Reply to thread

Message

I missed the significance of that particular sentence earlier so I want to reinforce it for readers. While there is no "rule of thumb" for that ratio that I could find, it just makes sense for smaller, lighter tow vehicles. Unlike a real truck these are primarily passenger vehicles that also can tow a bit.

A common rule of thumb for consumer-type towing vehicles is the tow vehicle wheelbase length to trailer length ratio. The first 110" of tow vehicle wheelbase gives you about 20' of trailer. Every 4" of additional wheelbase gives you 12" more trailer.

My 2020 Equinox has a wheelbase of 107". While there is no formula to "reverse" that wheelbase-to-trailer rule, if you did, it would be a lot less than 19'. Shorter wheelbase vehicles are just more unstable when a trailer behind you starts to sway. That's a LOT of leverage and wind load back there trying to whip you around.

There are no standardized tests that a vehicle manufacturer can use to try and determine how much is too much. It's all drivetrain, frame, and brake related. But itt also depends on what you're towing. A 20' boat trailer that is primarily open to the wind and semi-streamlined with the boat hull is going to present far less side wind load than a 20' box trailer where every side adds dramatically to the sail effect.

As usual, the correct answer is "It depends" but in this case it's not "more is better"; it's "less is better".

<blockquote data-quote="NXR71" data-source="post: 22726" data-attributes="member: 6892">I missed the significance of that particular sentence earlier so I want to reinforce it for readers. While there is no &quot;rule of thumb&quot; for that ratio that I could find, it just makes sense for smaller, lighter tow vehicles. Unlike a real truck these are primarily passenger vehicles that also can tow a bit.A common rule of thumb for consumer-type towing vehicles is the tow vehicle wheelbase length to trailer length ratio. The first 110&quot; of tow vehicle wheelbase gives you about 20' of trailer. Every 4&quot; of additional wheelbase gives you 12&quot; more trailer. My 2020 Equinox has a wheelbase of 107&quot;. While there is no formula to &quot;reverse&quot; that wheelbase-to-trailer rule, if you did, it would be a lot less than 19'. Shorter wheelbase vehicles are just more unstable when a trailer behind you starts to sway. That's a LOT of leverage and wind load back there trying to whip you around. There are no standardized tests that a vehicle manufacturer can use to try and determine how much is too much. It's all drivetrain, frame, and brake related. But itt also depends on what you're towing. A 20' boat trailer that is primarily open to the wind and semi-streamlined with the boat hull is going to present far less side wind load than a 20' box trailer where every side adds dramatically to the sail effect.As usual, the correct answer is &quot;It depends&quot; but in this case it's not &quot;more is better&quot;; it's &quot;less is better&quot;.<img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile&nbsp; &nbsp; :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

[QUOTE="NXR71, post: 22726, member: 6892"] I missed the significance of that particular sentence earlier so I want to reinforce it for readers. While there is no "rule of thumb" for that ratio that I could find, it just makes sense for smaller, lighter tow vehicles. Unlike a real truck these are primarily passenger vehicles that also can tow a bit. A common rule of thumb for consumer-type towing vehicles is the tow vehicle wheelbase length to trailer length ratio. The first 110" of tow vehicle wheelbase gives you about 20' of trailer. Every 4" of additional wheelbase gives you 12" more trailer. My 2020 Equinox has a wheelbase of 107". While there is no formula to "reverse" that wheelbase-to-trailer rule, if you did, it would be a lot less than 19'. Shorter wheelbase vehicles are just more unstable when a trailer behind you starts to sway. That's a LOT of leverage and wind load back there trying to whip you around. There are no standardized tests that a vehicle manufacturer can use to try and determine how much is too much. It's all drivetrain, frame, and brake related. But itt also depends on [B]what [/B]you're towing. A 20' boat trailer that is primarily open to the wind and semi-streamlined with the boat hull is going to present far less side wind load than a 20' box trailer where every side adds dramatically to the sail effect. As usual, the correct answer is "It depends" but in this case it's not "more is better"; it's "less is better".:) [/QUOTE]