I wouldn't do it unless you've towed with this particular trailer before with similar weights and were happy with it.
I had a very brown trouser incident towing a four wheel braked trailer with about 1000Kg with my Passat Tdi, I was overtaking a slow lorry on the M25 at 50-51 indicated.
Went past the lorry and the trailer started snaking, couldn't brake, couldn't steer right or left to neutralise the swing and
only caught it when the lorry braked hard to give me room.
This took about 15 seconds actual and about 5000 miles off my rear tyres, friends following were amazed the trailer didn't over turn and quite honestly so was I.
Never again.
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Does rust weigh more than metal??? ;-).
Personally I'd not embark on this enterprise unless I'd had a fair amount of experience towing. A few weeks back my morning commute was disturbed by the Volvo estate in front of me snaking into the central reservation.
Luckily no-one seriously hurt, but boy was it scary to watch. The caravan must have been well below the 85% rule ( compared with the 960 pulling it); but it went from a slight sideways wobble to a written off Volvo in about 30 seconds.
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Not wishing to frighten you Cambridge and I am pleased that so many recommnend great caution.
Dealt with a fatal accident years ago when a bloke bought a trailer at a local Farm Auction. He yoked it on to his Sabaru and set off home. No doubt very happy with his purchase about 10 miles into his journey he started to descend a bank on a dual carriageway.Becuase he had not taken due diligence in relation to the negative nose weight the trailer bar placed on the towing ball of his vehicle, no safety chain in use, the trailer became detached careered along the road, across the central reserve and collided with a car on the opposite carriageway resulting in a passenger being killed.
There was no evidence of speed or reckless driving by the Sab driver in fact a witness who saw him driving earlier thought all was in order, driving steadily and nothing untoward.
After a discussion with CPS about possible parts and accessories in such condition as likely to cause danger, they plumped for a charge of due care which was prosecuted and a conviction recorded.
I am convinced now as I was then this was the last thing the Sab driver anticipated but it occurred.
The moral: If you are not used to towing and engaging on a one off job then forget it or get some help from an experienced tower. It is not as easy as it looks and there are many factors that have to be taken into account.
DVD
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It doesn't even require your own driving mistake. I remember many years ago as a child, with my mum driving our Volvo with caravan attached. We were overtaken by a lorry going at quite a pace, which set the caravan to snaking, and it just built up.
A very scary moment with my dad scraming 'don't brake whatever you do' and my mum screaming 'I'm not braking!' back.
She did manage to catch it, but slightly thoughtless driving by that lorry driver almost put us down a rather large embankment.
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BTW, I'ver just realised, having written that, that I'm not 100% on the correct method of catching a snake. I would assume feet off all pedals, and try to counter-steer gently. Would I be right? Or would I be endangering myself further?
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No. Acceleration is the rule - try and accelerate out of it. If you brake it'll make things worse, unless you are very very lucky.
I towed a friend home from Dover. An LDV van with a 4 wheel trailer with a Scorpio estate on back. I put it on nose first, but failed to take into account all their stuff in the boot. One very large snaking incident later...I'm sure that had I braked and not put my foot to the floor as I did, I would be upside down with a Scorpio on top of me, instead of on the hard shoulder 2 miles down the road, looking for a new pair of shreddies.
The trouble with accelerating is that it is the last thing you feel like doing, but really is the only pretty sure way you'll get out of it. Countersteering is indeed necessary, but obvious - when the front of the van is alternatively pointing at the armco and a large embankment, you want to try and change the view if you possibly can.
My friend, in my own car, some way behind, said that he'd never been so scared in all his time on God's clean earth.
O
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Acceleration is the very worst thing you could do. Believe me, that's the quickest way to an early grave.
The rule is feet off everything, very, very gentle braking if you have to (eg if you're going downhill), try to keep steering it straight and pray to whatever God you happen to believe in.
I try always to overtake lorries uphill as this keeps a positive tug on the hitch but I got into a snake once, overtaking a string of lorries in France. I ran out of hill and the bow-wave of the front wagon hit the caravan. By now I was doing about 80. Did the above, with SWMBO muttering encouraging words (no, really) and it came good in about 10 seconds (seemed like 10 hours!).
Terry
"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand"
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And here's my take on coping with an unruly trailer ...
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?v=e&t=16...0
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land
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From the days when I used to occasionally tow the Force mobile canteen the advice was if on encountering a snake put you foot down and accelerate out it then reduce gradually. Never did get into one so cannot comment on the validity.
DVD
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My car trailer, weighs O.5 tonne and has a max payload of 1.5 tonne. I doubt you'll find a decent car trailer to weigh much less. (The lightweight capacity of same trailer has cheaper wheels and hitch - frame is the same).
If you exceed the 85% figure a good rule of thumb is no faster than 40 mph. (Assuming you have a towing car rated at it).
Can you get an experinced tower to move it for you? First time with a heavy trailer is frightening, and if not - you are not sufficiently worried. There are two people I'd lend my trailer to - the rest of my friends get me. No insult to them, I won't allow the risk.
I cannot argue with new drivers having to take a trailer test, as I learnt a worrying number of things when I first picked up a trailer!
Killing snakes - difficult. Remove causes is the simple answer. Speed is one of them and gently slowing, not braking at first sign of trouble is helpful, as is a partial correction. Experienced towers will feel things a beginner won't and take early action.
You need to damp, not amplify the pedulum effect.
However, a good well loaded combination should not do it, and you should stop and investigate why it is happening at the first safe oppertunity. Nose weight is significant as too light or too heavy can both do it.
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Should have been clearer - I don't recommend acceleration. If excessive speed was the cause then you make it worse.
Think kid on swing. Very little movement is needed to swing highter and faster. If they do the opposite accuratly they stop quickly.
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Sliding Pillar is absolutely right. Prevention is everything, and that means never exceeding 40 mph, and certainly not downhill. The only circumstances when I would go faster would be approaching the foot of an incline, no other traffic about, and a certain clear run at it. Then I would give it full power, up to say 50, for a few moments before the hill began to slow me up.
The basic idea is to avoid or minimise any forward push from the trailer, because that indicates an inherent tendency for the trailer to want to overtake the car.
Check the operation and adjustment of the trailer brakes very carefully. (Assuming it has any - pulling an unbraked tonne or two is a totally different and dangerous operation!) Test the combination out on local roads first. Try gentle braking at about 20 and confirm that the brakes are working - you should feel a definite pull from the trailer, and get the feeling that it is assisting the car, not trying to push it faster.
Once a snake starts, only heaven can help you. Never brake, never accelerate, never try and correct it. Just ease off gently and try not to let the swaying trailer force you into swinging the wheel.
But all that said, it need not be difficult - just be content to jog along in the slow lane and enjoy the view.
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Sorry to jump in on the thread.....but it is related.
I am familiar with the trailer brakes that are cable operated from a lever which is activated by the trailer pushing on a slowing car (inertial?) but while in Oz I was a passenger in a car with an odd electrical box under the dash, on enquiring I was told it was the control box for the trailer braking system. Basically the trailer brakes were controlled by the car brake pedal with a variable braking force so that the brakes could be tuned to the trailer loading.
Is this system common in the UK? This may be a silly question but I have only ever come across unbraked box trailers or simple inertial braking on canoe trailers.
regards
Ian L.
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Returning to my earlier granstand view of a bad snaking 'incident' : the basic cause seemed to be the HGV generated ruts in lane 1 of the M3, particualry bad northbound between basingstoke & fleet services. The caravan was just not quite wide enough to sit in the ruts; and so 'hunted' between them, which amlified the snaking motion. Not sure if there are any rutted sections between Kent & Cambs ????
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