learned a lesson

[Chip]

After getting the a/c in place,,plugged in and working,,ya just got to test pull it,,,,ok here is lesson for the day,,,,,,,
IF IT AINT TIED DOWN IT WILL MOVE
I stopped to get a cup of coffee and check on things in the back,,,somehow the a/c had slid out of its slot and was laying on top of my bed,,two laterns were in the corner against pillows and all the stuff in another shelf were evenly distributed over the cabin,,I lifted the lid and everything was still there it just played musical chairs and moved all over the place,,,,I didnt hit any major bumps and no hard braking or starts,,In a short,, if ya want it to stay in one place ya better block, bungie, duck tape, glue, screw or otherwise secure it in place,,nothing broke but I got a couple of scratches on the cabin wall from the a/c bouncing around,,,

chip

[DANL]

Hi Chip,

About that stuff bouncing around in the cabin... were you towing with the Toyota? I found that the Tacoma on those big wheels tends to bounce the ballmount/drawbar up and down and back and forth. Wags that tongue something fierce. I suspect your trailer wheels are far enough back but you may not have enough weight on the tongue.

My first trip revealed that, for the Tacoma, I needed LOTS of weight on the tongue--more like a cabin car trailer. I moved my axle back a bit more, beefed up the tongue with diagonal bracing, and went to a tongue weight at 15% or a bit higher. The Taco can handle 350# tongue weight. I've got about 150-170# TG loaded and the weight seems to stabilize the ride a quite a bit.

The Taco is way more stable with a load of junk in the trunk and a full tank than empty so I know weight is an important factor. Next tow vehicle (MANY years from now 'cause those d___ Toyotas just keep going) will have a higher tow rating, more cylinders, and a smoother ride. Hey, maybe a few years from now we'll all need lightweight tears to tow behind our hybrid vehicles.

BTW do you have brakes on that 2300# boat trailer?

Keep on truckin'

[Chip]

hay Danl,,I know exactually what ya mean about the thing being a bit bouncy,,,and I also hae noticed that with a load in the back it rides like a country Caddy,,My tongue weight is a bit over 100# with the spare tire mounted up front,,I figure that by the time Donna gets a bit more stuff inside and we get the propane and wood in the back it will ride real smooth,,,,, as far as the 2300# trailer nope no brakes,, we talked about it and the safety factor and we are looking into it for a winter project,,either that or a smaller, lighter boat

chip

[Denny Unfried]

I also learned a lesson about lashing things. On my last trip I had to brake very hard to avoid some inconsiderate jerk. Something on the top shelf of the cabin flew off and hit the right door handle which opened it from the inside even though it was locked with a key. Luckly I didn't lose the TV or anything that was on the bed but will pack things differently in the future. Also had a galley full of salt that spilled. >smile<

Denny