Why NOT tow with a shackle flip?

[BadDog]

Maybe their lab testing showed it wasn't a problem? Of course, I work with engineers every day, and they make tons of mistakes, so anything is possible

No doubt, I guess time will tell. I just wish I could understand why they made the change. I'm sure there was some reason, but it sure blows my "understanding" out of the water...

 

[jac6695]

I finally fixed the problem by getting a weight distributing setup. it effectively limited my rear axle movement, by trying to make the trailer and my truck move as a singular unit. What a Difference in towing it was!!!!

No more white nuckle. Heck, the truck drove better towing than it did without the WD setup. I had virtually no bump steer, the truck tracked straight and true.

If you want to tow with your k5, I strongly recommend a WD setup.

This is a point that I tried to make. You always need to use proper equipment towing anyway, and towing with a lifted short wheelbase vehicle makes it absolutely necessary. As I stated above, my 23' travel trailer did just fine behind my K5, but the WD setup helped that.

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

I agree, I use a WD setup as well, and if I had sway issues, I'd use sway control as well.

 

[jac6695]

I agree

Finally!

 

[tRustyK5]

I've towed our 21 foot camper trailer to Hell and back with my K5, probably close to 10,000 miles all together. I would do so again even with a shackle flip, but certainly not without my weight distributing hitch.

This was all with a 4" lift and 35's, the drop hitch was over 10" to keep the trailer close to level.

I believe that a properly set-up WD hitch negates any slight differences caused by a shackle flip. With all the towing I did with my K5 I can honestly say I've never run into any sway problems, or anything that remotely made my butt try to inhale the upholstery. That includes two panic stop situations that I can recall.

Rene

 

[BadDog]

Now the WD hitch is something I can totally agree on too. Pretty much makes the compression/tension irrelevant for anything remotely within rated limits.

 

[surpip]

Im not much of a "tower' myself, but i think Towing is to much of a genralization, If you planning on towing a little pop-up tent trailer, well youd be fine with a K5, hell you would probally be fine with a honda civic. Now if your towing a huge lodaded equipment trailer, well shakle flip or not, your going to have the problems associated with towing something that weight and handles like that.

So saying that "towing" with a shakle flip is a bad idea is to much of a grenralization IMHO

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

Surpip,

I disagree. If you take a 1000 lb trailer and load it incorrectly, hitch it up unlevel, and have no trailer brakes, and pull it behind a 1 ton truck, it'll be all over the place (pretty scary).

Take that same 1 ton truck and put a 10,000 lb trailer behind it that is loaded correctly, with 10% of the weight or more on the tongue, use a weight distributing hitch, sway control, and the trailer is rated for the load it is carrying and has brakes that work correctly, and I'd be more than happy to pull it anywhere....even in an underpowered truck.

I'd take a big, properly set up trailer over a small, but poorly loaded and equipped trailer any day.

 

[surpip]

Ya i agree thats true but that comes with the common sence of owning a trailer and towing it., my point was, ill be towing a little trailer for my quad and/or dirt bike with my blazer(shackle fliped) and i wont worry about it, but you wont see me pullin a bobcat trailer, i think it all boils down to common sence, know what your rig is capable of, an ddont try to exceed it, if you do dont bitch about a shackle flip or any thing else causing your crap to break.

 

[BadDog]

But all other things being equal, his point is valid. Even properly loaded and set up I wouldn't want to tow that 10k trailer with a K5, shackle flipped or not. What he is saying is pretty much the same thing several other posts have mentioned. It's a matter of degrees, and it's really impossible to say "you can't tow with a shackle flip" without qualifying the basis for the decision. Trailer weight, equipment, spring rates and lift, connector type, and even tire type and size must be considered. While it might be fine to tow a jet ski or lawn mower utility trailer, it almost certainly will be judged unsafe for that 10k trailer. Figuring out the point where it changes from "ok" to "maybe not" is the real point of this topic, and that is a hard thing to pin down. So, without a full research budget and a team of engineers, we are forced to discuss it in terms of generalities to try to identify a reasonable comfort point with sufficient safety factor to keep us and others on the road as safe as possible.

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

Ya i agree thats true but that comes with the common sence of owning a trailer and towing it., my point was, ill be towing a little trailer for my quad and/or dirt bike with my blazer(shackle fliped) and i wont worry about it, but you wont see me pullin a bobcat trailer, i think it all boils down to common sence, know what your rig is capable of, an ddont try to exceed it, if you do dont bitch about a shackle flip or any thing else causing your crap to break.

Despite the lack of sentence structure, that may be the most intelligent post made yet in this thread.

But all other things being equal, his point is valid. Even properly loaded and set up I wouldn't want to tow that 10k trailer with a K5, shackle flipped or not. What he is saying is pretty much the same thing several other posts have mentioned. It's a matter of degrees, and it's really impossible to say "you can't tow with a shackle flip" without qualifying the basis for the decision. Trailer weight, equipment, spring rates and lift, connector type, and even tire type and size must be considered. While it might be fine to tow a jet ski or lawn mower utility trailer, it almost certainly will be judged unsafe for that 10k trailer. Figuring out the point where it changes from "ok" to "maybe not" is the real point of this topic, and that is a hard thing to pin down. So, without a full research budget and a team of engineers, we are forced to discuss it in terms of generalities to try to identify a reasonable comfort point with sufficient safety factor to keep us and others on the road as safe as possible.

I agree. I tend to err on the side of safety when I don't know enough to decide either way, and that's how I personally feel about this.

Either way, you're right, that's what I tried to mention before, far more factors to be discussed here than just one.

 

[surpip]

Despite the lack of sentence structure, that may be the most intelligent post made yet in this thread.

in a post where Bad Dog is posting im humbled and not shure its true but thanks though
and as far as sentance structure, i have read probally over 400 books novels and other stuff and i still cant write well, so i guess untill i get a personal assistant youll just have to put up with little ole me and my bad grammer

 

[Z3PR]

Surpip,

I disagree. If you take a 1000 lb trailer and load it incorrectly, hitch it up unlevel, and have no trailer brakes, and pull it behind a 1 ton truck, it'll be all over the place (pretty scary).

Take that same 1 ton truck and put a 10,000 lb trailer behind it that is loaded correctly, with 10% of the weight or more on the tongue, use a weight distributing hitch, sway control, and the trailer is rated for the load it is carrying and has brakes that work correctly, and I'd be more than happy to pull it anywhere....even in an underpowered truck.

I'd take a big, properly set up trailer over a small, but poorly loaded and equipped trailer any day.

I spend a couple months helping a friend by running his lawn care bussiness for him while he was layed up after a bad bike wreck. Anywho, on the trailer was 1 52" mower, 1 48" mower 2 22" mowers, and verious other lawn care equipment. This trailer had no breaks. When I towed it with the 78 C30 crew cab duelly, no problem, but if I used the 72 K5 to tow it I had too take it slow because it would get really squarly on the interstate on the curves. Same trailer loaded the same way with the same equipment. Just something too think about.

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

I spend a couple months helping a friend by running his lawn care bussiness for him while he was layed up after a bad bike wreck. Anywho, on the trailer was 1 52" mower, 1 48" mower 2 22" mowers, and verious other lawn care equipment. This trailer had no breaks. When I towed it with the 78 C30 crew cab duelly, no problem, but if I used the 72 K5 to tow it I had too take it slow because it would get really squarly on the interstate on the curves. Same trailer loaded the same way with the same equipment. Just something too think about.

What you were doing was unsafe and, likely illegal no matter what you were pulling it with, so I'd say your point is moot.

 

[Z3PR]

What you were doing was unsafe and, likely illegal no matter what you were pulling it with, so I'd say your point is moot.

My friend has been running his lawn care business for over 10 years. Goes through inspections each year, and still is using the same trailers. Laws may differ from state to state. I don't know all the legal stuff, but I do know his trucks and trailers are inspected every year, so who's point is moot now ?? Oh, by the way, we had too have my 72 K5 inspected befor I could tow his trailer with it due too insurence reasons.

Edit by BadDog: Now, doesn't that make the same point without the personal attack?

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

My closed minded way of thinking has kept me alive 21 years, 4 months, and 7 days thus far and if erring on the side of safety allows me to at least double that, I'll be very happy.

Current laws in SD require brakes on trailers of 3,000 lbs or more. That doesn't make it safe to pull a trailer that heavy without brakes in my opinion, but that's just my opinion.

In Illinois, any trailer required by law to have brakes, is required to have them on EVERY tire that touches the road.

Having some bad past experiences with trailers as light as 1500 lbs without brakes, I'm done towing any trailer on the expressway without brakes.

 

[AkMudr]

In Illinois, any trailer required by law to have brakes, is required to have them on EVERY tire that touches the road.

That law should be US-wide. I'm a firm believe in trailer brakes, Ive seen quite a few accidents be costly from not having them. They'll save yer ass when it comes down to it if the situation calls for it.

There that makes better sense

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

That should be state law across the US. I'm a firm believe in trailer brakes, Ive seen quite a few accidents be costly from not having them. They'll save yer ass when it comes down to it if the situation calls for it.

Read the sentence again. Not every trailer in Illinois is required to have brakes. I think it's a 2,000 lb limit. But if it's required to have brakes, it has to have brakes on every axle.

Some 7,000 lb car trailers I've seen have brakes on only one axle. They cannot be sold in Illinois as they're illegal.

 

[BlueBlazer]

Russ,

Take a rig like my crew cab. Do you believe I should not tow with it, even up to the max GCWR?

 

[Z3PR]

My closed minded way of thinking has kept me alive 21 years, 4 months, and 7 days thus far and if erring on the side of safety allows me to at least double that, I'll be very happy.

Current laws in SD require brakes on trailers of 3,000 lbs or more. That doesn't make it safe to pull a trailer that heavy without brakes in my opinion, but that's just my opinion.

In Illinois, any trailer required by law to have brakes, is required to have them on EVERY tire that touches the road.

Having some bad past experiences with trailers as light as 1500 lbs without brakes, I'm done towing any trailer on the expressway without brakes.

Did I say anything about my friend's lawn care bussiness being in SD ?? Looking thing up on the internet or in books isn't chit too real life experences. Okay, you're 21, how long have you been driving ?? What, 3 to 5 or 7 years ??? Vers my 23 to 25 years behind the wheel. It's experence. (Learners permit at 14, driving on my own at 16, I'll be 39 this summer.) I'm not talking skill, I'm talking experence. You come off like you know more, have done more, ...ect. then everybody else, and won't liston when anybody says anything that differs with your views. So that's why I say you're closed minded.