cross winds?

Grit dog wrote:
Scooby, save your breath. Back of the Pack knows everything about everything when it comes to CB radios and behind the wheel graduate level physics topics.

But do we know why he bumped a thread from last July to enlighten us?

What we’re really dealing with here is what I just posted in the other active wdh thread just now.
Credit where credit is due, real truck drivers like yourself and BotP understand how to handle a vehicle trailer combo in adverse conditions (I presume) where most of the questions here come from people who should either take a driving course before getting their honorary truckers license when they load up the beer and bbq and head out in the 60’ long combo hell bent for the campground Fri after turning off the computer at work, or just are not qualified (mentally equipped) to drive truck n trailer.
None of these same people would perform surgery as they would claim to not be a surgeon and thus not qualified. But that same sense of knowing one’s abilities or limitations goes out the window with the swipe of a credit card or the signing of a bank loan, and they instantly become an honorary Rubber Duck in their mind, leading the convoy!

JRscooby wrote:

A HENSLEY patent hitch is “the solution” (having made all other types obsolete), but the TT design is the major problem.

When talking about cross wind, this kind of statement scares the snot out of me. Why? Because somebody that needs to ask the question will believe it, buy the hitch, and get blown into oncoming traffic, and kill somebody that knows better.
You can mount TV and TT on the same frame, no side to side flex, and with same weight and surface area, the wind will still push it to the side.

Scooby, save your breath. Back of the Pack knows everything about everything when it comes to CB radios and behind the wheel graduate level physics topics.

A HENSLEY patent hitch is “the solution” (having made all other types obsolete), but the TT design is the major problem.

When talking about cross wind, this kind of statement scares the snot out of me. Why? Because somebody that needs to ask the question will believe it, buy the hitch, and get blown into oncoming traffic, and kill somebody that knows better.
You can mount TV and TT on the same frame, no side to side flex, and with same weight and surface area, the wind will still push it to the side.

Crosswind is what initiates most loss-of-control accidents. Can be natural winds (hard gust), or from oncoming traffic. Both are most dangerous when on the down-slope of a grade.

Three Parts: A square box TT (which this is) allows crosswinds to build in force the length of the trailer coupled to a floor height too high to be optimum (slide-out roadworthiness problem) where the cheap suspension design is leaf-sprung type which exacerbates those problems.

As with tractor-trailers, the REAR of the trailer will lift due to the force AND that air is passing underneath in great volume.

Lower floor height plus independent suspension is first. “Best” is that in a true aero design. Aero is where all joins of walls/floors/roof have substantial radius as air is not trapped — pulls as it escapes versus being trapped and pushing — and nearly no crossflow underneath).

Square box travel trailers aren’t heavy enough to resist much. With a big truck and 47,000-lbs in the box WITH the trailer tandems rolled back there “can” be enough resistance to heavy crosswinds in SOME instances.

Too high ground clearance, squared edges, AND the sail area behind the axles combine to cause tail lift BEFORE YOU KNOW IT AT THE STEERING WHEEL (4WD pickup the worst TV for this reason among others).

A HENSLEY patent hitch is “the solution” (having made all other types obsolete), but the TT design is the major problem.

An aero TT & Hensley (or Pro Pride) is where crosswind problems are fairly well eliminated. 5th wheel trailers are worse than conventional due to the huge sail area plus shared design problems. A hitch only works so well is the point. Bad TT design proceeds it.

High-risk trailering moments are wind and/or down-slope related where the forward motion of the rig isn’t enough to keep slack out of the hitch rigging against external factors. When sail area, non-aero design and poor suspension are added, the risk is that much greater. Can’t slow the rig soon enough and safely enough to avoid the problems of hard gusts once the operator is constantly correcting for wind.

One can go higher than 15% TW, but it won’t solve tail-lift and loss of control at the TV rear axle. The contact patch of the rear tires is the whole ballgame.

In short, if the wind put you onto the shoulder, THAT was your guardian angel shouting at you.

.

RICK-ards Red wrote:
I have a Husky Friction Sway Control and while driving in a cross wind (not strong enough to stop) is it better to tighten the friction bar or loosen it to try to reduce the effect of the wind on the driving vehicle?

thanks

JMO but what person A says is a crosswind isn't strong enough to stop may be strong enough for others to park it.
Do you lube the bars/L bracket as some do ??

There is no generic answer for your particular (or others) truck/trailer combo.

You have the combo so make a small (tighter) adjustment and see how it goes.

I assume your 1500 GMC has P tires....and the rears are pumped to max (44 or 51 psi) sidewall pressures.

aftermath wrote:

Microlite Mike wrote:
I just adjust my friction sway control for regular driving and dealing with passing trucks, etc....

This is what has always confused me regarding the add on friction control devices. How do you know how to adjust them? When do you stop and make adjustments? I have a feeling that most people don't do this, but they just attach them, crank them down and go. This makes more sense to me. I know a guy (yeah don't we all) who told me he adjusts things when he "needs" to. Really?

It's very difficult, hugely technical, takes a lot of experience...; or some of us just use common sense - adjust, test drive, rinse and repeat until you hit the sweet spot.

Microlite Mike wrote:
I just adjust my friction sway control for regular driving and dealing with passing trucks, etc....

This is what has always confused me regarding the add on friction control devices. How do you know how to adjust them? When do you stop and make adjustments? I have a feeling that most people don't do this, but they just attach them, crank them down and go. This makes more sense to me. I know a guy (yeah don't we all) who told me he adjusts things when he "needs" to. Really?

BarneyS wrote:

Lwiddis wrote:
Tongue weight is the key IMO. What percent of TW do you have?

His question was about towing in a crosswind. That would affect every trailer - even those with perfect tongue weight percentage.
Barney

No, if the trailer behaves well, a crosswind may push the whole rig to the side but will not induce sway in most conditions (yes, in extremes all bets are off).

If the hitch weight is low, a cross wind may induce sway (or the driver jerking the wheel in surprise may cause it).

A couple years back we got caught in Wyoming in 40mph crosswind with 60mph gusts (at least that's what the signs said). A couple times we found ourselves 6ft onto the shoulder with a gust only doing 40-45mph but no sway (semis were having similar issues). Of course, we called it a day and got out fresh undies at the next exit.

If the setup is marginal, a sway control bar helps compensate for a light hitch weight but much better is to have a rig that handles it well because if things actually get bad, the sway bar will reach a point where it won't be able to compensate.

Lwiddis wrote:
Tongue weight is the key IMO. What percent of TW do you have?

His question was about towing in a crosswind. That would affect every trailer - even those with perfect tongue weight percentage.
Barney