CavemanCharlie wrote:
Letting up on the "Go Pedal" when it starts wiggling is the wrong thing to do. Slow and Steady wins the race. Keeping up a constant speed is best. You want to tow the trailer and not let it push you !
On the other hand, Having your had ready to tap the brakes if needed is the perfect thing to do !! Kudos to you for knowing that.
I don't know who taught you that, but that is actually incorrect. Increasing speed can and will amplify the sway. Backing off the throttle when sway begins is the correct way to manage sway, OTOH if sway is to the point where the TV is moving left and right, tapping the trailer brakes before letting up is the only method that will prevent a jack knife. If you don't have trailer brakes, and you let sway build up to where the TV is moving, then you are screwed.
I got my Class A back in 1988 and did some skid pad training, and you want to talk about skid marks, if that don't make you want to fudge your undies...... The instructors had given good advice on many situations, sway control being one of them, another is when you blow a steer tire, in which case, you better hope you have some horses in reserve, because in that situation you want to mash the go pedal to lift the front end up so you can regain control, and then slow down. They were right, I did have a steer tire blow, and I instantly mashed the skinny stick, all due to training on the skid pad. You get this butt training that tells you something isn't right, and can react to it almost immediately. The sway I encountered was one of those things, I never let the trailer control the truck, as soon as I felt it move a little off center, I let up on the gas, let the trailer settle in, then got back on the gas and continued on. You are right though, slow and steady is key, but you do have to let off the gas when the trailer starts to go off center, and before it takes control of the TV.
