Headline:
Safely
in Tow
Equus
April 1994
Horses and trailers have gone together since pioneers first went
west on the Oregon Trail. While horses in those days did the
pulling, however, today they're often the cargo.
Still, modern trailering has a few things in common with horse-drawn
travel in the last century. It still demands plenty of horsepower,
whether natural or mechanically made. It relies on a good match
between the towing "vehicle" and what's being towed. And relative
to riding up front, being towed is still a rough way to go.
Short of taking a test-ride in the trailer, which is illegal in most
states, people who tow should at least try to imagine what life is
like for their horses. "When I tow I ask myself, how would you feel
if you were riding back there in the trailer," says Dave Cayou of
Littleton, Colo., who tows a four-horse slant-load trailer with a
Chevy K3500 Crew Cab pickup.
"I take corners real carefully, and try not to do any sudden
acceleration or braking," he says. Experienced haulers suggest
issuing a gentle "warning" to the horses—a tap of the brakes, a
nudge of the wheel—to alert them of an imminent stop or turn.
Indeed, they learn to expect the signal.
How horses are treated in transit, to a great extent, determines how
well they'll load next time. Horses that associate trailering with
trauma will resist.
Slant-load trailers have been shown to cause less fatigue in horses
than straight-loads. Standing at a 45-degree angle rather than
straight ahead, a horse can take up acceleration and deceleration by
leaning on barriers, not slamming its face or tail against the
trailer.
When it comes to loading, "Push, don't pull" is the advice of Tom
Simpson. A horse breeder and trailer dealer in Kamas, Utah, Simpson
says, "You can push a horse off a cliff, but you can't lead him
off."
Smooth driving techniques will protect not only the horses but the
tow vehicle as well. The transmission's overdrive gear—if it's so
equipped—will reduce engine wear and gasoline consumption, says Ford
Motor Company engineer Mike Smith. But if engaging overdrive causes
"hunting," or excessive shifting, don't use it, he advises. Too
much shifting causes heat, which destroys bearings and seals in a
transmission.
Practice is key to skillful trailering. It's wise to learn in
advance how the vehicle handles, accelerates, and brakes with a
trailer. Practice panic-braking, using the trailer brake
controller. When towing in higher altitudes, expect a 3-4 percent
decrease in engine power for every 1,000-foot gain in elevation.
Know the clearance of the trailer's roof.
The ride can be eased somewhat by ensuring the tow vehicle is
equipped properly (see related story). Weight-distributing hitches,
sway controls, and the correct brake controller won't counteract bad
driving, but they can lessen the effects of wind and rough roads.
Accessory issues: What's the hitch?
Trailer hitch dealers often try unabashedly to "sell up" their
customers, steering them to sturdier, more expensive equipment than
they came in for. On balance, perhaps that's not a bad thing.
Customers usually want to save money, understandably. But a hitch
that just marginally meets today's towing needs may be insufficient
tomorrow.
The first issue in hitches is whether to choose a
weight-distributing model, or settle for the weight-carry variety.
The latter, typically, is original equipment on the tow vehicle—if
it has any kind of hitch at all. Upgrading to a weight-distributing
hitch may be part of an optional towing package offered by the truck
dealer. If not, a trailer dealer can install one.
With a weight-carrying hitch, the entire downward force of the
trailer tongue bears on the hitch ball. A weight-distributing (or
"equalizing") hitch, by contrast, "spreads the weight around,"
applying some on the truck frame and some on the trailer frame.
Who needs a weight distributing hitch? I asked Tom Golds, a sales
rep with Draw-Tite, which makes trailering accessories. "I'd say
anyone pulling more than 5,000 pounds, and 3,500 pounds with a
downsized vehicle," he said. By "downsized" he means compact trucks
like Ford's popular Ranger.
Golds' position in favor of weight-distributing hitches is
understandable. But Ford is even more conservative, advising anyone
pulling more than 2,000 pounds with a Ranger to use a
weight-distributing hitch. Full-size trucks demand a
weight-distributing hitch when the load exceeds 5,000 pounds, Ford
says. The figures are published in the Ford Recreational Vehicle
and Trailer Towing Guide, available at dealerships.
Bruce Roberts of Golden, Colo. hauls three or four quarter horses in
a 16-foot slant-load trailer made by a well-known manufacturer. His
late-model GMC Suburban didn't always have a weight-distributing
hitch, but it does now.
"This is an odd-size trailer, longer and wider than what I was used
to. I experienced a lot of sway on the highway until I went to the
equalizing hitch," he says. The new hitch, from Draw-Tite, solved
the sway problem.
Another cure for the same disease are sway controls, which attach in
various ways between the hitch and trailer tongue. Some are
electronic, and work by activating the trailer brakes. Many employ
a friction device such as a brake pad to oppose sideward motion of
the trailer. Some work in conjunction with the spring bars of a
weight-distributing hitch.
According to Golds, senior citizens are the biggest buyers of sway
controls. They're used most with recreational vehicles. Seniors
often lack a steady hand on the wheel, and need the help of a sway
control. But many horsepeople as well would benefit, he says.
First make sure the load is balanced, with most of the weight
forward in the trailer. Second, if needed, install a
weight-distributing hitch. Then consider a sway control.
An accessory of nearly universal use is the brake controller, used
by all trailers with electric brakes. These devices have changed in
the past five years, thanks to the appearance of antilock braking
systems (ABS) on trucks in the late 1980s.
Older brake controllers used a sensor connected to the vehicle
master cylinder. The sensor measured brake-fluid pressure induced
by the driver's foot, and proportioned braking force accordingly.
But ABS designs made it impossible to tap into the master cylinder.
Today's brake controllers electronically detect changes in vehicle
inertia. A switch enables the driver to override the system
manually in emergency situations.
Though the new controllers lack any direct input from the driver,
braking hasn't deteriorated, says Mark Gage, marketing manager of
Tekonsha Engineering, which makes the devices. A vehicle without
ABS can be fitted with either style of controller. Some drivers
prefer the all-electronic kind for reasons of reliability.
Further advancements in trailer-braking are possible, says Gage.
ABS componentry could be added to the trailers themselves. But such
an upgrade would be costly, and the trailer market is notoriously
price-sensitive. Manufacturers so far have resisted the R&D
investments needed to add ABS.
###
Headline: Easy Riders; Your Equipment and Driving Habits Can Make
Your Horse More Comfortable
Western Horseman
January 1994
More than a decade ago, Americans' recreation habits began shaping a
new segment of the truck market. Medium-sized sport trucks
including the Ford Ranger and Chevy S-10 appeared on the scene,
spurred partly by people's desire to tow camp trailers, boats, and
horses on weekends.
Though technically labeled compacts, these newcomers were
significantly bigger and stronger than the already-established
mini-trucks mostly from Japan. Yet they were smaller than the
popular full-size Fords and Chevrolets, and better suited for
commuting to the office on weekdays.
The trucks were a hit; the segment has grown to significant share of
all light trucks. In 1987, Dodge introduced the Dakota, billed as
the only "true mid-size," with the segment's only V8 engine. Last
year Toyota tried the T100, also called mid-size but lacking a V8.
In the past two years, Ford and Chevy have redesigned their compacts
and increased their towing capacities.
Trucks in this class are an obvious consideration for haulers of one
and two-horse trailers. With their optional towing packages, they
pull in the neighborhood of 6,000 pounds. The Dakota, with the
optional V8, can handle as much as 6,700 pounds. The Toyota tows
5,000 pounds in standard dress, but offers no enhanced
trailer-towing package.
The trailering option for any truck usually includes most or all of
the following:
Heavy-duty battery and alternator
High-capacity radiator
Transmission oil cooler
Larger engine fan
Tougher suspension, stabilizer bars, etc.
Lower-geared rear axle
Trailer wiring harness
A bigger engine may be part of the towing package as well, or may be
available as a separate option. The trailer hitch usually is
installed by the dealership or a trailer specialty shop—not by the
vehicle manufacturer. Towing a vehicle's maximum allowable load
often requires the use of a weight-distributing hitch (see related
article).
For heavier trailers, a full-size truck remains the only option.
Dodge last year flew in the face of the small-truck trend when it
introduced the monstrous Ram pickup. Like its full size competitors
from Ford and GM, it comes in half-ton, three-quarter ton, and
one-ton configurations. It also offers a unique V10 engine,
producing 300 horsepower and 450 pounds-feet of torque. Properly
equipped, the Ram will tow up to 13,600 pounds.
Its manufacturer admits the truck would be lucky to achieve even 15
percent of all full-size truck sales. Ford and Chevy continue to
battle for dominance in this market. All competitors in this
segment offer the advantages of countless configurations: several
engines, transmissions, and axle ratios; long bed or short, crew cab
or regular, four-wheel drive or two.
Buying a truck, like choosing a trailer hitch, calls for foresight,
says Ford engineer Mike Smith. "If your load is close to the
truck's gross combined weight rating now , what happens a couple of
years from now when you want to get a bigger trailer?" Too often,
Smith says, the owner then chooses to "get by" with an inadequate
vehicle. Consider future trailering needs, he suggests.
If buying a new truck isn't in the cards, certain mechanical devices
sold in the aftermarket can modify a vehicle's performance. One is
an auxiliary transmission, which attaches the output shaft of the
existing transmission, and reduces or increases final-drive torque.
Such a unit costs about $2,000 including installation.
Auxiliary transmissions work like a two-speed axle on 18-wheel
semi-tractor. They "split" the transmission's existing gears. In
situations where third gear is too high and second is too low, for
example, the driver can choose a new, intermediate gear by flipping
an electronic switch. These devices can also provide an overdrive
gear to transmissions which lacked one initially. Automakers frown
on auxiliary transmissions. Their use will void a vehicle's
warranty if they are judged by the automaker to have caused failure
of the original transmission.
Turbochargers are a tried-and-true add-on, capable of boosting an
engine's horsepower by as much as 50 percent. A turbo works by
harnessing the energy in exhaust gasses, using it to ram additional
air into the intake side of the engine, for better combustion. A
turbo is especially well-suited to a diesel engines, which may have
sufficient trailer-towing torque, but not enough horsepower for
acceleration.
The cost of an add-on turbocharger for a Ford or GM diesel
typically is about $2,000 plus installation. A good do-it-yourself
mechanic can install one in an afternoon. Like an auxiliary
transmission, a turbo may be judged by the manufacturer to void a
vehicle warranty.
Sidebar:
Model year 1994 features a redesigned compact pickup from Chevrolet,
an all-new full-size Dodge, and the return of Toyota's T100, boldly
created last year to fill the gap between compact and full-size
trucks. Ford, meanwhile, continues as the top truck seller with few
changes.
The new Chevy S10 mechanically matches the GMC Sonoma, which was
also redesigned for 1994. Power is the hallmark of the GM pickups.
Their 4.3 liter V6 engine, in its optional souped-up form, produces
195 hp and 260 pounds-feet of torque. Two lesser engines including
a 2.2 liter four-cylinder are available. The S10 and Sonoma are
rated to tow up to 6,000 pounds.
Rather than specifying springs, tires, and wheels, an S10 or Sonoma
buyer is asked only to choose a suspension "package." GM offers
seven distinct chassis setups: three for 2WD and four for 4WD. The
buyer can set up the truck for a cushy highway ride, increased load
capacity, sporty street driving, or four-wheeling. The transfer
case of these trucks allows shifting into and out of 4WD at any
speed. Pushbutton control of the transfer case is optional, and
more convenient than the stubborn shift lever. Still lacking in
GM's compacts are airbags.
The Ford Ranger, redesigned last year, remains the best-selling
compact. It too lacks airbags. Building the Ranger is a joint
project with Mazda. Mechanically the truck is nearly identical to
Mazda's B2300, B3000, and B4000 pickups, introduced in 1994.
Many truckers, including me, like the looks of the Ranger best among
compacts. Styling differs between 2WD and 4WD models. The latter
looks tougher; the two-wheeler is sleeker. Ranger's sporty STX and
Splash models now both offer extended cabs. Without the bigger cab,
I find these trucks too cramped.
The Ranger's most powerful engine, the 4.0 liter V6, produces 160
horsepower and 225 foot-pounds of torque. The truck will tow up to
5,900 pounds.
The Dodge Dakota is not compact, it's "mid-size," its manufacturer
insists. Dakota does offer a V8, unlike compacts from Ford or GM.
Equipped with the 220-horsepower 5.9 liter V8, Dakota is rated to
tow a 6,700-pound trailer.
For years, tow ratings have been subject to some controversy, or at
least disagreement. Why do they always come to such nice, round
numbers? It's because there are no precise standards for judging a
truck "capable" of pulling a load; it's somewhat arbitrary on the
manufacturer's part.
Manufacturers usually say they're conservative in their claims. But
the competitive marketplace may sometimes have the opposite effect,
pushing tow ratings beyond what's reasonable. Truckers are
best-advised not to push their vehicles to their tow-rating limits.
Many real-world factors can lower those limits. High altitude, for
example, can reduce a truck's pulling power as much as 35 percent.
Toyota's T100 has struggled for identity, and sales, since its
introduction in model year 1993. Longer than the Dakota, the T100
is nearly as big as domestic full-size pickups. But it has offered
no V8 engine—a major drawback in this market. The T100 is sporty
and handles nicely, but it's been criticized as "too car-like" for
the rough-and-tumble trucking crowd.
According to rumor, Toyota may acquire a V8 engine for the T100,
from General Motors. But at this writing neither company would
comment. The T100 is further hampered by the 25 percent tariff
applied to all imported trucks, and by an unfavorable yen-to-dollar
exchange ratio. At the start of model year 1994, Toyota raised the
base price of the T100 by 5 percent, to $14,698. New for 1994 is a
driver-side airbag.
In full-size trucks, the year's big news is the Dodge Ram, boasting
of 300 horsepower from a 10-cylinder engine. The V10 is the
industry's largest gasoline engine, with more power and torque than
even the biggest diesel engines from Ford and GM. The truck will be
rated to tow 13,600 pounds. The truck has a standard driver's side
air bag.
Another excellent trailer-towing engine from Dodge is the economical
Cummins turbo diesel six-cylinder, rated to tow 12,300 pounds in the
Ram truck. It's also available in the Dakota.
The Ram has a distinctive, broad-shouldered look that most people
either love or hate. Its styling sets this truck apart from the
more conservative competitors from Ford and Chevy, which continue to
battle for dominance in the full-size truck market. Dodge will
consider itself successful if it can achieve even a 15 percent share
of the market.
Ford's top-selling line of full-size trucks, the F-series pickups,
won't change greatly in 1994. Models of less than 8,500 pounds
gross vehicle weight rating will receive driver-side airbags. Ford
reportedly is preparing a new mid-size truck to be positioned
between the F-series and Ranger pickups.
Chevrolet's C and K pickups, and their counterparts from GMC Trucks,
boast of greater engine power and structural safety improvements,
but no airbags. Not to be overlooked by trailer towers is the
Suburban utility vehicle, sold both by Chevy and GMC. Because of
its popularity in the Lone Star State, the Suburban has been dubbed
the "Y'all Haul," and named the "National Vehicle of Texas."
Like a lot of modern trucks, the S10 boasts of increased room in the
upper cab, better to suit the broad shoulders of today's truckers.
Chevy has done away with its pretty but impractical electronic dash
display, which was reminiscent of a laser light show. Gauges are
simple analogue-style.
Off-roaders may appreciate the ZR2 performance package offered for
4WD trucks. It adds a unique frame, underbody shielding, bigger
shocks, and a heavy-duty, lower-geared rear axle. But the ZR2
package also increases both the front and rear "track"—the width
between wheels—by four inches. Vehicle height is increased as
well. The package is meant more for wide-open four-wheeling on the
desert than for threading a course through a tight mountain trail.
###
Headline: Stress-Free Trailering
Horse Illustrated
August 1994
"When you're driving down a bumpy road, to you in the truck, in just
feels like a bumpy road. To the horses back there in the trailer,
it feels like some kind of Coney Island ride."
So says animal behaviorist Dr. Carol Saslow, who writes Horse Sense
for Horse Illustrated, and logs thousands of miles per year towing
her own four-horse diagonal-load trailer from her home base in
Corvallis, Oregon.
Coney Island, however, is fun. A bad ride in a trailer is a
nightmare. Although it's illegal in most states, Saslow says, horse
owners might do well to take a short test-ride in their own
trailers, just to see what their animals are going through. Short
of that, they can at least imagine the experience.
"When I'm riding up front, I know what's coming," she says. "I can
see every turn, every stop sign, every bump in the road, and I can
brace myself for it. The horses have no idea what's coming."
The result, in the worst cases, is a horse pitched one moment
against the trailer's manger, perhaps face-first, and the next
moment slamming sideways against the stall divider or rearward
against the gate. Smaller trailers often have inferior suspension
systems, giving horses a much greater shaking than what's felt by
the driver.
One bad experience can sour a horse on trailering. "I've known many
instances of horses that would trailer fine. But they have one ride
with a driver who is too fast and too jerky, and after that they
start giving people trouble. They'll start being a problem to load,
or they'll start banging and kicking in transit. When you arrive at
the destination, they come out of there faster."
What a horse wants, says Saslow, is "not too many surprises—smooth
acceleration, braking, and cornering—all the same things a car
passenger wants." Drivers should consciously change their driving
habits to reduce stress to the horses.
Since horses can't know what's coming, Saslow suggests issuing a
slight "warning" of imminent changes. "It's like when you're riding
a horse. When you're about to ask him to slow down, you give him a
voice command. When I'm cruising on the highway and I'm planning to
decelerate, I tap the brakes first. It's a way of saying,
'Everybody wake up back there.'" In warm weather, it helps for the
driver to keep a window open, to listen for scrambling, hooves
banging, and other signs of distress.
Some people believe horses prefer to ride in a stiffly sprung
trailer. They like to provide their own "suspension," the theory
goes, using their legs. Saslow doubts it. "To provide your own
suspension, you have to know what's going to happen," she says.
"When you're going bam-bam-bam over a rough road, you don't know
when to relax and when to brace yourself."
Horses sleep standing up, she adds. "When life is boring, they tend
to doze. On a long trip, they're likely to be dozing, not thinking
about how to prepare for the next bump."
Another common notion, equally questionable, is that most horses
prefer to stand with their heads to the rear in a trailer. "As a
scientist I would say, show me your evidence," she says.
Some horses indeed may prefer a rearward stance, only because
they've been subjected to too many bad rides. In the event of a
sudden stop, they figure they'll encounter the manger with their
rear ends, not face-first. The best answer is to minimize sudden
stops and other offensive driving, and make sure there's enough
elbow room in the trailer to prevent collisions with the walls.
Slant-load, or diagonal-load trailers are widely believed to be less
fatiguing to horses than straight-load models. Saslow concurs.
"Diagonal-load trailers enable them to take up acceleration and
deceleration by leaning, which is a lot easier on them than being
thrown forward or backward," she says. Slant-load trailers also are
more efficient in their use of floor space.
Additional torment to horses may come in the form of side-sway,
perhaps caused by windgusts or the wake of a passing semi-truck.
Even the most careful driver's horses may be subject to excessive
sway. A bad driver will aggravate the condition by over-reacting.
Jerking the wheel too hard right in response to a leftward drift, or
vice versa, induces a countersway.
A anti-sway bar may provide the remedy. Sway controls are just one
of several mechanical and electronic means to improve the ride and
maneuverability of a trailer.
According to Tom Golds of Draw-Tite, a maker of sway controls, their
most frequent buyers are senior citizens. Seniors drive
recreational vehicles, and often lack a steady hand on the wheel.
But many horsepeople as well would benefit, he says. As a rule,
anyone towing more than 3,500 pounds with a full-size truck should
consider a sway control. With a compact truck, such as the Ford
Ranger or Chevy S-10, a trailer of more than 2,000 pounds is a good
candidate for a sway control.
Sway controls attach in various ways between the hitch and trailer
tongue. Some are electronic, and work by activating the trailer
brakes. Many employ a friction device such as a brake pad to oppose
sideward motion of the trailer. Some work in conjunction with the
spring bars of a weight-distributing hitch.
The hitch—perhaps the most important of all trailer
accessories—serves two basic functions. First, obviously, it is a
mechanical link between the tow vehicle and the trailer. But to the
extent possible, it should also transform the truck from a carrier
to a puller, making it capable of handling the extra work imposed by
towing.
A weight-distributing hitch exemplifies that role. Unlike the
weight-carrying type, which places the trailer's full tongue weight
on the hitch ball, a weight-distributing hitch "spreads the weight
around," putting some on the vehicle frame and some on the trailer
frame. Using a such a hitch sometimes will preclude the need for a
sway control.
The principal behind weight-distributing hitches is explained this
way by S.L. McCrea of Five-R, Inc,, a trailer shop in Golden, Colo.
""If you lay a board across two sawhorses and have a fat man sit on
it, it might break. But if you have him lie down across the board,
it will be more likely to hold his weight."
The wrong choice here can over-compress the vehicle's rear
suspension, causing a harsh ride. The reduced range of the
suspension may also roughen the ride for the horses, since the
trailer relies partly on the truck to absorb road shock. The
vehicle's front end can rise slightly like a weary trained elephant,
resulting in loss of steerability. Suspension components can be
permanently deformed.
Like sway bars, weight-distributing hitches usually are installed by
the truck or trailer dealer, not the trailer manufacturer. To
select one it's necessary to know the trailer's gross vehicle weight
and tongue weight. The first figure includes the trailer itself
plus the maximum allowable load. You can determine the actual weight
and tongue weight at a commercial truck scale. Tongue weight should
be 10-15 percent of trailer weight when loaded.
The need for a weight-distributing hitch depends not just on the
weight of trailer, but also on the size of the truck. Ford's F-150
pickup, for example, can tow up 5,000 with just a weight-carrying
model. The smaller Ranger, however, requires a weight-distributing
hitch for any load exceeding 2,000 pounds.
If a weight-carry hitch is judged to suffice, be wary of the type in
which the ball is inserted directly in the bumper, McCrea advises.
Often the weak link in such a setup is the bolts that mount the
bumper to the truck frame. This problem is common especially with
bumpers purchased second-hand, or not installed professionally.
State laws require various safety-related devices. The state of
Washington, for example, has one of the most explicit laws, offering
guidelines for anyone concerned about trailer safety.
In Washington, safety chains must be must be crossed so that,
theoretically, they'll "catch" the trailer tongue and keep it from
hitting the ground if it accidentally disengages from the hitch.
The chains must be bolted, not welded, to the trailer. Bolting is
considered better because it's more consistent, and won't destroy
the "temper" of the chains.
Any trailer weighing more than 3,000 pounds, in Washington, must
have a breakaway switch. Such a device works with electric brakes,
causing them to engage automatically in the event of a separation
between truck and trailer. A breakaway switch system includes a
battery onboard the trailer.
Not to be confused with a breakaway switch is the brake controller.
Brake controllers have changed in the past several years, as a
result of the appearance of antilock braking systems (ABS) in trucks
in the late 1980s.
Older brake controllers used a sensor connected to the vehicle
master cylinder. The sensor measured brake-fluid pressure induced
by the driver's foot, and proportioned braking force accordingly.
But ABS designs made it impossible to tap into the master cylinder.
Today's brake controllers electronically detect changes in vehicle
inertia. A switch enables the driver to override the system
manually in emergency situations.
Though the new controllers lack any direct input from the driver,
braking hasn't deteriorated, says Mark Gage, marketing manager of
Tekonsha Engineering, which makes the devices. A vehicle without
ABS can be fitted with either style of controller. Some drivers
prefer the all-electronic make-up of the new kind. Further
advancements in trailer-braking are possible, says Gage. ABS
componentry could be added to the trailers themselves. But such an
upgrade would be costly, and the trailer market is notoriously
price-sensitive. Manufacturers so far have resisted the R&D
investments needed to add ABS.
The popularity of trailering in general has sparked changes in
Americans' truck-buying habits. Most significant has been the
emergence of compact trucks such as the Ford Ranger and Chevy S-10,
as well as the Dodge Dakota, which is billed as mid- size. Toyota
entered the fray in 1993 with its mid-size T100 truck, which is a
bit longer and heavier than the Dakota.
With optional trailering-towing equipment, trucks in this class
generally tow in the neighborhood of 5,000-6,000 pounds. In
standard form, the Toyota tows 5,000 pounds, but offers no optional
towing package. With its V8, the Dakota is rated for 6,700 pounds.
For loads bigger than that, a full-size truck remains the best
choice. In 1994, Dodge introduced its all-new Ram pickup truck.
With its optional V10 engine producing 450 pounds-feet of torque,
the Ram will tow up to 13,600 pounds.
Dodge admits the Ram will be lucky to achieve even 15 percent of all
full-size pickup truck sales. Ford and Chevy continue to battle for
dominance in this market, each offering trucks in the half-ton,
three-quarter ton, and one-ton categories.
Terms such as "half-ton truck," however, technically are obsolete;
they no longer have any literal meaning. At one time they referred
to the payloads of pickups. Each of the domestic makers still
offers trucks in three general size classes. Ford's, for example,
are the F-150, F-250, and F-350—names for what are commonly called
Ford's half-ton, three-quarter ton, and one-ton trucks. But their
real payloads far exceed those figures.
Exceeding a truck's rated tow capacity can have all kinds of bad
results, says Ford powertrain engineer Mike Smith. "It depends
where the weak link in the system is," he says. "It could cause
overheating, bad braking, or lack of acceleration. It could be that
the frame or even the body can't handle the stress."
Ford Motor Company publishes an excellent trailering handbook called
the Ford Recreational Vehicle and Trailer Towing Guide. It's free
at Ford dealers, and useful to owners of all makes of vehicles.
Among its advice are these selected tips:
•Approximately 60 percent of the cargo weight should be in the front
half of the trailer and 40 percent within the rear. If possible,
the weight should also be balanced side-to-side.
•Back very slowly. Practice backing, turning, and stopping before
setting out on a trip.
•With an automatic transmission, if using overdrive causes excessive
upshifting and downshifting, don't use it. Too much shifting causes
heat, which destroy seals and bearings.
•Engines lose power at a rate of 3-4 percent per l,000-foot gain in
elevation. To improve performance, reduce gross vehicle weights and
gross combined weights by 2 percent per 1,000-foot gain.
•To correct trailer side-sway, touch trailer brakes momentarily
without using vehicle brakes. With a manually operated controller,
"lead" with the trailer brakes if possible.
Compared to trucks, trailers demand little maintenance. But one
potentially critical concern with small horse trailers is the need
to inspect the flooring. Wood floors, according to behaviorist
Saslow, are susceptible to deterioration largely due to frequent
soaking with urine. Rubber mats on the floor can hide a weakening
floor.
"Even though it's a big job, we advise people to take the rubber
mats out after every trip. With an older trailer, it also pays to
replace the floor periodically, and when you do, have the frame
inspected by somebody who knows about metal," says Saslow. A
routine inspection of a trailer of her own revealed a good deal of
bowing and bending—a potentially tragic situation.
Maintenance of the horses themselves is a science unto itself,
depending largely on the individual natures of the animals involved,
according to Saslow. "We offer them water, but most of them refuse
it," she says. Horses reason that if they drink they'll have to
urinate, which they're uncomfortable doing on the hard floor of a
trailer.
For some horses, the answer may be to cover the floor with wood
shavings, hiding the intimidating hard surface underneath. Other
horses may have to be unloaded periodically. "On an all-day trip, I
try to unload every three or four hours," she says. Finding a
suitable spot isn't always easy; at the roadside rest stops of many
states, unloading horses is illegal.
In the event of a mishap on the road, it's important to have good
"voice control" of the horses, according to Saslow. "I work with
them as much as possible in advance, and make sure they're really
comfortable trailering," she says.
"I've been in situations where I've burned up a tire, and I'm out
there in the dark with a fire extinguisher saying, 'Good horsies,
it's OK, just a slight glitch."
When loading horses, the secret is "Push, don't pull," according to
many experienced horse people. Trying to lead a horse into a
trailer not only is less effective; it's dangerous, posing a greater
risk of being butted or kicked.
"It's not hard to get a horse into a trailer. There are a number of
tricks for doing so," says Saslow. Most important, however, is to
eliminate the stess from trailering, so that the horses will try it
again willingly, without trauma or tricks.
Accessories
Weight-distributing hitches improve towing by "spreading the weight
around." While some weight bears downs on the hitch itself, some is
transferred to the frame of the vehicle, via spring bars. Their
lesser counterparts are called weight-carrying.
Sway controls oppose sideward motion of the trailer. Some employ a
big brake pad. Some work in conjunction with the spring bars of a
weight-distributing hitch. Some work by selectively activating the
trailer brakes.
Trailer brakes often are required by state law for trailers over
2,000 pounds. They include brake shoes activated either by a surge
device in the hitch head, which responds to deceleration; or by
electrically controlled magnets.
Brake controllers send the electrical signal to electric trailer
brakes. In one type, the signal is proportional to hydraulic brake
pressure induced by the driver. Another, newer type simply detects
inertia changes due to slowing or accelerating of the tow vehicle.
Wide-angle mirrors restore some of the visibility obscured by a
trailer. Also available for bigger horse and camp trailers are
video systems, with a camera at the rear of the trailer and a
monitor mounted in the cab of the truck.
###
(Headline unknown)
Snow Country
1994
Horse lover Jim Wright was angry. On vacation in southwest
Colorado, his pickup truck couldn't climb the steep dirt road
leading to Hunter's Lake, in the Rio Grande National Forest. The
spot where he and his friends had driven just a year earlier was now
inaccessible, except on horseback. They parked the truck, and
saddled up sooner than expected.
The truck had seemed fine back home. Even laden with a 16-foot
trailer, three horses, and two passengers, it drove adequately
around Cedar Hill, Texas. Wright's 1993 Chevrolet C2500 Silverado
was nearly new, equipped with a 5.7 liter engine and Chevy's
optional trailer-towing package.
After a ruined vacation, Wright returned to the dealership where he
bought the vehicle. Mechanically it checked out fine. The service
manager asked to have it weighed. With the trailer attached and
fully loaded, the rig tipped the scales at 11,360 pounds, without
passengers.
With passengers, Wright figured the weight would have more or less
matched the Chevy's 12,000-pound Gross Combined Weight Rating—the
poundage it's supposed to be able to haul and tow, including the
vehicle. He had pushed the limit, but hadn't exceeded it. Wright
felt gypped; deceived by claims about "the power of Chevy trucks."
The dealership disagreed, saying his expectations were unrealistic.
The root of the problem was one that affects all mountain motorists:
altitude. The elevation at Hunter's Lake is 11,383 feet. The less
dense air up there cut his engine power by almost a quarter. His
experience demonstrates the common predicament of being adequately
powered at sea level but "underhorsed" in the mountains.
Trailer-towing isn't only kind of mountain driving that demands
extra engine power. Anyone who has driven uphill on a twisty
switchback knows of the need to frequently slow down, sometimes
almost to a stop, before accelerating again to speed. But with a
trailer, such difficulties multiply. Attaching a trailer may cause
dramatic, unexpected changes in the way a vehicle accelerates,
steers, and stops. It may zip energetically about town, but fall
victim to stalling, overheating, or even engine damage when attached
to a trailer, particularly at altitude.
Drivers should expect a drop of about two percent for every
1,000-feet rise in elevation, says Ford Motor Company powertain
engineer Mike Smith. Computerized engines compensate for thinner
air by adjusting the air/fuel mixture, but their capabilities are
limited. Manufacturers say cars work better at altitude than ever
before. Disgruntled drivers may disagree.
What makes a vehicle better at towing? Several factors affect both
its strength and durability:
Engine size
Transmission and axle ratios
Rear-, front-, or four-wheel drive
Suspension strength
Frame and body strength
Engine and transmission cooling
Electrical charging
Some such items are specified as part of an typical trailer-towing
package, optional with a new car or truck. Engine choices may be
offered independently. A bigger engine usually increases not only
horsepower, which is needed for acceleration from a stop; but also
torque, important for accelerating while in motion and for pulling a
load without overtaxing the engine.
Engine torque is one thing. Final-drive torque—that which rotates
the wheels of the car—is another; it's affected by the gears inside
the transmission and rear axle. A good trailer-towing axle is
geared low for torque, not high for economy. The tricky part is,
what's called a "low" gear ratio, such as 3.73 to 1, is numerically
higher than a "high" gear ratio, such as 3.08 to 1.
Front-wheel drive cars may outperform rear-drivers in most snow
country driving, but not in trailering. A rear-wheel drive system
puts the muscle closer to the load. Trailering causes the front end
of a vehicle to rise slightly, which is less troublesome with
rear-drive than front. Four-wheel drive works well for trailering,
although sometimes a 4WD truck will tow less than an otherwise
identical RWD model, simply because it's heavier.
Towing is less jarring to a vehicle built on a real frame than to
one with a frame integrated with the body. The latter "unibody"
construction is characteristic of most passenger cars, and of some
sport-utilities including the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Ford
Explorer, Isuzu Trooper, and Toyota 4Runner are built on frames, as
are pickup trucks.
The past decade's growth in recreational towing has sparked a boom
in compact trucks such as the Ford Ranger and Chevy S10. Slightly
bigger are the Dodge Dakota and Toyota T100. Properly equipped,
most trucks in this class can tow at least tow three tons on
weekends, yet they are small enough to serve well as personal
transportation during the week.
Full-size trucks come in what are commonly called half-ton,
three-quarter ton, and one-ton configurations. Ford's corresponding
models, for example, are the F-150, F-250, and F-350. But
designations like "half-ton" are obsolete; they have no literal
meaning. Properly equipped, full-size trucks generally tow up to
12,000 pounds. Dodge's new Ram truck, with the available V10
engine, is rated for 13,600 pounds.
Tow ratings of passenger cars range from zero, for many front-drive
compacts, to 7,000 pounds, for the massive Cadillac Fleetwood.
Other big rear-drive trailer-towing cars include the Lincoln Town
Car, Buick Roadmaster, Chevrolet Caprice, Ford Crown Victoria, and
Cadillac Fleetwood.
Recreational trailers range from 300-pound folding camp trailers to
35-foot horse trailers or campers weighing as much as 12,500
pounds. Dual-snowmobile trailers weigh in at about 1,200 pounds
fully loaded, while motorboat trailers range up to about 4,000
pounds. Among the biggest horse and camp trailers, one style called
a "fifth wheel" offers better towing dynamics. The forward, raised
portion of such a trailer extends over the bed of a pickup truck.
Inside the bed is a special hitch.
In matching a tow vehicle to a trailer, the ideal approach is to
"put the cart before the horse." First consider the weight of the
load, then buy a vehicle that's up to the task, with a wide margin
for error. Buyers should consider the possibility of switching to a
bigger trailer later, after they've taken to the trailering
lifestyle.
Successful trailering comes from planning and practice. Planning
can prevent an expensive mismatch like the one that ended a vacation
in Colorado, and probably kept subsequent trips from ever starting.
Practice should follow the purchase: adjusting to the vehicle's new
handling, steering, and stopping characteristics before the trip;
and getting accustomed to the fun and enjoyment that should be
standard equipment in any recreational trailer.
Accessories:
Weight-distributing hitches improve towing by "spreading the weight
around." While some weight bears downs on the hitch itself, some is
transferred to the frame of the vehicle, via spring bars. Their
lesser counterparts are called weight-carrying.
Sway controls oppose sideward motion of the trailer. Some employ a
big brake pad. Some work in conjunction with the spring bars of a
weight‑distributing hitch. Some work by selectively activating the
trailer brakes.
Trailer brakes often are required by state law for trailers over
2,000 pounds. They include brake shoes activated either by a surge
device in the hitch head, which responds to deceleration; or by
electrically controlled magnets.
Brake controllers send the electrical signal to electric trailer
brakes. In one type, the signal is proportional to hydraulic brake
pressure induced by the driver. Another, newer type simply detects
inertia changes due to slowing or accelerating of the tow vehicle.
Wide-angle mirrors restore some of the visibility obscured by a
trailer. Also available for bigger horse and camp trailers are
video systems, with a camera at the rear of the trailer and a
monitor mounted in the cab of the truck.
Towing Help: The Ford Recreation Vehicle and Trailer Towing Guide,
free at Ford dealers, is a 20-page booklet filled with information
useful to anyone who tows.
###
Headline: Towing, the Line for Fall
Polo
September 1993
In horse-trailering as in high fashion, accessories influence
success. Choosing the right hitch or brake controller may parallel
the need for picking the proper tie or earrings. But in fashion,
while inappropriate accessories might produce a clash, in trailering
they could cause a crash.
Electric trailer braking systems have changed in the past several
years. Their advancements stemmed from the appearance of antilock
braking systems (ABS) in trucks in the late 1980s. What's new is not
the stopping hardware itself, however, which still consists of shoes
applied to drums by electromagnets. What's changed is the means of
activating the magnets--the controller.
Older brake controllers used a sensor connected to the vehicle
master cylinder. The sensor measured brake-fluid pressure induced
by the driver's foot, and proportioned braking force accordingly.
But ABS designs made it impossible to tap into the master cylinder.
Today's brake controllers electronically detect changes in vehicle
inertia. A switch enables the driver to override the system
manually in emergency situations.
Though the new controllers lack any direct input from the driver,
braking hasn't deteriorated, says Mark Gage, marketing manager of
Tekonsha Engineering, which makes the devices. A vehicle without
ABS can be fitted with either style of controller. Some drivers
prefer the all-electronic make-up of the new kind.
Further advancements in trailer-braking are possible, says Gage.
ABS componentry could be added to the trailers themselves. But
such an upgrade would be costly, and the trailer market is
notoriously price-sensitive. Manufacturers so far have resisted the
R&D investments needed to add ABS.
Another accessory, sway controls, are less common in horse hauling
than in other types of trailering. One reason is the prevalence of
gooseneck-style trailers, which are stable enough without such
help. But for conventional bumper-pull style trailers, sway
controls can improve stability considerably.
The biggest buyers of sway controls, according to Tom Golds of
accessory manufacturer Draw-Tite, are recreational-vehicle drivers.
RV lovers tend to be senior citizens, and often have
less-than-steady hands at the wheel, he says. Polo people could
benefit as well, particularly after a hard day with the horses,
according to Golds. A vehicle pulling close to its weight limit is
the best candidate.
Sway controls vary in design. Some are electronic, and work by
activating the trailer brakes. Many employ a friction device such
as a brake pad to oppose sideward motion of the trailer. Some work
in conjunction with the spring bars of a load-distributing hitch.
Sway controls are installed by the dealer, not the factory. The
selection depends largely on the vehicle and the hitch that will be
used.
To reduce trailer sway, driving technique is as important as
equipment. When the tail starts wagging the dog, don't overreact by
jerking the wheel or slamming on the brakes. It's best to gently
apply the trailer brakes separately, using the brake controller,
without braking the truck. Sway often results from improper
loading, with a side-to-side imbalance or not enough weight over the
hitch.
A trailer hitch—perhaps the most important accessory of all—serves
two basic functions. First, obviously, it is a mechanical link
between the tow vehicle and the trailer. But to the extent
possible, it should also transform the truck from a carrier to a
puller, making it capable of handling the extra work imposed by
towing.
For gooseneck trailers, the most common kind of hitch includes a
plate mounted in the truck bed floor. The trailer's 2 5/16-inch
ball locks into the plate. This design takes the least space in the
bed, and allows the truck to be used for other things when not
towing. Another, similar design has a crossbar in which the plate
is mounted, spanning the wheel wells.
Anyone hauling horses with a bumper-pull style (non-gooseneck)
trailer should consider a weight-distributing hitch. Unlike the
weight-carrying variety, which places the trailer's full tongue
weight on the hitch ball, a weight-distributing hitch "spreads the
weight around," putting some on the vehicle frame and some on the
trailer frame.
The principal behind weight-distributing hitches is explained this
way by S.L. McCrea of Five-R, Inc,, a trailer shop in Golden, Colo.
""If you lay a board across two sawhorses and have a fat man sit on
it, it might break. But if you have him lie down across the board,
it will be more likely to hold his weight."
The wrong choice here can over-compress the vehicle's rear
suspension, causing a harsh ride. The reduced range of the
suspension may also roughen the ride for the ponies, since the
trailer relies partly on the truck to absorb road shock. The
vehicle's front end can rise slightly like a weary trained elephant,
resulting in loss of steerability. Suspension components can be
permanently deformed.
Like sway bars, weight-distributing hitches are installed by the
dealer, not the factory. To select a hitch it's necessary to know
the trailer's gross vehicle weight and tongue weight. The first
figure includes the trailer itself plus the maximum allowable load.
If you don't plan to push the weight limits of the trailer, you may
get by with a lesser hitch, but it's not advisable. You can
determine the actual weight and the tongue weight at a commercial
truck scale. Tongue weight should be 10-15 percent of trailer
weight when loaded.
For a one- or two-horse trailer weighing less than 3,500 pounds,
particularly with a larger truck, a weight-carrying hitch may
suffice. But be wary of bumper hitches, in which the ball is
inserted directly into the bumper, McCrea advises. Often the weak
link in such a setup is the bolts that mount the bumper to the truck
frame. This problem is common especially with bumpers purchased
second-hand, or not installed professionally.
When a truck and trailer unexpectedly part company, it's the job a
breakaway switch to activate the trailer brakes. Such a device is
required by law in some states, but not all. Some trailer
manufacturers, but not all, include a breakaway switch as original
equipment. The system, by necessity, also includes a battery
onboard the trailer.
Trailer manufacturers often offer choices among axles, built to
carry anywhere from 3,500 up to 8,000 or even 10,000 pounds apiece.
A two-axle stock trailer typically would be fitted with heavy-duty
axles. Buyers may also be asked to decide between torsion axles and
slipper-spring style axles. Slipper-spring axles are perhaps
tougher, and better suited for rough roads. Torsion axles provide
fully independent suspension at all four wheels, and should give a
smoother ride most of the time, particularly on the highway.
In the world of trailer bodies, aluminum continues to grow in use,
though industry-wide sales figures aren't available. According to
Kenneth Hobbs, vice president of 4-Star Trailers, the advantages of
aluminum justify its added cost for any size trailer. But it's
particularly crucial when hauling teams of 10 or more more horses,
for which a sufficiently large steel trailer would necessitate the
pulling power of a semi-tractor.
Aluminum works well on the highway, a horse breeder told me. But on
rough roads, aluminum welds tend to break, he claimed. Hobbs
disagrees. "Originally a lot of people tried making aluminum
trailers to the same specs as steel—the same gauge metal, the same
kind of welds—and you can't do that," he said. Design and
manufacturing techniques have advanced, and aluminum trailers are
now stronger than steel, Hobbs claims.
Slant-load configurations represent a signpficant development in
trailer bodies. Researchers have determined that when horses stand
at a 45-degree angle to the front of the trailer, rather than
pointed straight ahead, they arrive at their destination less
fatigued. Slant-load designs also make for more efficient use of
floor space; more horses will the same size trailer.
The popularity of trailering in general has spurred changes in
Americans' truck-buying preferences. Most significant has been the
emergence of compact trucks such as the Ford Ranger and Chevy S-10,
as well as the Dodge Dakota which is billed as mid-size. Toyota
entered the fray in 1993 with its mid-size T100 truck, which is a
bit longer and heavier than the Dakota.
But even with optional trailering-towing equipment, trucks in this
class generally tow no more than about 6,000 pounds. With a V8,
the Dakota is rated for 6,700 pounds. That's enough for
small-to-medium boats, camp trailers, and two-horse tagalongs. But
for polo-size stock trailers, a full-size truck remains the only
practical option.
Terms such as "half-ton truck," technically, are obsolete; they no
longer have any literal meaning. At one time they referred to the
payloads of pickups. Each of the domestic makers still offers
trucks in three general size classes. Ford's, for example, are the
F-150, F-250, and F-350--names for what are commonly called Ford's
half-ton, three-quarter ton, and one-ton trucks. But their real
payloads far exceed those figures.
For an average-size 10,000-pound polo trailer, sufficient pulling
power can be supplied only by any of the domestic truck makers'
"three-quarter ton" or "one-ton" trucks. A "half-ton" truck
generally won't do the job. Chevrolet's three-quarter ton K2500
pickup, for example, can tow up to 12,000 pounds. The half-ton
K1500 is rated to tow just 8,500 pounds.
Exceeding a truck's rated tow capacity can have all kinds of bad
results, says Ford powertrain engineer Mike Smith. "It depends
where the weak link in the system is," he says. "It could cause
overheating, bad braking, or lack of acceleration. It could be that
the frame or even the body can't handle the stress."
Dodge's dramatically styled Ram truck, new for 1994, will sport a
V10 engine. It will be the industry's largest gasoline engine, with
450 pounds-feet of torque, exceeding that of even the biggest diesel
engines of Ford and GM. The truck will be rated to tow 13,600
pounds. Another excellent trailer-towing engine from Dodge is the
economical six-cylinder Cummins turbo diesel, rated to tow 12,300
pounds in the Ram truck.
For towing, according to Smith, engine torque is more important than
horsepower. While horsepower determines acceleration, torque
relates to a vehicle's ability to pull a load steadily down the
road. Recent high-performance sport trucks such as GM's Syclone and
Ford's F-150 Lightning have been heavy on horsepower but almost
useless for towing and hauling.
Putting power to the pavement is the province of wheels and tires.
On a full-size truck, the original tires are likely to carry a "D"
load rating, which may not be enough when the vehicle is joined with
a heavy trailer. Some new radials designed mainly for commercial
vehicles feature tough steel sidewalls—and an expectedly harsh
ride. Polo-team haulers who occasionally take their rigs off the
road may appreciate a tire with a more aggressive tread than the
original-equipment ribbed radials.
Trailer tires too usually are rib-type radials, which are fine for a
vehicle that's towing, not being towed. Again, the correct load
rating, as is proper inflation. An under-inflated tire can lose
nearly half of its load-carrying capacity. Dual wheels, or "dualies,"
enhance vehicle stability and improve towing. They're offered as
original equipment on the biggest ("one-ton") configurations of all
three domestic automakers' pickups. Other trucks, including older
Fords which didn't offer dualies, can be retrofitted.
Another upgrade of potential interest to trailer towers, offered in
the aftermarket, are auxiliary transmissions. These devices bolt
drirectly to manual or automatic transmissions, and serve the same
purpose as two-speed axles used by long-haul truckers. An auxiliary
transmission allows the driver to "split gears" by underdriving or
overdriving an existing gear. This increases power or improves fuel
economy, as needed.
An auxiliary transmission costs approximately $2,000 including
installation. Vehicle manufacturers say these products will void a
factory warranty only if they are judged to have damaged the
original transmission—a judgment they reserve the right to make.
Original-equipment transmissions on trucks, unlike a decade ago, now
commonly include an overdrive gear.
That's good for fuel economy, and manufacturers sanction using
overdrive even for towing. But with an automatic, Smith warns,
overdrive should not be used if it results in excessive upshifting
and downshifting. In hilly terrain especially, frequent shifts
cause heat, which destroys bearings and seals in automatic
transmissions.
When towing in higher altitudes, expect a two percent loss of engine
power for every 1,000-foot gain in altitude, due to the lower air
density. Loading horse trailers is an art that even many long-time
horsemen haven't mastered, says Tom Simpson, a breeder and trailer
dealer in Kamas, Utah. The trick is, "Push, don't pull," he says.
"You can't lead a horse off a cliff, but you can push it off."
### |
