower jaw on the hitch coupler. If you can lift the hitch more than about an eighth of an inch and feel the coupler "rattle" on the ball, it is probably too loose. You can generally tighten the locking nut on the jaw to reduce the play. Just don't get it too tight- you need to have it to a point where it just barely slips over the ball but does not actually clamp tightly.

While looking under there (which most people never do), check to see if the jaw shows wear. If the wear is excessive, it might not grip enough of the lower curve of the ball and allow your trailer to go cruising off on its own. Chains are supposed to prevent this, but it's better to avoid the issue altogether.

One thing I see too often is a situation where somebody tries to use a two inch coupler on a 1 7/8" ball. That's just asking for trouble!

My understanding is the ball in Europe is an integral part of the hitch,
and not bolted on like they are in the US; nonetheless, in the US it is
usually the trailer coming off the ball, not the ball coming off the hitch,

that causes a disconnect from the towing vehicle.

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.../download-the-
guide-1


Not sure about the rest of Europe but in UK tow balls can be of the bolt
on type. You do find more and more manufacturers of cars will provide
a detachable "swan neck" tow hitch

To get back to the original posters question the only thing I would say is
that really they are for make a good combination better not a bad
combination good. If it is not safe without an anti-sway hitch it probably
won't be safe with one, you will just be going a bit faster when it all
goes wrong.

On Monday, September 7, 2020 at 11:30:06 AM UTC-6, Nick Hoare wrote:
To get back to the original posters question the only thing I would say is
that really they are for make a good combination better not a bad
combination good. If it is not safe without an anti-sway hitch it probably
won't be safe with one, you will just be going a bit faster when it all
goes wrong.

Nick is entirely correct. You can't fix an unstable trailer with an antisway device, but you can make up for a (slightly) unsatisfactory tow vehicle. Once again, MASS + longer wheelbase = better stability. And adding weight to the tow vehicle does NOTHING to increase the stability of the trailer, and the higher loading on the vehicle's rear wheels is likely to make a sway problem worse. (Think: Moment of Inertia.)

That being said, some weight on a lightly loaded rear axle will help with traction, but not stability.

To get back to the original posters question the only thing I would say is
that really they are for make a good combination better not a bad
combination good. If it is not safe without an anti-sway hitch it probably
won't be safe with one, you will just be going a bit faster when it all
goes wrong.

On Monday, September 7, 2020 at 5:55:57 AM UTC-7, Aldo Cernezzi wrote:
I've been towing an Arcus M in Cobra trailer for years, using a compact Ford C-max 1.6 TDCI. Speed limit in Italy is 80kph on highways. Occasionally (as in France where it's legal, let's say), I drove at 125 kph or higher with no problems at all. One must be experienced and use the steering wheel with extreme care. Overtaking semitrailer trucks (they actually drive not any faster than 85 kph GS) requires careful planning and... some cool blood.

Have you weighed your trailer (including all accessories and other cargo)? Your trailer may weigh as much, or more, than your car. The heavier the trailer the more unstable the combination becomes.


please not that European towing bars (except maybe in UK) are very expensive at about 1800 USD with installation, they come to the market only after certification, are installed by few authorised stations, and require a technical inspection by the national authorities before you can hitch anything to it. I've never seen a tow ball coming off a vehicle, not even after 30 years in service.
Never under-estimate the ability of bureaucrats to make anything cost 4-5 times what it is worth.

Truck drivers cruise through all of Europe respecting the 80 kph limit. Well, they use 80+5 for non-penalized tolerance, +3% for measuring devices tolerance. You'll see they hold a steady 88 km/h GPS ground-speed all the way.
They also respect rest and sleep rules, getting long pauses in the parking areas.
Many of them leave from Latvia, go to Turkey, then to Denmark, and back.

Speed limits may be annoying, but if enforced, they are respected.

Ciao,
Aldo



When you live in a country that is only 900 miles long and say 150 wide
then speed is not much of an issue. I would imagine very few glider
retrieves are longer than 100 miles round trip. People do travel from
the South of England to the Highlands of scotland to fly on "Camps" but
I would be surprised if any have a journey greater than 600 miles.

Similar Topic so figured I'd ask here rather than post a new thread.

Avoiding trailer sway by making sure there is enough weight at the front of the trailer is clearly stability enhancing as demonstrated in this video.

https://youtu.be/4jk9H5AB4lM

Does anyone know how much benefit might be obtained by increasing the weight at the back of the towing vehicle? If using a pickup truck, would adding a couple hundred pounds of weight at the very back of the pickup bed also add some stability, or is additional weight only helpful if it's behind the pivot point?

G