"Haste makes waste"

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Jann Todd

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.

I'm sure this Good Sam list of rules/laws for different states/countries is informative Jann, but it's really is nothing more than general info to travelers. There are a few roads I use that require head lights on but it's not the norm in CA but if it's posted or the rules of the country, easy to do. Riding in a TT, unless you like to experience a drier tumble dry....no. As far as brakes, I totally believe that all TTs of any size should have them but. The legal requirements of them being on a TT traveling though places that require them at certain weights are null and void. The requirements are set by the state/province that it's registered in. Really a non issue for travelers.

[Mike in WIS]

Originally Posted by sharon_b

Somewhere there was a safety video posted that showed when the tail starts to wagging the dog it’s better to speed up than slow down. Once the camper is up on one end of the axle tho, I think it’s a done deal.

SAFETY TIPS
Know how to avoid trailer sway before it starts.
Reduce speed by removing your foot from the accelerator.
Hold the steering wheel straight.
Do not try to control the sway by turning the steering wheel.
Do not brake or speed up.
Get to a safe place and adjust your load with more weight to the front.

[dogteam]

I'm shocked how many other vehicles just cruise on by. I know I can't see what's going on behind, and that "too many cooks" can be a bad thing....but I'd be stopping to help probably ....got to be injuries there...

[Mike in WIS]

Agreed!
You’d think people would call 911 and render first aid

[Kai in Seattle]

Mike in WIS: someone may well have called 911, but that stretch is far from any services. We've been on it a hundred times. Even in town, it would take longer than that video runs for something to show up.

As for injuries, there was nothing serious, I hear, to the driver dad or his son.

Amazingly.

[LyleB]

Originally Posted by Scott Thomson

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.

I think it's been a couple of decades since I've seen a trucker honor any kind of tailgating safety distance. Truckers, today, are not nearly as courteous or professional as they once were.

[Paul O.]

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.
...
4. all trailers sway at speed, the key is to keep the speed of onset lower than your driving speed
...

It is a good list, but I am sure you meant to keep your speed (well) below the speed of oscillation.

There is the concept of accelerating through (past) the speed of oscillation (critical speed), but that also means that when slowing down, you would be at that speed again for some time. This thing is sometimes tolerated in rotating machinery, and can be observed on something like your bench top grinder. I would not recommend anyone to test this on the highway - please!

Re: what drives the oscillation, there must be some effect of the sharp corners and flat back of the conventional trailers doing what is called vortex shedding and their frequency and strength sure will be speed dependent.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Jann Todd

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.

Must disagree EMPHATICALLY!.
DRLs are dangerous. I constantly see people driving with DRLs after dark, because they can see ahead. NO taillights!

I do see the merit of running lights in the daytime though, since the new cars are all the color of pavement.
I just got home from a long drive and I think a 1959 traffic scene from Dragnet(B&W) would be far more colorful than the live traffic I saw today.

[honda03842]

Our rules are:
1.weight over the trailer axle when a choice,
2.weight low in the trailer,
3. tire pressures of tow vehicle near maximum,
4. tire pressure of tow vehicle elevated, particularly the rear tires,
5.pressure/temperature sensors on trailer tires (Ginny watches these as we drive, she has detected a locked disc brake this way,
6. stay under 65 mph (trailer tire max),
7. anti-sway bar for the emergency situation, (though the Scamp has never shown any tendency for sway),
8. one place we differ is our ball load is 200 #s, or 8% of trailer axle weight,
9. regularly adjust tire pressure to counter temperature change, (a single trip takes us from FL to Newfoundland),
10. weight in tow vehicle over or in front of axle,
11. every morning activate brake controller as leaving campground, (as a test and to make sure I can activate if needed, a good way to stop sway is to activate just the trailer brakes),
12. from driving the a motorhome, no quick motions,
13. We do a lot of towing, entering our 19th year of 7 month a year towing and replace the trailer tires every 3 years.

We went from driving a motorhome to pulling a trailer. The motorhome was dangerous to drive, inadequate brakes and iadequate engine cooling system. Going to a trailer was a relief, not requiring the continuous attention the motorhome required.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by floyd

Must disagree EMPHATICALLY!.
DRLs are dangerous. I constantly see people driving with DRLs after dark, because they can see ahead. NO taillights!

As one who drives regularly on high speed, rural, 2-lane roads, I disagree just as emphatically. DRL's are very helpful. The problem is not the DRL's.

The real culprit is dashboard lighting that's on both day and night. My previous vehicle also had DRL's, but when it got dark and I could no longer see the instruments, I knew to turn on the headlights. No problem.

In my newer vehicle with dash lighting that stays on in daytime, I have found myself driving after dark as you say with only DRL's, no taillights. Usually happens in the city with lots of streetlights, so I don't notice how dim the headlights are in DRL mode.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

As one who drives regularly on high speed, rural, 2-lane roads, I disagree just as emphatically. DRL's are very helpful. The problem is not the DRL's.

The real culprit is dashboard lighting that's on both day and night. My previous vehicle also had DRL's, but when it got dark and I could no longer see the instruments, I knew to turn on the headlights. No problem.
In my newer vehicle with dash lighting that stays on in daytime, I have found myself driving after dark as you say with only DRL's, no taillights.

Designers intended for drivers to leave headlights in auto mode 24/7. Problem I've found is the light sensor requires almost full darkness to turn on headlights. They don't turn on when it's dusky or raining. So I still have to use the switch.

Most cars still don't have auto mode on their headlights. We do have adequate rules for when headlights should be on.
Another thing which is about as dumb as DRLs...
On GM cars and some others, the remote "unlock" feature turns on the "back-up" lights. This is both annoying and potentially dangerous.
I am glad that at least "so far" no car I would buy has decided to force such nonsense, but I do expect some brilliant bureaucrats will eventually do so. Fact is...even a giant "Jack-in-the-box" clown head bobbling around on the roof of every car wouldn't be a substitute for poor driving habits.


Addendum... I just found out that my new Ranger will have DRLs

[Sid]

Today, just now on I94 outside of Bozeman Montana. Same story, different day. [emoji50]

[Jon in AZ]

Triple towing, it appears.

[Kai in Seattle]

Jon in AZ:

Oregon allows semis to haul two trailers at a time. They are LOOOOONG!

Kai

[Paul O.]

My 2013 Tacoma has OFF>DRL>parking lights>headlights on the knob on the stalk to the left of the steering wheel. It stays in the headlights position all the time. The headlight go off when I turn off the engine and open the door. That is perfect for me. When towing, the Scamp lights are on as well.

My wife's 2016 Corolla does it differently and I refuse to remember what it is. Some car designers do not have their head on straight.

[jon carpenter]

The last several Subaru's I've owned are the same as Paul O's. DRL's on until the key is off and out of the ignition. Great system. When I tow with our F-150, the lights are on manually all the time. When I turn off the ignition, a dinger reminds me to turn off the lights if I left them on. I always tow with all lights on....day or night.


jon

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by floyd

Must disagree EMPHATICALLY!.
DRLs are dangerous. I constantly see people driving with DRLs after dark, because they can see ahead. NO taillights!

I do see the merit of running lights in the daytime though, since the new cars are all the color of pavement.
I just got home from a long drive and I think a 1959 traffic scene from Dragnet(B&W) would be far more colorful than the live traffic I saw today.

Both of my vehicles with DRL's turn on the head and tail lights at dark along with head lights on during the day. If it is raining or slightly dark my tail lights come on as if it was night. I never have to turn on my lights manually. I hope auto manufacturers are no longer doing head lights only. I drove a work vehicle that didn't have tail lights on at night. I hated the vehicle. You are right those are dangerous.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Jann Todd

Both of my vehicles with DRL's turn on the head and tail lights at dark along with head lights on during the day. If it is raining or slightly dark my tail lights come on as if it was night. I never have to turn on my lights manually. I hope auto manufacturers are no longer doing head lights only. I drove a work vehicle that didn't have tail lights on at night. I hated the vehicle. You are right those are dangerous.

The function of your automatic headlights should not be confused with DRLs.

[Franswa]

forgetting to turn on your headlights because your DRLs fool you into thinking your "lights are on"....is a bit of a problem...probably responsible for more impaired drivers being pulled over and charged than any other single thing


making the tail lights come on as well has been talked about...but so far it's just been talk...here's a little history...in Canada and worldwide...




https://www.theglobeandmail.com/glob...ticle23577919/

[nefldiver]

I am in Florida and I ride with my high beams on in the day because it makes you safer. To cars contemplating pulling out in front of you, it makes you appear closer and looks like you're going faster than you are, causing him to be more hesitant to pull out in front of you. Also I installed a yellow LED strobe fixture and mounted it to the top of my passenger windshield on the inside. It seems to really help keep people from pulling out in front of me and my trailer