Bottom out...

[the other side]

Is there a way to figure out if your td/ttt is going to bottom out, without just trying it to see? I have a really big hill on one of my driveways and don't want to use my camper to test it and bottom out.

[Forrest747]

measure yout tongue height (or other lowest point furthest from teh axle) from the ground and teh height of the bump. if the bump is taller than the tongue than you will hit.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Is there a way to figure out if your td/ttt is going to bottom out, without just trying it to see? I have a really big hill on one of my driveways and don't want to use my camper to test it and bottom out.

Too many variables come into play. The overall deciding factor is the tow vehicle approach and departure angles, and the trailer approach and departure angles. Then the approach angle of your trailer is dependent on tongue length. Then when you connect the trailer to the tow vehicle, you have a completely different situation because of the geometries affect each other.



Your easiest solution would be to have someone watching from outside the vehicle as you approach the hill. If the approach is too steep, then your hitch and coupler will lower onto the ground before your rear wheels hit the incline. Just take it slow.

[the other side]

Thanks for the answers! So is it better to be attempting the hill by doing a turn onto it? Maybe things will be lifted up slightly because you are not going straight?

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Thanks for the answers! So is it better to be attempting the hill by doing a turn onto it? Maybe things will be lifted up slightly because you are not going straight?

You could try tackling it diagonally. That may lessen the chance of dragging. I've done that going into a driveway and its helped.

FWIW... heres my situation where I keep my trailer stored. Kinda the same problem with approach and departure angle, but facing "downhill" instead.

Plenty of clearance....





Unless the rear wheels of the car are towards the bottom of the ramp...





This is the reason that Jeep Wranglers make great off-road vehicles. The distance between wheels is very short which allows them to maneuver dips and ridges easily. If the tongue on my trailer were much longer I'd bottom out leaving the shed because the distance between TV rear wheels and TD wheels would be longer.

[Forrest747]

Zach I defer all future questions about bumps to you.

[Fishingtomatoseed]

Zach I defer all future questions about bumps to you.

No joke....... with diagrams and everything.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

Zach I defer all future questions about bumps to you.

I only know these things because of my personal experiences.

When I had my first teardrop, I was leaving a gas station that had a very steep exit that went into a rut in the road and then up onto the main part of the road. Well all my angles were so intense that my tongue jack bottomed out (even though it was folded up) and it actually got dragged down the tongue rail into my tongue box, which then needed replaced. Definitely very careful these days!

[the other side]

I have a wheelchair carrier that goes into the hitch of the car. When I go on this driveway the wheelchair carrier bottoms out on the street or driveway when it is in the down position (depending on which way I am trying to go). The teardrop doesn't bottom out on the driveway going either way (not even the license plate which hangs low at the back of the trailer). The wheelchair carrier is shorter than the teardrop (ofcourse). I have a T@B that I am too afraid to pull up or down the driveway because it is longer than the teardrop. Do you think I will bottom out where the hitch is or where the spare tire is (in the back of the t@b) if I do bottom out? I guess I could take the spare tire off if it is going to hit and that would probably give me a lot more clearance, but might there be anything I could do to the hitch to minimize the drag? Could I put the jack wheel on and go really slow? or is that just CRAZY??

[8ball_99]

Best way to do it is just to try it and have a spotter.. When I first put holding tanks on my trailer thats how I tested if they were to low.. I drove the trailer up and down a bad hill in my field with my wife keeping an eye on the tanks.. When they didnt' drag I just said, well If I can handle that hill then shouldn't have a problem in campgrounds and on the road..

[the other side]

Yeah! I guess if I go slow enough I can always get out of what I get myself into! Thanks you all. I am an overly cautious person. Just don't tell me what bad things can happen. Sometimes ingnorance is bliss.