Limiting steering wheel?
Is it necessary to limit the steering wheel travel when flat towing?
Forum Discussion
There are a few occasions where securing the steering wheel during flat towing is appropriate. If the toad does not track straight then it can cause tail wagging as it drifts left and right while being towed. This can cause a lot of arm fatigue to the MH driver - from constant correcting for the tail wag. Locking down the steering wheel can force the toad to stop drifting. The trade off is a bit of scuffing on the tires. Arm fatigue vs tire scuffing.
I flat tow a smart car. It is a narrow gauge car. Here in WA the major roads (like the rightmost lane of I-5) are a bit rutted from logging trucks. A smart car is not wide enough to sit in the ruts. It drifts back and forth between the ruts - even when I'm driving the car on I-5. Using a rubber bungee (just one bungee) to secure the steering wheel plus a rear trac bar took care of the tail wag. The bungee allows the steering wheel to move a couple of inches either side of center, but is tight enough to return the steering wheel to center afterwards.
Therefore my conclusion to the topic of limiting the steering wheel is: It depends. Most of the time it is not needed. In a small percentage of the applications it solves the problem.
I flat tow a smart car. It is a narrow gauge car. Here in WA the major roads (like the rightmost lane of I-5) are a bit rutted from logging trucks. A smart car is not wide enough to sit in the ruts. It drifts back and forth between the ruts - even when I'm driving the car on I-5. Using a rubber bungee (just one bungee) to secure the steering wheel plus a rear trac bar took care of the tail wag. The bungee allows the steering wheel to move a couple of inches either side of center, but is tight enough to return the steering wheel to center afterwards.
Therefore my conclusion to the topic of limiting the steering wheel is: It depends. Most of the time it is not needed. In a small percentage of the applications it solves the problem.
