Towing with Toyota 4runner V6

[rickst29]

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

When it comes to panic stops, as long as I am towing in a straight line, I expect to be able to push the brake pedal to the floor, let the TV ABS brakes do what they are supposed to do and stop it all in a straight line, very nearly in the same distance that I would have stopped the TV all by itself.

(You know all this, of course- I'm post for the sake of other readers.) All of the TM trailers have brakes, and you "tune" your brake controller to assure that the trailer and TV stopping power is properly matched. (A TV dragging a TM with extremely excessive braking power is bad; a TV being pushed by a TM with failed brakes, or insufficient brakes, is headed straight for the ditch. . Trailer brake power should be set so that Trailer braking is just a tiny, tiny bit stronger than TV braking-- a slight "Drag" on the TV, never a "Push". ) Test your Trailer brakes every single time you put the TV into "drive". ALWAYS!

The straight line braking power of the TM is matched, and the combination of TV and TM should brake in roughly the same distance as the TV alone. (Very slightly less, actually.) "Undersized TV" towing accidents should never be a result of insufficient braking. Instead, the accidents happen when you, or (far more often!) other people, cause a situation which forces the TM to go out-of-line versus your tow vehicle. Then, by either dragging sideways, or by pushing, it causes the rear axle of your vehicle to skid.

If you're skidding, try to steer towards the direction your REAR AXLE is moving, and also step on the gas (SLIGHTLY) to bring it back in line. If these movements are impossible... then you're probably screwed. And that's the deal about tow vehicles: TV's with longer wheelbases, and more mass, have better resistance against the forces being imposed on the hitch from an out-of-line, misbehaving trailer. They do a better job of resisting induced skids.

[Keith Wire]

Rick,

All of the TM trailers have brakes, and you "tune" your brake controller to assure that the trailer and TV stopping power is properly matched. (A TV dragging a TM with extremely excessive braking power is bad; a TV being pushed by a TM with failed brakes, or insufficient brakes, is headed straight for the ditch. . Trailer brake power should be set so that Trailer braking is just a tiny, tiny bit stronger than TV braking-- a slight "Drag" on the TV, never a "Push". )

That brings up a question...

I am pulling a 2720SL with a 2007 Explorer V-8 and using a Prodigy controller. Here are the adjustment instructions for the brake controller:

1. Connect trailer to tow vehicle.
2. With engine running hold manual full left and set
Power Knob to indicate 6.0
3. Drive tow vehicle and trailer on a dry level paved
surface at 25 mph and fully apply manual knob.
✓ If trailer brakes lock up:
❑ Turn power down using power knob.
✓ If braking was not sufficient:
❑ Turn power up using power knob.
4. Repeat Step (3) until power has been set to a point
just below wheel lock up or at a sufficient force as
to achieve maximum braking power.
5. Using the brake pedal, make a few low speed
stops to check the power setting. Trailer braking is
initiated and terminated via the stoplight switch.
When the brake pedal is released, trailer braking
will cease.

I have never been able to even get the TM tires to skid, and I have seen where others have said the same.

So how do you tell that you have your controller set "just a tiny, tiny bit stronger than the TV braking"?

Keith

[rickst29]

Here is the problem with Prodigy's method:

In bad driving conditions, with packed-down snow or ice, the Trailer pulls on the TV- very strongly. If one side of your TV rear axle starts slipping, your ABS will reduce the braking on that tire- but in this case, the TV's own brakes are not the only cause of the slippage. The Trailer, braking on one side but not the other, starts turning (front of the Trailer AWAY from the side with lost Trailer braking, and towards the front corner of the side where the Trailer tire still has braking power.)

Trailer brakes which are set "just below lock-up" on DRY PAVEMENT are prone to lock up far too easily on snow/ice/wet pavement. (One tire will probably start slipping long before the other, leading to the disastrous rotation result.) And so, I think it's better to make the Trailer a lot less "aggressive" than that: When setting the controller power on dry pavement, don't attempt to go anywhere near Trailer tire lock-up. Instead, go until you feel the Trailer "pulling your TV backwards" with just a moderate amount of "extra" braking power in comparison to the TV stopping all by itself ... and don't push the power adjustment any further. Prodigy is correct that the Trailer must never!!! have LESS braking than the TV... but looking for near lock-up on dry pavement, that's almost asking for tire spin with hard braking in bad conditions. TM Trailers do not have ABS brakes.

[Keith Wire]

Thanks Rick,

I'm going to start a new thread about this. I am not new to driving, or pulling a camper but I find it very hard to determine when

you feel the Trailer "pulling your TV backwards"

Keith

[Mr. Adventure]

There are a lot of things about towing that make for gray areas when we might like to see things in black or white. I don't know the Jeep or have any towing experience with it, but I would encourage a Jeep owner to do a search this forum and carefully read about the experiences of our members who have firsthand experience (my first pass produced some accounts that offer red flags to me).

I'm always up for an adventure. I grew up in Minnesota and I've often said that when the weather is so bad that only idiots are out there, you can have the road pretty much to yourself. But I wouldn't tow a TrailManor in snow except in an absolute emergency:
- The tow vehicle has anti-lock brakes which provide better braking and steering control than the trailer can.
- The trailer brakes can't do their fair share on the slippery surface. They will lock easily and therefore skid.
- The trailer's unstable extra braking load will be placed on the tow vehicle at the point of the hitch ball.
- An urgent need to stop becomes an opportunity to jackknife out of control. Your vehicle will become more stable once it's going backwards, if you're lucky enough to be still on the road.

Winter driving on clear days is not so bad, and cold weather may reduce the burden on hot transmissions. But the direction of travel is ideally South with a close eye on the weather, IMO.

I have never towed in snow or ice, but last Memorial day I towed downhill on a single lane dirt road off camber towards the downhill side that was 6 inches of slimy slippery mud. It took an hour to go 3.4 miles.

I used the mirrors to make sure that at least one TM wheel was in the trench that my 4wd truck had carved out of the mud. This reduced the sliding sideways of the TM substantially.

I'm not sure which is worse, my trip in the mud or ice and snow on a well plowed interstate.

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

I'm not sure which is worse, my trip in the mud or ice and snow on a well plowed interstate.

The interstate, because of all the other vehicles on it ... and at least 10% are really bad drivers.