Thread: scraping bottom
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Old 04-12-2015, 08:25 AM   #25
Bill
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Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Padgett View Post
I keep trying to tell people that the wheelbase is not as important as the ratio of the wheelbase to the distance from the centerline of the rear axle to the center of the hitch ball. Since for my short-tail jeep the ratio is right on 3:1 (higher is better) I think that is a lot of the reason it tows so well.
I agree that axle-to-ball distance is important. But the rest of the situation is that the "wheelbase" of the TM competes with the wheelbase of the tow vehicle for control of the rig. When the TM pushes the rear of the tow vehicle sideways, it is trying to swing the tow vehicle around. It is the wheelbase of the tow vehicle that resists it. If a rig has the suggested 3:1 ratio on the tow vehicle, but a really short wheelbase, it may be asking for trouble.

Just my thought.

Bill
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