Re: Towing

[Tom Mandera <tsm1@domain.elided>]

> towing and what the tow vehicle would be.  I wanted the
> trailer because tow-bar towing sucks.  The short version is

Why does tow-bar towing "suck"?  Not contesting, just curious.  What is
*so* wrong with it?

No brakes, and steering can get funny on ya.. the brakes can be overcome
(Tom Harais clued us in on a $400 unit that actuates the "toad"
brakes)... and caster should help the steering.. so what makes a trailer
tow SO much better over a flat-tow tow-bar?

When I flat towed a Scout II home, it pushed and wiggled a bit at
anything over 45mph.  I'm trying to figure out what would help this
issue, since I plan on towing my racer to RMIHR this summer.. and I am
NOT going 45mph the whole way to Denver!  (I dang near did this last
trip, and I hated it so much I changed motors out)

Would caster on the tow'd vehicle help?  I know it'd help the "follow"
but what about the "wander" (wiggle)?  Caster on the TOWING vehicle make
a huge difference?  

My racer should weigh less than the bone-stock Scout I towed home...
but, OTOH, when going to RMIHR, I plan on using the racer as a trailer
to haul stuff in... = more weight.

Why is my tow-bar only rated to 5,000lbs?  What makes it good for that
much?  What makes it bad for 5500lbs?  the stock Scout II I towed home
probably weighed in right around that mark.. what's the first "stress
point" I should worry about?  At some point, this tow bar may be pressed
into service to tow my much heavier daily driver/trail rig home or to a
trail head.  What am I risking breaking?

-Tom Mandera, Helena MT
http://www.tmcom.com/~tsm1/scout