"Haste makes waste"

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by emij

That is exactly what I was thinking as I watched the beginning! Such beautiful country and I want to know where it is and when can i go there

Well I have already answered the first question...

Originally Posted by gordon2

I went to the video on YouTube and found the poster added these comments:

Interstate 82 East Bound at the 9 Mile Marker in Washington State. ....

But I cannot help you with your second question

[stevebaz]

For me its hit the trailer brake and reduce speed before getting in the ditch. Speed kills get as much speed off as possible. Trailer driver took is chance and rolled his dice, he lost. At least everyone was OK. With that big slab of trailer passing a truck at speed there's a good amount of air coming off the big rig pushing on that big trailer. A little miss calculation of trailer balance and your in trouble. who knows whats inside that toy hauler.

[Kai in Seattle]

gordon2, thanks for checking on the driver & fam! Good news.

And, YES, I thought it looked like territory we've been over many, many times! Long, uphill, HOT in summer, COLD in winter, windy area, nothing around in terms of towns, rest stops, etc. for decades of miles for many stretches. Thanks for noting that, too.


Kai
ai as in wait

[nefldiver]

Yeah, that's why I take a giant chill pill whenever I'm pulling my trailer. Plus you're on vacation for crying out loud what's the big hurry why can't you relax.

[Roger H]

I've been a member here since 2004 and Airforums.com since 2003. After all these years, I'm still amazed at the lack of understanding of what causes sway events among people who tow... and that despite hundreds of threads like this on both sites, there's still controversy about what causes a sway event.

1. ST tires are rated at 65mph for a reason.
2. the tongue weight needs to be about 12%+/- of the weight of the trailer
3. trailer loading is significant. see #2
4. all trailers sway at speed, the key is to keep the speed of onset lower than your driving speed
5. a sway event can be induced by a variety of factors, but speed is always the #1 cause.
6. whether or not you successfully survive a sway event without a crash depends on your equipment, trailer balance, and recognizing immediately what's happening and taking the necessary steps to stop it.
7. anti-sway equipment is excellent right up until all the other things that are wrong overcome it's ability to handle the physics. See #1, #2 and #3.

I posted this to a thread here a couple of months ago. Hopefully it has some useful information:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post707298

[nefldiver]

Originally Posted by Roger H

I've been a member here since 2004 and Airforums.com since 2003. After all these years, I'm still amazed at the lack of understanding of what causes sway events among people who tow... and that despite hundreds of threads like this on both sites, there's still controversy about what causes a sway event. But you are right probably the most important thing was speed

1. ST tires are rated at 65mph for a reason.
2. the tongue weight needs to be about 12%+/- of the weight of the trailer
3. trailer loading is significant. see #2
4. all trailers sway at speed, the key is to keep the speed of onset lower than your driving speed
5. a sway event can be induced by a variety of factors, but speed is always the #1 cause.
6. whether or not you successfully survive a sway event without a crash depends on your equipment, trailer balance, and recognizing immediately what's happening and taking the necessary steps to stop it.
7. anti-sway equipment is excellent right up until all the other things that are wrong overcome it's ability to handle the physics. See #1, #2 and #3.

I posted this to a thread here a couple of months ago. Hopefully it has some useful information:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post707298

The low pressure between the truck and the travel trailer probably initiated this way as the trailer was sucked toward the semi. That is when number one two and three could have contributed to the sway going out of control. Also the driver could have overcompensating contributing to the outcome

[ShelbyM]

Originally Posted by Roger H

5. a sway event can be induced by a variety of factors, but speed is always the #1 cause.

May be more accurate to say the events generally have speed in common. I've not seen speed, absent other issues, listed as a cause of sway. Whatever the cause, speed will make things worse. Otherwise, good summary of the common wisdom.

[Scott Thomson]

I just retired from trucking long distance. I can tell you that semi drivers and trailer drivers are not all the same, just as logic would tell you. There are good and bad drivers in both groups. Maintain a safe following distance and drive no more than the posted speed. A semi should follow at a n pace of one second for every 10 mph of speed, at a minimum. This means that if the truck is going 60, it should allow at least 6 seconds of following space. This can be estimated by picking out a mile marker, mailbox, etc and when the vehicle in front passes that marker, count until the following vehicle gets to the marker. If a semi is following too close, try slowing down in a good passing area. Remember, if you are towing a trailer, just as it is with semis, it will take you longer than normal to stop also. Good luck and safe and pleasant travels.

[Ion]

I definitely believe that wind pressure was a big factor for causing the sway, however the speed limit for trucks and towed vehicles is 55 mph so why pass something that is exceeding the speed limit?

I have only experienced sway a couple of times in the distant past, and was able to control it with a little touch of trailer brakes on the controller. Not the truck brake pedal!

[KarlB]

Holy F***, holy F*** is right. My gosh we have to constantly be vigilant when towing anything. No matter if the load is balanced or not; slow down and anticipate man!!
Personally, I think 60mph is fast enough when towing.
I wonder if the driver (I hope no one was injured) took in consideration the low pressure zone when passing tracker-trailers.
Well it is a very costly way to find out.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Ion

I definitely believe that wind pressure was a big factor for causing the sway, however the speed limit for trucks and towed vehicles is 55 mph so why pass something that is exceeding the speed limit?

towing speed limits vary. in California, they are 55. in places like Nevada, Texas, they are the speed limit, often 75 on interstates.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Franswa

When we got our Casita at the factory we had to have a brake controller and a sway bar before they would let us have it.

by "sway bar" do you mean a weight distribution hitch (WDH).....or an actual sway bar system......the two get confused on here A LOT....

I mean a very simple 2 piece sway bar. I really don't want a WDH that weighs so much we need 2 men to lift it into place adding a lot of weight onto my TV. We sold a 16 ft Casita once and the people pulled it with a mini-van that had a WDH on it. When they put the hitch on the van went down at least 2 inches. To much weight to me.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

the law varies by state. In California and many states, all trailers over 1500 lbs gross must have brakes.

hmm, this, https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/trailer-brakes/ says thats for camp trailers... utility trailers, looks like its 3000 lbs. also has the rules for every state, many of which have a 3000 lb limit.

That is an excellent web site. I also found Rules of the Road & Towing Laws in the 2017 Good Sam RV & Savings Guide. It is on page 126-127. It shows every state and Canadian Province for trailer size allowed, riding in trailer laws, weight of trailer needing brakes, etc. It also covers the law of needing lights on during the day. In some provinces of Canada they are required all the time. It could be on the Good Sam sight and the 2018 book also but I haven't checked that out.

[Franswa]

it's a federal law....all vehicles sold in Canada must have daytime running lights (headlights)....and these are high-beam on half power BTW....I know sounds crazy but that's the rules.....and proven to lower car crashes in many other jurisdictions...


now given the intricacies of vehicle electrics these days....I have a friend who imported a Suburban from California....when he went to register it in BC....that daytime running lights issue cost him close to 600 bucks to address/rectify !!!


on the sway/wreck issue (that I started BTW)....if you notice just about all the disaster videos you see about those were taken from semi dashcams......yep I'd say windage of the trailer (the bigger the better?) and all that air that the semi displaces has a whole lot to do with it.....yeah sure, go ahead and pass that minivan.....semi-trailer up ahead???? ah, maybe think twice about it......

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Franswa

it's a federal law....all vehicles sold in Canada must have daytime running lights (headlights)....and these are high-beam on half power BTW....I know sounds crazy but that's the rules.....and proven to lower car crashes in many other jurisdictions...


now given the intricacies of vehicle electrics these days....I have a friend who imported a Suburban from California....when he went to register it in BC....that daytime running lights issue cost him close to 600 bucks to address/rectify !!!


on the sway/wreck issue (that I started BTW)....if you notice just about all the disaster videos you see about those were taken from semi dashcams......yep I'd say windage of the trailer (the bigger the better?) and all that air that the semi displaces has a whole lot to do with it.....yeah sure, go ahead and pass that minivan.....semi-trailer up ahead???? ah, maybe think twice about it......

Yes if a vehicle is sold in Canada they must have DRL's but they don't require them on visitor's vehicles evidently. The only provinces that require them full time is the Yukon, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories and Prince Edward Island according to the list in Rules of the Road & Towing Laws. When we were in BC and AL we were not required to have them but my current vehicle has them. So I'm covered no matter what the law is. Being required is good. You can see a person coming if their lights are on a lot better in the daytime. Plus a lot of people just don't turn them on until it's way to dark to see them.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Franswa

.....if you notice just about all the disaster videos you see about those were taken from semi dashcams.......

Yes the windage from a semi is an issue, but (assuming that you are correct), I suspect that most of the posted videos are from semi's because semi's have the vast majority of dash cams on the road.

However, Dash-cams are becoming more common for all drivers. In fact I have small collection of dash-cam videos of close calls and one recording where a guy ran into the back corner of my (non-semi) van.

But professional drivers have been using video recording much more frequently than the general motoring public, either because it is required by their employer or for their own protection.

PS.. I have been very pleasantly surprised by the lack of much effect from passing semi's with my van and Scamp 16.. for me, its never been an issue. The conditions tht existed in this case recorded by video are differnet however.

[nefldiver]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Yes the windage from a semi is an issue, but (assuming that you are correct), I suspect that most of the posted videos are from semi's because semi's have the vast majority of dash cams on the road.

However, Dash-cams are becoming more common for all drivers. In fact I have small collection of dash-cam videos of close calls and one recording where a guy ran into the back corner of my (non-semi) van.

But professional drivers have been using video recording much more frequently than the general motoring public, either because it is required by their employer or for their own protection.

PS.. I have been very pleasantly surprised by the lack of much effect from passing semi's with my van and Scamp 16.. for me, its never been an issue. The conditions tht existed in this case recorded by video are differnet however.

The Casitas are a much more streamlined rounded shape and create much less low pressure. The larger Square sides of a big fifth wheel or travel trailer create a lot more suction between it and a semi

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by nefldiver

The Casitas are a much more streamlined rounded shape and create much less low pressure. The larger Square sides of a big fifth wheel or travel trailer create a lot more suction between it and a semi

That was exactly my point too.. a Scamp, Casita, etc is more streamlined and handles passing semi's much better than a big speeding box trailer.

[slowpat]

The speed limit on the road in the video is 70mph for cars and 60 for trucks and pulling trailers. The latter is rarely enforced. That stretch would be downhill for the trailer and semi and many seem to want to fly down it in order to make up time lost on the uphill stretch before.

I seldom see any cops on that stretch. They are more common on I-90 and in the Yakima area, where the speed for everyone slows to 60 mph.

[ccox]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Why does the video run 48 seconds before you even see the guy passing? Can't they hurry this up? As in, cut 38 seconds from the beginning? I have other posts to read. <_<

Ha! One of my pet peeves, also!

Chuck