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Old 20 July 2015, 15:46   #41
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To be fair, a lot of that is the way US drivers drive. At least once a trip, I have someone who bypasses a half mile of open road behind my trailer, brakes and cuts aggressively in front of me, and dives for the highway exit, all because being behind a trailer for a bit means they're being slowed down.

jky
take comfort in you are not alone, that isn't only a trait of the USA.

the UK roads are a lot narrower than USA roads so people tend to take more chances while overtaking in places they really shouldn't contemplate.

when i tow any distance i always pull in off the main road into stops when i can, quite a lot of drivers give an appreciative flash of lights too as they can go by...everyone is a winner.

i think plonkers will be plonkers no matter where they are from when it comes to driving.

cheers
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Old 20 July 2015, 16:05   #42
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very interesting old fashioned discussion. oh and WW3 has already begun, did you not know?? and no it is not a joke
Well, to be honest it is all about legislation and homologation in our all beloved European countries (should be one legislation and slowly getting there as we know Europe is slow in thesemtters).

I know (and i guess it is for the whole of Europe including the UK ) that saloon cars and even trucks (yes also American large capacity Dodge or Chevvy or Ford) are only allowed to tow a max of 3.5T, whereas in the US they easily tow up to 6T (or 8).
That being said, the max amount on the hitch is clearly stated on the CAR manufacturers manual (if you install a hitch of course). And you a cannot exceed that amount.....if yes the police will accidently stop you and make sure the hitch weight is adjusted (as well as the MTM of the trailer and combination car/trailer weight, licence etc...with ,as i know in Belgium, some fines you will always remember)

Now as far as i can estimate the problem: move the axle (s) back or forth depending you need less or more nose weight on your trailer..bfor you start doing this makesure you fill up your fuel tank with approx half the fuel or sth that you intend to tow) and all the gear in place you normally carry such as anchors etc....Then reposition the axles or have it done professionally.

If there is a problem with the transducer, fix that problem after you have the right front nose weight (detachable or some other solution?)
If you trailer on a regular basis, it is a real joy to drive with a well balanced trailer (the same as driving the rib well balanced on the water) and it is surely also more secure.

Oh and for the Aus and the Us people on here; it is forbidden to use chains to attach the trailer to the hitch. We need to attach only a small iron wire that will enable the breaks automatically when the trailer accidently comes off...whether you like or not...it is legislation...dura lex sed lex

i hope this helps and contributes to a better understanding on both sides of the ocean :-)
ps: i like these big trucks towing big boats, wishing it could be done legally here too, wow with a bigblock at low fuel prices ...we can onlydream about it
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Old 20 July 2015, 19:20   #43
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You cant compare with the likes of the US or even Australia both have a much higher trailer boat community.

Statistics found online state approximately 50000 power boat owners for the entire UK. New South Wales (one of 6 states an 2 territories) also my home state has 215000 registered power boats.
I'm surprised that the number is so low in the UK, but given there is no need for registration I don't know how you'd estimate a number. The RYA reckons its 10x that for all types of boats - and I don't suppose the trailer cares what the load is, so even the million caravan club members might be relevant!

Still tow ball rules are consistent across Europe so its not like this tiny little enclave of weirdo's are that unusual. [By the way my Aussie friends tell me "whinging Poms" is really a phrase they reserve for imigrants!]

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Given we have more trailered boats Ive yet to hear of any tow ball issues, I also works as a marine rescue volunteer and have owned boats for 38 years, would of thought in that time I would of heard of the odd problem.
but did you hear of many towing issues in the UK, from trailers (properly) set up the "normal" way here?

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I do find that when anyone asks for any advice on this forum there seem to be people waiting just to dissagree and post the even when they are shown links etc backing the claims.
You might find it useful to reflect on that thought for a moment. At the second post you told the OP to put a load on his tow ball which would be illegal, and possibly dangerous, for many vehicles in the UK/EU (where he is). I'm all for discussing the reasons why one standard has evolved differently from the other but its not helpful to present it as though any UK/EU guidance is misplaced, when that is the system and the law that the OP has to live with regardless of whos approach is actually better.

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Originally Posted by jyasaki View Post
To be fair, a lot of that is the way US drivers drive. At least once a trip, I have someone who bypasses a half mile of open road behind my trailer, brakes and cuts aggressively in front of me, and dives for the highway exit, all because being behind a trailer for a bit means they're being slowed down.
I don't believe that is country specific! I've seen some crazy antics all over although as a general rule your lot are reasonably courteous
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Old 20 July 2015, 21:21   #44
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Originally Posted by jyasaki View Post
To be fair, a lot of that is the way US drivers drive. At least once a trip, I have someone who bypasses a half mile of open road behind my trailer, brakes and cuts aggressively in front of me, and dives for the highway exit, all because being behind a trailer for a bit means they're being slowed down.

jky
I've seen some really bad driving in the States over the years I've visited. One minute they're on the road, the next they're off on an off-road excursion. Must be all them comfy cars and straight roads you have?
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Old 21 July 2015, 01:55   #45
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I'm surprised that the number is so low in the UK, but given there is no need for registration I don't know how you'd estimate a number. The RYA reckons its 10x that for all types of boats - and I don't suppose the trailer cares what the load is, so even the million caravan club members might be relevant!

Still tow ball rules are consistent across Europe so its not like this tiny little enclave of weirdo's are that unusual. [By the way my Aussie friends tell me "whinging Poms" is really a phrase they reserve for imigrants!]

but did you hear of many towing issues in the UK, from trailers (properly) set up the "normal" way here?

You might find it useful to reflect on that thought for a moment. At the second post you told the OP to put a load on his tow ball which would be illegal, and possibly dangerous, for many vehicles in the UK/EU (where he is). I'm all for discussing the reasons why one standard has evolved differently from the other but its not helpful to present it as though any UK/EU guidance is misplaced, when that is the system and the law that the OP has to live with regardless of whos approach is actually better.



I don't believe that is country specific! I've seen some crazy antics all over although as a general rule your lot are reasonably courteous


Wow mate youve given me a great early morning giggle (especialy the pom bit)

My first post was in regards to the person asking the question which I still stand by as his bio states a 3m+ boat with a 20hp outboard (no mention of 3.5tons anywhere)

I would of thought that a boat of those dimensions would quite easily come in at 500kg or less which at 10% ish would be 50kg on the ball or less.

If the 3m+ boat weighs 3.5 tons and is powered by a 20hp maybe we should be talking about re-powering or removing the hidden gold

Bikesem we also need breakaway breaks for heavier loads, mine with the chains is for a light outfit and my toyota book states a max of 250kg on the ball, so I thought the same vehicle would have the same rating where ever they are from (obviously Im wrong)

I always wondered why I never see fat people in the back of cars back home, now I understand its because of week springs
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Old 21 July 2015, 11:24   #46
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Of course, not everyone interprets the rule book the same way...

Driver tows truck by wedging front into boot of car - Telegraph
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Old 21 July 2015, 12:55   #47
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Of course, not everyone interprets the rule book the same way...

Driver tows truck by wedging front into boot of car - Telegraph
Nice one
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Old 27 July 2015, 01:37   #48
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Why bother with trailers!!
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