Question re longer TV wheelbase, long tongues...

[MtnDon]

I know that increasing the distance from the hitch ball to the trailer axle makes a formerly short tongued trailer turn slower when backing up. I extended my utility trailer tongue by two feet in order to clear a swing away full width tire carrier on the rear of the XJ Jeep. The side benefit was making it easier to back up.

Now a related question. I have bought a different TV, I have a Toyota Tacoma. The Tacoma has a wheelbase that is slightly more than two feet longer than the XJ. A tad more rear overhang as well. I'd answer this by hooking up and trying it out but the utility trailer is torn down for some maintenance and is likely to remain that way for several weeks. Will the longer TV wheelbase also change the backing up characteristics? Will the longer TV wheelbase slow down the turns in reverse, make the trailer even slower to repond?

Thanks.

(It does seem it will, but I'm not sure and not sure....)

[Mike-n-Britney]

Will the longer TV wheelbase also change the backing up characteristics? Will the longer TV wheelbase slow down the turns in reverse, make the trailer even slower to repond?

My experience is with towing all kinds of trailers (usually with pickups or tractors) and IMHO, while teardrops are easy for the novice to tow forward, they can be quite a handfull to back up. Like you said, the short-coupled TD is slow to react - doesn't turn, doesn't turn, then WATCH OUT! If you're not careful you could be sitting on top of your TD!

I've towed my TD with a couple different length wheelbase TVs. My GTO has a medium length wheelbase which isn't to much longer than the ball-to-axle length of the TD; and even with a very short overhang it wasn't too bad to back the TD into a tight spot. Now I tow with a Dodge Magnum that has a fairly long wheelbase - much longer than the ball-to-axle length of the TD - and not much overhang at all; and it can be a pain to back up! It's all about patience, being able to predict how the TD's going to react, and forethought. As always slight movements are best, but to get into a tight spot, some big quick movements will be needed to get started. Sometimes you really gotta swing the front-end around to get things moving, then predicting the TD's path, swing the front-end back or before you jack-knife [or swing the front-end back before you... LOOK OUT FOR THAT TREE!] And it doesn't help that the Magnum doesn't turn very sharp...

The pickup has a longer overhang with will help you with an effective lever-pivot-point, so you won't have to swing the front end around as much. And pickups usually can turn pretty sharp, so you can get the trailer to start turning before the front-end starts to swing way out.

One thing that a lot of people don't do, that makes backing so much easier, is how you position the TV & TD before you even start to back up. Most times, that's half the battle. For a 90* slot on your right, as you approach, drive on the left side of the driveway, then turn the TV toward the slot then back to the left side of the road as you pass the slot. Stop as your TD just passes the slot, and if your "swoop" or "dip" maneuver was big enough, the TD will already be aimed for backing into the slot and the TV's steering will be aimed pretty close as well... just back 'er on in!

[jeffmutch]

I'm going to guess that this has more to do with the actual turning radius of the TV than the wheelbase... I drove a full size van that I figured to have a poor turning radius due to its long wheelbase. That is, until I tried to make a U-turn in my mother's Ford Taurus Wagon... Always turned into a 3...sometimes 6 point turn! I'd assume that in general, your wheelbase will directly affect your turning radius, but there are certainly exceptions.

[rowerwet]

the distance from the rear axle to the trailer hitch on the TV will make a difference in response to steering inputs. the longer the distance the faster the hitch is displaced by the front wheels, think of it as a lever or a see-saw. the longer TV won't have as much effect as the length of the axle to hitch distance.
If you want to make it easy to put a trailer in a tight space, put another hitch on the front of the TV, directly in front of the driver, I've seen this done for boats and airplanes before and it works great.

[suckerpunched]

I had trouble backing my eight foot harbor frieght based teardrop so I extended the tounge about eight inches,,,,,still jacknife it when I even think about turning the wheel....once I enforce the frame I will extend it more but for now I just back up by hand most of the time....but than again,,,,I can't even walk backwards in a straight line