OT: Required Video For Those That Tow

[Willy]

A friend just sent me this little .gif vid showing the effects of improper weight distribution when towing.
Thought some here may find it beneficial either for themselves or someone they know that tows.
Very graphic representation of what some have paid dearly to find out. This should be a required view for folks that buy a trailer hitch.

[Toolguy]

Right - more weight in front of the wheels on the trailer. That happened to me twice before I figured out what was going on. I almost had a bad crash both times. More weight behind the wheels makes the trailer fishtail and the car go out of control. It's pretty scary.

[smithdoor]

I listen to other did need to experience it.

Dave

[Evan]

Excellent little video. Thank you.

[Dan Dubeau]

Great explanation. But will it fly?

[A.K. Boomer]

Good simple Vid Willy.

always go for the tongue weight - tandem wheeled trailers can be a little more tricky to judge but with a single wheeled trailer you should note a drop in the back end of the truck after loading to prove you have the load more towards the front...
use a tape measure before and after to be sure,

equally important is the height of the hitch or i should say hitch ball, this becomes increasingly important the more you are applying the brakes - now throw in braking around a turn and it gets greatly compounded even further - and braking around a turn while mountain driving and descending yet again compounded, sometimes the most dangerous trailers are actually the small ones due to allot of them not having their own braking system...

Tongue weight and hitch height is the difference between having the vehicle control the trailer rather than the trailer control the vehicle...

[BCRider]

Great explanation. But will it fly?

With the right angle coming out of the ditch? SURE! ! ! !

[Evan]

I just realized that little video is a very sneaky form of advertising. Viral advertising I believe. Very well done too.

It's an animated gif file and they are compatible with anything at all.

[Willy]

Yes, noticed that right away.
Still the message is a good one in spite of the backdoor ad.

Ads are a part of life, can't get away from them whether driving down the highway, reading a magazine, or just walking down the street.
Separate the wheat from the chaff, use what is beneficial and let the wind carry the rest away.
The gift is still there.

[A.K. Boomer]

Are you guys talking about the U-haul table being in the background? if so I was just thinking the whole thing is put on by them as a guide to teach others about how to load their trailers no?

[Willy]

Are you guys talking about the U-haul table being in the background? if so I was just thinking the whole thing is put on by them as a guide to teach others about how to load their trailers no?

My thinking as well. When you're renting trailers to every Tom, Dick, and Harry across the country it's probably a prudent business decision to protect yourself and your clientele with a little education.
I have no problem with U-Haul's name being associated with a public service message. Hell everybody can use more knowledge no matter the source.
It's too bad that more of these types of PSAs aren't available more often in the public media.

[Evan]

Fine by me as well. Somebody was really thinking when they created that little bit. They deserve a nice bonus.

[Willy]

Fine by me as well. Somebody was really thinking when they created that little bit. They deserve a nice bonus.

Precisely, nice creative way to get corporate exposure and send a much needed message to the public. Those that have the ability to do this should get a bonus. Hopefully this will set a trend.

[Evan]

Since I am now living in a trailer park I have put it on my server where it can be downloaded with a very simple address. I will be leaving it up indefinitely unless the server load creeps up too high. I am going to give it to the park management so they can post it on the office wall. I happen to own a three letter domain name that is currently for sale XXXand this little bit may well indirectly expose that to other people if they only type in the domain name without the extension file name.XXX (changed) This works well for U-Haul and me. I am sure U-haul won't mind. It's http://vts.ca

I have added a little "for sale" message to go with it. Amazing how the internet changes how business is being done.

[Fasttrack]

There was a video floating around from U-Haul where they actually took a trailer and SUV out on a test course. I can't remember exactly what they were using, but they had a professional driver and had him perform some basic maneuvers, e.g. braking, changing lanes, etc. while the trailer was loaded tongue heavy and tongue light. The results were very dramatic - lots of smoke and squealing tires!

Guess they figured this demonstration is cheaper