Thread: Tow ball weight

Originally Posted by dullbird

<snip - driving in control stuff > ... a fast travelling float with a couple of 16hh+ horses weighing over 500kg start to panic fall down what ever...I can tell you that float very much becomes much more dangerous to other drivers on the road when doing faster speeds...
<snip - common sense stuff >

That is the BIG problem with horse floats, the horses keep moving from side to side changing the floats centre of gravity and after all they are upside down pendulums.

Perhaps they should be positioned lying on their backs with their hooves in the air. A seat belt may also be useful!

Originally Posted by Dougal

If you run up the rear of a vehicle in front, it's clearly your fault. In the situation above you'd be gaining on a vehicle at 14 m/second (50km/h). If the vehicle was 100m in front, you'd have a full six seconds to shed that 50km/h.
If you can't do that, then you're probably not in control of your vehicle and a danger to other road users.

Over here driving slowly isn't a problem and we have far more corners than anywhere in Aus. You can legally drive as slow as you want. Provided you don't obstruct other traffic (i.e. let them pass when it's safe to do so).

You've never driven in Tasmania then?

Originally Posted by pando

You've never driven in Tasmania then?

you have lots of mountains in tassy?? as many as are in NZ

Originally Posted by locorr

60-70kph is anything but safe on a highway. Might even be illegal or should be. Travelling at up to 50kmh slower than traffic is incredibly dangerous. Could you put in your location for the benefit of others.

wow, did not expect that sort of response...and what is the legal limit for a vehicle that is towing a trailer/van/float? Must be very different where you are because if in Tas you would be well and truly arrested if found doing 110 with a 2800kg float in tow!!!

I agree, if driver's can't negotiate slow moving traffic without ramming it, you should not be on the road, and yes I move over all of the time, unlike the school buses, log trucks, tippers, tractors and other moving chicanes.

PS the LR manual says the max dead weight on the D1 TB is 150kg recommended

..oh and the limit for towing in Tas is 90 kph but even then, the speed should be matched to the prevailing conditions and then there's the car maker's limits to consider, eg., for Fords towing over 2300kg, the max speed is 80kph....

...some people

umm..... just because the trailer youre towing is 1700kg, doesnt mean your ball weight HAS to be 170kg, closer the better, but you need to strike a balance between control of the tow vehicle, and control of the trailer

The number of cars (usally not 4x4) that are overloaded on the tow bar is is crazy. When dad and later the army taught me to drive i was told if you cant lift the trailer at the tow ball it was over weight Regards horse foats and trucks have never run up the back of one but have seen heaps who have i have driver security patrol cars for over 20 years and seen to many people who should not be on the road. My son is RFS and attends the m7 reguarly(and that is 2 or 3 lanes) many accidents are cars driving under trucks too many are fatal.
Engineers will tell you they can do anything but if TBW is to much most of the wieght is on the back wheels even with the best suspension upgrades they may make the car/truck look level but thats about all

P.S everybody should drive at a safe speed for the conditions and that includes when towing but some people are deliberate road blocks wont pull over even in overtaking lanes etc and i think there should be laws for them Now i,ll go back to the rants section and read "idiots hogging the right lane"