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The Importance of Balancing a Trailer's Weight Distribution Demonstrated

Towing something isn't as simple as hitching a trailer to your vehicle the day you've picked up your license and driving off into the sunset, no questions asked. Well, you could technically do that too, but you'd probably end up in one of those YouTube videos where the trailer seems to have a mind of its own.
Trailer weight distribution demonstration 4 photos
Photo: Facebook screenshot
Trailer weight distribution demonstrationTrailer weight distribution demonstrationTrailer weight distribution demonstration
Driving an articulated vehicle takes time, and we're not just talking about that awkward moment when you need to reverse for the first time. These things are better done on a closed road at first, or a large, empty parking lot so that you won't interfere with traffic in any way.

However, it's not just close-quarters maneuvers that can be tricky once a trailer is attached. Cruising along in a straight line at high speed can also pose problems. Having extra weight attached to your car can turn it into a pendulum provided enough force is applied to whatever it is in tow.

That force may take the shape of a giant hand in this video - assuming the car was at full scale - but it can come in all sorts of forms and shapes. It can be a gust of wind, an irregularity in the road or simply a swerving maneuver initiated by the driver to avoid an obstacle. That lateral motion will send the trailer one side, and by pulling the steering wheel the other way, you will only generate what physics describe as a "couple," and when that happens, the chances of saving the situation are close to zero.

There are a number of factors that can influence the severity of the swerve. One of them is the position of the trailer axle relative to its length. Equally important is the mass of the vehicle compared to that of the trailer and its load: the heavier the towing car, the less likely it is it will be affected by any lateral movement of the rig behind it.

But the most important has got to be the trailer's weight distribution. Ideally, you'd want as much of it as close as possible to the towing vehicle, but that would put a lot of strain on the towing system, as well as the rear suspension of the car. Too far back, though, and keeping it stable becomes a problem. This very short clip using an RC Ford Mustang, a treadmill and a trailer fitted with removable weights shows what will happen in each of these scenarios if the trailer is pushed to the side. A real eye opener.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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