Length vs weight

Ron Gratz wrote:

blt2ski wrote:
MIN WB for ANY trailer is 110" ie up to 20'
Then you need 3" of WB per 1 additional foot of trailer length

First -- the "rule of thumb" does not say a TV with WB less than 110" cannot tow any trailer. It just uses 110" as an arbitrary starting number for the "relationship".

Second -- the "rule of thumb", which frequently is attributed to the RV Consumer Group, says 20' TT for 110" WB, and then add 1' of TT length for each additional 4" of WD -- not 1' for each 3".
IOW, all those people with 130" WB Suburbans should not be towing trailers longer than 25' and a 157" WB pickup should not be towing more than 29' (if you want to believe the "rule").

Third -- AFAIK, nobody has ever produced any data or analysis to substantiate the "rule".

Ron

Oh so I am off an inch, not that it matters, I knew it was something like that. As as noted by the fellow with the smallish jeep.....not sure I would use this rule as a hard and fast rule either. If 110" equal 20', to me one would subtract the same WB length ratio going down. So if one has a 102" WB rig, you would limit yourself to 18' or there abouts. RV consumer group was the one to bring this rule out a number of years back.

I also believe if one is going to follow this rule per say. then one needs to figure out the how far behind the RA one is to start with, lengthen as it gets closer to the RA centerline, subtract as it gets farther away. If you have a typical car or half ton truck chassis, this works, if you have a typical 8000-10K 8 lug rig, you can lengthen it some, a dot class 3 some more, on up to a class8.

I am also not sure anyone HAS tested this rule of thumb, or the 2x grawr that I mentioned either, other than someone in the past has noted that these ratios seem to work in some shape or form.

I'm certainly NOT one to follow these at all times.

Marty