How fast do you tow?

Mark42

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Oct 8, 2003
Messages
9,334
Re: How fast do you tow?

I've towed all over NJ with 8" tires, and even further a few times and never had a failure, but I rarely hammer down on the gas when towing a small tire trailer. A number of years ago I had a trailer on which one day I noticed tire marks on the inside of the fenders, which were at least 2" above the tires. The tires were new, Goodyear 4.80x8" tires, the fenders attached to the axle not the frame on this particular trailer, so it wasn't a matter of travel. What was happening was that at high speeds, the tires would 'grow' enough to hit the fenders. This happened at lower pressures, not so much at higher pressure too.
If I ran the tires at their max pressure, I got no tire marks or rubber on the inside of the fenders, but would get tire marks and burnt rubber at higher speeds if I ran the tires at what I thought was enough air for a light boat. I was running them at 45psi, and they would grow and hit the fender, but not if I put the full 80psi the sidewalls called for. .......

I'm not surprised at the tire growing in height. 8" tires are spinning so much faster than a typical 13-15" trailer tire, that the centrifugal forces are enough to distort the tire if not properly inflated.

Just goes to show that small trailer tires should always be filled to the max psi listed on the side wall. All I have read from tire manufacturers of small tires say to fill to the max PSI. They are not intended to be run at lower PSI when pulling a light load.

Thanks for posting your experience. Always good to get it first hand.
 

JRJ

Commander
Joined
Sep 11, 2001
Messages
2,992
Re: How fast do you tow?

I tow the speed limit, in whatever state I'm in. The reduced speed limit for vehicles towing in CA is dangerous. On two lane roads, frustrated drivers make bad passes.
 

smokeonthewater

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
9,838
Re: How fast do you tow?

I also almost always draft the rigs though, it actually makes a difference in my fuel economy.

I've driven trucks well over 3 million miles. I WOULDN'T allow anyone to pull a stunt like that.

and how would you stop it and still be professional about it?

I've asked a few truckers if I could draft them. Each one said, it was no problem for them, but smoky don't like it. So, no drafting.

I too have millions of miles under my belt.....When someone tries this on me I flash the brake lights a few times. If that doesn't work I slow down and speed up a couple times.... If that doesn't work I call the state police and direct them to my location on the highway so they can pull over and ticket the unsafe driver.

Dave11 is right on here.... It is hard enough to safely drive a truck around the boneheads on the highway without someone playing mosquito on the back door.... Pick your safe speed and drive but keep your distance.
 

bassman284

Commander
Joined
Jun 24, 2006
Messages
2,839
Re: How fast do you tow?

Yeah, when I was driving I always hated the drafters. The worst were motorcycles. I figured if I shucked a cap and took their head off it would somehow be my fault. I did pretty much the same, slow down until they passed me. No cell phones back then so a call in wasn't really an option.
 

woosterken

Lieutenant
Joined
May 18, 2005
Messages
1,431
Re: How fast do you tow?

sotw,bassman,
I am with you i had 30 years on the road, i like the sign on the back of some rigs .......
"if you cant see me in the mirror, I cant see you"
I always liked to be aware of what was going on around me all the time.
I pull mine at 55 or 60, if i see that things are getting bunched up be hind me, i will move over to the shoulder SOME ,(still with my safety in mind first) so those that are in more of a hurry than I, can get by.

woosterken
 

Raptorman

Cadet
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
15
Re: How fast do you tow?

The speed limit for towing a trailer in the state of New York is 60 MPH.
Pulling a Bass Tracker Pro 17 I usually hold it to that speed .

Raptorman
 

jtmarten

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Messages
825
Re: How fast do you tow?

Really? When did they offer that option and on what model?

<JK>

My '78 Anthony 23ft jetboat had 'em, could stop on a dime!

I usually tow 65-70mph, 3/4 ton Sub pulling 7-7.5K lbs.
 

204 Escape

Ensign
Joined
Nov 17, 2007
Messages
909
Re: How fast do you tow?

The speed limit, with PLENTY of space between me and the vehicle ahead of me !! I hate a tailgater !!!!!
 

dave11

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Dec 2, 2007
Messages
1,195
Re: How fast do you tow?

I've asked a few truckers if I could draft them. Each one said, it was no problem for them, but smoky don't like it. So, no drafting.

Food, there is a huge difference in having communication and requesting permission or having someone arbitrarily sucking up to your rear end. If someone has the courtesy to ask and is cognizant of the consequences, I never had a problem with that.
 

jay_merrill

Vice Admiral
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
5,653
Re: How fast do you tow?

I've done some truck driving too - not as a long term career like some of the more experienced guys here, but enough to know that I hated "drafters."

As one person mentioned, having them right behind you is bound to cause problems, if you lose a cap on one of the rear tires and guess what, for most rigs, company owned or O/O rigs, the rear tires are almost always caps. Has anyone here ever seen what a nice big "gator" can do to the front end of a car? Hint: It "ain't" pretty.

I especially wouldn't draft a flatbed rig, which is what I drove. I used to be an absolute nut about strapping my loads. I never put anything on my flatbed without at least two straps on each piece (which you are supposed to do anyway) and would often supplement the four inch straps with smaller, rachet type straps, to deal with some situations. My way of doing things is shared by many good drivers, but many do some real "ham-boned" stuff and unknowingly getting behind one of those, is not a great situation.

Another common scenario, is for the rig driver to end up in a panic stop situation, with a drafter behind him, who can't see what is going on. All that person can do, is to react to the brake lights of a rig that has just begun to de-accellerate rapidly. Remembering that there is a one second reaction time and a one second action time (putting your foot on the brake), plus about a third of a second for the brakes to actually engage, once your foot hits the pedal, this is a prescription for disaster. Its also the very situation that often ends up with the drafter, crunched under the rollunder bar on the rig's trailer.

Here's another reason to slow down and I'll point it out in the form of a question .... has anyone ever had a trailer come off of the ball hitch, while driving at highway speeds? I can elaborate from personal, first hand experience.

I had a 6x12 Uhaul trailer come off of a 24' UHaul truck at about 60 mph. Both were fully loaded, so the truck weighed about 4 - 5 times what the trailer weighed. This happened, because some dope at UHaul told me that all of their ball hitches were welded to the truck's steel bumper. I drove the rig from San Francisco, all the way across the country and was in Ct., when I had my incident. I never checked the bolt on the ball, because there was "no reason for me to do so."

When the trailer came off after hitting a bump in the road (the entire ball and pin lifted up, out of the bumper) it made about three sweeps back and forth on the chains, before they broke. That relatively small trailer, damn near flipped the 24' truck that I was driving. I came very close to losing control of it. This was also long before I ever drove trucks as part of a job, so it scared the heck out of me, more than it might have later on.

Just because you have a V10 gas engine or a turbocharged kersosene burner in your truck and can tear up the highways at 80 mph, doesn't make doing that a good idea. Well, unless you have a death wish.



???
 

md-lucky

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 20, 2008
Messages
168
Re: How fast do you tow?

Usually the speed limit, or maybe 5 over.

What drives me bat**** crazy are the drivers that do 5-8mph UNDER the speed limit and won't pull over just because I'm pulling something. I'll pass no questions asked with a trailer in tow... But its both rude of the other driver and frustrating to me to have to do that.

If I'm doing 106mph, and someone comes up behind me that was donig 107... guess what? I'll pull over and let them around. It really doesn't matter how fast I tow: if someone wants around me, I'll let them.

I also hate it when folks slow way down on the hills. We have pleanty of them out here. Most of the time the speed limit is 60, and that is right at the sweet spot for where my turbo lights and the EGTs are in check. People seem to love to drive at about 52 on most of the hills, which would be perfect if I could just select that 5thand1/2 gear.... :(
 

df909

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
333
Re: How fast do you tow?

I agree about the passing. It ticks me of when people seem to think it's a blow to their manhood to be passed. They'll speed up on the passing lanes & blow past the turn-outs without using them.

I tend to slow down on hills cause my truck. Many times I'll have 4 kayaks on the roof, either the boat or pop-up trailer, 4 mountain bikes, and the rest of the crap we take. I don't want to push the truck too hard and hear a boom & see a big plume of smoke behind me. BUT...I always stay to the right and let people pass whenever I can. I figure that I'd better do what I preach.

Even if I had a supercharged turbo racing truck, I still wouldn't hit very high speeds. I've seen too many wrecks where speed was a factor & unfortunately many people that were injured were either the idiot speeder's kids and spouse or some unsuspecting motorist just driving along and BAM out of nowhere.
 
Last edited:

jhande

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 26, 2010
Messages
442
Re: How fast do you tow?

In my neck of the woods I tow as I would normally drive. I don't run into traffic, so it's mostly the road conditions and weather that reflects whether I slow down or not.

I tend to go a bit slower than the speed limit on our dirt roads and paved roads that are strewn with frost heaves, pot holes, etc...

Get me on the interstate or a nice smooth stretch, see ya... especially heading out to the water. :D
 

HappierWet

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Sep 11, 2008
Messages
839
Re: How fast do you tow?

I am glad to see some of the truckers' thoughts on drafting posted here. I've spent many miles behind box rigs doing this very thing, although never with a trailer on my vehicle. When I had a CB, I was usually talking to them anyway and they knew I was there. With the increased stopping distance of a trailer, I would never consider getting close enough to really draft, and at more than six to eight car lengths you're just riding in their wash.:cool:
 

ziggy

Admiral
Joined
Jun 30, 2004
Messages
7,473
Re: How fast do you tow?

looks like most folks are pretty careful.

don't know if i qualify though.

most of my trips lately are just to my local watering hole. speed limit is 55, so that's what i do.

in the past i've done 75 between omaha and lincoln going to the river. i got my boat in rapid city, sd. did 75 all the way back across the state of sd at night..

used to have a jet ski. one was 800 lbs and i towed it with a 87 chevy nova (toyota corolla in discise). pretty much did 75 on the interstate between minn. and nebr. another time i had a 1k lbs jet ski, towing with a 91 toyota pu. pedal to the metal. 65-75, depending on whether i was going up hill or down hill.

i might not repeat that behavior again though. turning 50 slowed me down...

i always keep a long safety margin between me and the vehicle in ft. of me...

generally now these days, 55-70... tow vehicle is a chevy express van 3500.

that drafting stuff is crazy....
 

sillyhilley

Cadet
Joined
May 6, 2010
Messages
19
Re: How fast do you tow?

sorry to say this but all you guys pulling your boats at 77 or so please stay out of Michigan. that's so unsafe in so many ways. the lake will always be there...the question is, will you?
 

bman1bpm

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 19, 2004
Messages
450
Re: How fast do you tow?

Its all about how you can safely stop the rig in an emergency
Say you're driving 50 miles, with NO stops
Driving 70, you'll be there in 42 min
Driving 55, you'll be there in 54 min

Is your, and whoever else is in the car with you's life worth getting on the boat 10 minutes sooner?

To heck with the people behind you, if they really bother you pull over and let them go around, you only get one life!
 

jkust

Rear Admiral
Joined
Aug 2, 2008
Messages
4,942
Re: How fast do you tow?

My 18 foot boat and trailer weigh 4000lbs and I generally tow at the speed limit + 4 (GPS) on the double lane 65mph highways where people generally fly by me and at the limit on the single lane roads with oncoming traffic. I tow with an AWD Buick Rainier with a 5.3 liter v8 with a 6500lb tow rating. We got a flat on the trailer over the 4th holiday from tire failure not debris. I could see it wobbling for about 80 miles but there were no visible issues looking at it when parked before it blew. That tire (205 75 15 load range D) had maybe 2000 miles on it but was a 7 year old original on my Shorelandr trailer. There goes another $130. Funny thing was I noticed a lot of trailer tires wobbling just like mine likely ready to blow out as well.
 

Gregk

Seaman
Joined
Sep 3, 2007
Messages
72
Re: How fast do you tow?

It does not matter what the posted speed limit is. ST tires are speed rated to 65 mph. Anything over 65 mph and you have exceeded your tires performance standards. Probably the reason why some people report tire problems as a rarity while others seem to have one tire failure after another

Yep! I keep it under 70 when towing.
 
Top