Peter W Jones AMInstP To day I noticed that there had been the most significant advance since I started investigating snaking caravan accidents in 2003. A considerable number of people must be reading the Bath University research as the Google Search Engine has moved the item below into a much more prominent position. ***************************************************** University of Bath School of Mechanical Engineering THE DYNAMICS OF TOWED VEHICLES An experimental study into caravan snaking Final year project submitted by Christopher J Killer for the degree of MEng of the University of Bath 23 May 2003 Assessor RFN Supervisor JD Technician PC ******************************************************************* 11 Conclusion ******************************************************************************************** The performance of the Alko 2004 tow ball friction damper has been shown to be very effective at smoothing down snaking oscillations and reducing settling time. But this does not necessarily mean that it makes the coupled combination any safer, i.e. increase the snaking speed. Theory states that this type of damping has little effect on the snaking speed, and tests have shown no evidence to suggest otherwise. ******************************************************************************************** 11.1 Practical advice for caravan owners & designers Nothing fundamentally new was discovered in this study, but theoretical factors suggested in the past have been substantiated by road-tested evidence. The theoretical advice that is now known to be significant in increasing stability includes the following points. For owners: • Make sure car is suitable for the size of caravan • Load heaviest items in the car if possible • Locate other heavy items in the centre of the caravan, just forward of its axle • Make sure tow ball load is adequately high • Avoid sharp steer inputs at high speed • Never exceed 60mph
PWJ
I hope that the above extract will encourage more reading of the Bath Research, but please note that when making your tow ball load as great as possible you should not exceed the tow car manufacture's maximum allowed load.