DEVELOPMENT OF MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HITCH LOAD BOUNDARIES FOR TRAILER TOWING

800157

02/01/1980

Event
1980 Automotive Engineering Congress and Exposition
Authors Abstract
Content
This paper presents an analytically based approach to specifying a maximum allowable hitch load for passenger cars pulling trailers. The change in tow car steady-state directional stability, i.e., understeer, is the basis for the specification. This handling parameter is a function of hitch load, lateral acceleration, tow car to trailer weight ratio, and the amount of load leveling applied by a Class III hitch. Using these variables an allowable hitch load range was defined as that which would insure positive tow car understeer up to and including 0.3 g cornering. Over 50 combination-vehicle configurations (using three tow car sizes and eight trailers) were then tested in order to validate and revise the analytical boundaries. Based on these results a tow car stability criterion derived from maximum hitch load considerations appears a valid format for the trailer user and/or manufacturer.
Meta TagsDetails
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4271/800157
Pages
10
Citation
Klein, R., and Szostak, H., "DEVELOPMENT OF MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE HITCH LOAD BOUNDARIES FOR TRAILER TOWING," SAE Technical Paper 800157, 1980, https://doi.org/10.4271/800157.
Additional Details
Publisher
Published
Feb 1, 1980
Product Code
800157
Content Type
Technical Paper
Language
English