Have you ever towed anything with your Corolla?

[grampi]

Originally Posted By: crinkles
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: crinkles
your load also has to be spread 60% in front of the trailer axle and 40% tot he rear.


That can't be achieved. The tongue weight limit for the Corolla's hitch is 200 lbs. Using your ratio with an 800 motorcycle would put roughly 500 lbs of weight in front of the trailer axle. That would far exceed the 200 lb tongue weight limit of the hitch. Besides with a FWD vehicle like the Corolla, you don't want to be taking weight off the front wheels, so my aim is to load the bike on the trailer so I end up with about 100 lbs of tongue weight.


no, you got it wrong. the 60%/40% DOES NOT mean the 60% goes onto the tow hitch!!!

now concentrate.

say the trailer weighs 1000 lbs.

Assume there is 10 feet between the tow hitch and the trailer axle.

the sum of the tow hitch load and axle load must be 1000 lbs, right.

the centre of gravity on a 60%/40% load spread may be say 1 foot in front of the trailer axle.

think about lever arms now. consider them about the trailer axle.

the 1000 lbs through the centre of gravity at 1 ft, must equal the tow hitch downforce times the distance from the trailer axle 10 feet away. therefore, 1000 ft-lbs need to be applied by the tow hitch relative to the trailer axle.

if it is 10 feet away from the trailer axle, it only needs to be 100 lbs (1000 ft-lbs / 10 ft) to maintain equilibrium.

remember, the trailer axle will support 90% of the weight with a 60%/40% spread to the front BECAUSE the centre of gravity is only slightly forward of the trailer axle.


loading a trailer with the centre of gravity behind the axle WILL MAKE IT SWAY!


You're right. I wasn't taking into consideration the law of the lever. The 60/40 thing shouldn't be a problem.

 

[crinkles]

This is from wiki:
Trailer stability can be defined as the tendency of a trailer to dissipate side-to-side motion. The initial motion may be caused by aerodynamic forces, such as from a cross wind or a passing vehicle. One common criterion for stability is the center of mass location with respect to the wheels, which can usually be detected by tongue weight. If the center of mass of the trailer is behind its wheels, therefore having a negative tongue weight, the trailer will likely be unstable. Another parameter which is less commonly a factor is the trailer moment of inertia. Even if the center of mass is forward of the wheels, a trailer with a long load, and thus large moment of inertia, may be unstable.[2]

my little utility trailer arrived a week ago. I had some trouble iwth the tyres and rims not holding pressure - had to take it back. they applied some "rim sealant" and now it holds a steady 32psi. it uses P185/75 R14 tyres. axle capacity is 1650 pounds, but my camry is only rated to to 1,100 pounds unbraked. tare weight is about 500 pounds.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Follow up.

I have now pulled my loaded 5x8 utility trailer and 14' jon boat a few times and I am pleased with the results. I just take things a little slower and allow a larger margin for error and the little Civic hasn't missed a beat.

 

[Big_Ed]

I think the most important thing to consider is not necessarily can the car's chassis handle the weight and pull the load down the road, but can it safely and effectively stop without losing control or experiencing too much brake fade?

 

[rszappa1]

That is a nice bike. I had a 1973 BMW R90S and the color was Daytona orange.... What a bike... BMW still makes the best...

 

[ecotourist]

One of my friends took 5th gear out of a Honda Prelude (5MT) towing a 300# sailboat on a light trailer.

Suggest you keep your speed down and tow in 4th gear.

ecotourist

 

[crinkles]

Originally Posted By: bigdreama
Follow up.

I have now pulled my loaded 5x8 utility trailer and 14' jon boat a few times and I am pleased with the results. I just take things a little slower and allow a larger margin for error and the little Civic hasn't missed a beat.

AWESOME.

i like! it's like a truck when you need it and an efficient sedan when you don't.

 

[Gary Allan]

Originally Posted By: rszappa1
That is a nice bike.



Say, that's a nice bike ..

 

[Ausfahrt]

Originally Posted By: rszappa1
That is a nice bike. I had a 1973 BMW R90S and the color was Daytona orange.... What a bike... BMW still makes the best...


Thanks, I love my BMW...best bike I've ever owned.

 

[Ausfahrt]

[/quote]

AWESOME.

i like! it's like a truck when you need it and an efficient sedan when you don't. [/quote]

Yeah, I don't miss my pickup truck at all. It just didn't make much sense for me to drag an empty bed around 95% of the time while getting 17 MPG. Now I get 35 MPG and only pull the trailer when I need it.

I just put new wood and paint on the trailer this weekend...here is how it looks now: