trailer sway

wrote in message
oups.com...
Howdy -

I know this topic has come up before, but we're searching for the
latest theories:
We're towing a DG-500M in a Cobra trailer, and it has a definite sway,
fortunately it usually damps fairly well. Life was worse with a strong
crosswind. We had 2 thoughts:
1. tonuge weight - are we shooting for tongue weight about 10% of the
total trailer weight?
2. Hitch height - any thoughts?

Thanks!
Rolf


My experience is that more tongue weight is better - up to the limits of
your hitch, of course. The usual recommendation is 10%, but if your hitch
will take more...

Think of it as a taildragger vs nosedragger - if the trailer balances on the
wheels, it's more like a taildragger (which balances just behind the mains),
with the weight well forward, it 's more like having trycicle gear - stable
on the ground, let your feet go to sleep.

I had a boat on a homade trailer that was just about balanced (near zero
tongue weight)- I was never sure that it wasn't going to pass me as we went
down the road. I never took it over 45mph or so it was so bad. After I moved
the boat forward to give me a couple hunded pounds on the tongue and it
settled right down. 70? No problem. Like it wasn't there.

Geoff.