Airstream not any different than the others

[REDNAX]

Originally Posted by Krazyjohnny

From what I have read over and over again it appears that the point Andy and others are trying to make is that the bars not only transfer weight to the steering axle, but also act as a "suspension" for/at the ball.

These were my thoughts yesterday as I watched a driver of poor skill and non-risk averse behavior pull a late model SAFARI (25'?) at about 65+ mph eastbound from Houston on Interstate 10. As this was my first chance to observe -- from behind -- the behavior of an A/S new enough to assume good axles/shocks/tires, I was dismayed to see the amount of trailer "bounce", by which I do not mean suspension action alone. I have watched dozens if not a hundred or more other trailer types in the past few years (plenty of "winter" Texans in transit) so I lit the fire on the Cummins to pass him on the port side -- three lane roadway -- and moved back over to lane 3 after a survey of TT/TV and hitch rigging. An F250 Ford shortbed, with no WDH or anti-sway.

The trailer tracked well (discrepancies between trailer and truck during his almost-abrupt lane changing// also no body lean or roll), but this new roadway wasn't a great contributor to the amount of trailer bounce (up & down motion; evenly front and rear; simultaneous). As if a child were pounding a fry pan on the ground by the handle, repeatedly, constantly.

Not many miles further I saw him off the frontage road in the dirt next to a rural overpass cupping his chin as he executed a walk-around.