Hensley vs. ProPride

[StreamNTyme]

Originally Posted by Llando88

I accept the fact you are free to choose the towing speeds that best fits your trailer, tow vehicle, hitch, and personal experience.

I'd appreciate the same courtesy.

Traveling on any road over 70 is illegal. Traveling at high speed pulling 7000-9000 LBS. puts everyone in danger. We see people towing all the time passing us like we are standing still and they are usually weaving down the road. Recently were held up 3 hours on an interstate from a trailer that got out of control. they picked picked up the tons of trash from the trailer which was torn apart beyond recognition. We hope all are traveling safely and enjoying the beautiful country along the way.

[Rich Jenkins]

Originally Posted by StreamNTyme

Traveling on any road over 70 is illegal. Traveling at high speed pulling 7000-9000 LBS. puts everyone in danger. We see people towing all the time passing us like we are standing still and they are usually weaving down the road. Recently were held up 3 hours on an interstate from a trailer that got out of control. they picked picked up the tons of trash from the trailer which was torn apart beyond recognition. We hope all are traveling safely and enjoying the beautiful country along the way.

Towing speed in Florida (where I live) *is* 70, hence my original comment.

Like I said the first time, feel free to tow at whatever speed your personal choices, tow vehicle and hitch dictate.

But I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop trying to tell me how to drive.

[rmkrum]

I think each of us need to make a cold sober determination of what speed we SHOULD tow our trailer.

In my case, I know darn well I'm getting older, need more time to react, and frankly, am not in a screaming hurry to get somewhere anymore. 600-800 mile days are flat behind me.

I set my speed by the speed limit, the weather and visibility, and my level of comfort. I will admit letting our rig edge a bit over 70 out on the flats on Texas one day, it was broad daylight, sun behind us, clear road for miles, no wind, and I was wide awake and fully alert. That said, it was too damn fast, so I gently got it back down around 65 or less.

I was comforted to know the setup would handle it, but I didn't really need to burn that much gas to go that fast, so there you go. Conditions determine speed, as it should be.

I know what is reasonable for me...


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[switz]

In Indiana on the Interstates, trucks are limited to 60 while cars can go 70. The sign says trucks, so my brain says they mean commercial vehicles.... I have been wrong before.

In West Texas on I-10 from about Lordsburg east to San Antonio, the 80 mph speed limit is also observed by the big trucks. They would pass me on the motorcycle at 65 like I was stopped changing a tire....

[crispyboy]

I-75 and I-71 going through Kentucky says 70 mph - I have observed trucks often go much faster so you better pay attention when they blow by... Sometimes you need to run with traffic and be alert.
I run 65 to 70 mph - sweet spot for the truck on the interstate, rarely downshifts. Two lane roads in KY are usually twisty, hilly with no shoulders so logically one will go slower.

[m.hony]

The 2 roads you mentioned are 2 of the most stressful roads I have ever driven on due to the speeding trucks.
Not only are they speeding, but they pass you going downhill then slow down going up hill causing you to pass them.
This aggravating game of leap frog goes on for hours or hundreds of miles.

[slowmover]

Antilock trailer disc brakes makes 65+ seem a little more feasible. But behind a pickup, it's still stupid.

It's the habits one establishes which are crucial.

I run the big truck (under best conditions) at 67/68-mph. Allows to get around the trucks governed at 65. More importantly it keeps me out of the crowds of morons (everyone in a four wheeler) trying to run 70 and above.

Getting down to 55-mph with a pickup and trailer is critical. And to remain lane centered doing it. Pickups are tremendously handicapped when it comes to an evasive maneuver. And that may be no more than getting onto the shoulder.

IH10 west of San Antonio is about the only Interstate left where traffic us so sparse that running 65+ is feasible. Not at all like the late 1960s and early 1970s when one could run western Interstates and go up to an hour without seeing another vehicle.

Get the better brakes and controller and trailer mounted electronic antisway. Get Andrew Thomson to go over the rig. The deficiencies in the present set up will be glaring.

[slowmover]

Running just below the 65-mph trucks means next to no lane changes. Easier to maintain distances. The mirrors tell me my future. And when a big truck is passing, back off the cruis control down to 55 or so. Get him around, quickly. (Same when I'm passing, jump on it and get around them). 5-mph+ leeway.

Besides, towing more than 300-350 miles isn't worth it. And higher speeds don't average out so well as many "think" they do. They don't.

The greater number of acceleration and deceleration events on a given day AGAINST the average speed tells the story. It's not just increased fuel consumption and vehicle wear (and wear on driver) , it's that the overall risk isn't worth it. There is no appreciable savings. It's allowing the immature part of ones self to be in control.

The hitch is the second fight step after the trailer. By design. With that approach, design the day ahead the driving to be done on the morrow. Planned stops. THAT is how one "makes time". And, leave earlier.

[xrvr]

So many opinions, a few may be based on actual experience, some by reading someone else's comments, and some just by perpetuating a myth or agenda.

[Rich Jenkins]

Originally Posted by slowmover

Antilock trailer disc brakes makes 65+ seem a little more feasible. But behind a pickup, it's still stupid.

It's the habits one establishes which are crucial.

I run the big truck (under best conditions) at 67/68-mph. Allows to get around the trucks governed at 65. More importantly it keeps me out of the crowds of morons (everyone in a four wheeler) trying to run 70 and above.

Getting down to 55-mph with a pickup and trailer is critical. And to remain lane centered doing it. Pickups are tremendously handicapped when it comes to an evasive maneuver. And that may be no more than getting onto the shoulder.

IH10 west of San Antonio is about the only Interstate left where traffic us so sparse that running 65+ is feasible. Not at all like the late 1960s and early 1970s when one could run western Interstates and go up to an hour without seeing another vehicle.

Get the better brakes and controller and trailer mounted electronic antisway. Get Andrew Thomson to go over the rig. The deficiencies in the present set up will be glaring.

SM - I always read your posts with interest.

Couple questions about truck driver mindset?

I typically slow allow semis to merge in on ramps or entering from weigh stations. I've seen them signal left, then right, then left sometimes. Does the left-right-left of the turn signals mean something in the trucker world?

Some trucks will pass me going 66 on a day when we are meandering along at 65. They will spend what seems like forever passing me, sometimes even slowing to 64 on a hill, then speeding up to 67 going downhill. They don't seem to folllow your suggested 5+ differential. Is there something physical limiting maximum speed in a truck, or is this governed by convention or by some other means (legal max speed set by the trucking company?)?

Thanks. Appreciate the opportunity to learn.

On the thread - Good discussion. I appreciate those sharing their experience here, the back and forth is helping me be a better driver. After years of driving high performance cars, driving a steady 65, or less, does take some getting used to. If we aren't under a time constraint (which, coming down I95, we were) we typically keep distances to 250 miles and 4 to 5 driving hours per day. I have noticed over the two years we've been RVing now, that number keeps getting smaller.

[m.hony]

It's all about that space!

[m.hony]

Gimme 6 seconds.
Leave the house 6 seconds sooner.

[Rocinante]

Since we're severely off topic anyway, I'll toss this out. At the commercial driving school where we took our RV driving class a couple of weeks ago, the instructor spent quite some bit of time talking about safe following distances when towing. Let's just say it's way more than we thought it was. He suggested 1 second of distance for every 10 MPH up to 40. After that, add an additional 1 second (e.g. at 50 MPH, following distance should be 6 seconds). Then, if it's raining, add another 2 seconds to that.

We learned were following too closely and this was a good wake-up call to give more room in exchange for greater safety. He acknowledged that it's tough to maintain that much open space, especially in heavy traffic, but said the right answer is to keep backing off after someone jumps into your buffer, even though it's annoying, in an attempt to maximize your safety - protecting yourselves, your trailer, and those around you.

Oh, and he also said that professional truckers often refer to those driving / towing RVs as "terrorists," because they seem to have zero understanding of safe following distances.

[Rich Jenkins]

^^^ Probably good rules of thumb for safe following distances.

The PP hitch and truck (2500 with diesel brake) we have is very confidence inspiring, but I feel following distance is over looked as a risk. I am guilty of leaving room, maybe too much room, in front of me on a regular basis.

Even though cars these days have phenomenal brakes, and tire technology has improved vastly, you can't have too much space ahead of you. I frequently have people pull into the gap in front of me, causing me to throttle down to maintain space.

Same for passing; I always wait until I get well past the vehicle before pulling back into the right lane.

Question: In a car, I was taught only to pull back in when I saw the vehicle in my rear view mirror.

When pulling a trailer, what guidance do you follow to allow adequate space after passing a vehicle?

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Since we're severely off topic anyway, I'll toss this out. At the commercial driving school where we took our RV driving class a couple of weeks ago, the instructor spent quite some bit of time talking about safe following distances when towing. Let's just say it's way more than we thought it was. He suggested 1 second of distance for every 10 MPH up to 40. After that, add an additional 1 second (e.g. at 50 MPH, following distance should be 6 seconds). Then, if it's raining, add another 2 seconds to that.

We learned were following too closely and this was a good wake-up call to give more room in exchange for greater safety. He acknowledged that it's tough to maintain that much open space, especially in heavy traffic, but said the right answer is to keep backing off after someone jumps into your buffer, even though it's annoying, in an attempt to maximize your safety - protecting yourselves, your trailer, and those around you.

Oh, and he also said that professional truckers often refer to those driving / towing RVs as "terrorists," because they seem to have zero understanding of safe following distances.

The way I teach our drivers following distance is similar.
4 seconds following distance up to 35 mph-
6 seconds following distance over 35 mph-
More is better-
It's all about that space.


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[m.hony]

Originally Posted by Llando88

^^^ Probably good rules of thumb for safe following distances.

The PP hitch and truck (2500 with diesel brake) we have is very confidence inspiring, but I feel following distance is over looked as a risk. I am guilty of leaving room, maybe too much room, in front of me on a regular basis.

Even though cars these days have phenomenal brakes, and tire technology has improved vastly, you can't have too much space ahead of you. I frequently have people pull into the gap in front of me, causing me to throttle down to maintain space.

Same for passing; I always wait until I get well past the vehicle before pulling back into the right lane.

Question: In a car, I was taught only to pull back in when I saw the vehicle in my rear view mirror.

When pulling a trailer, what guidance do you follow to allow adequate space after passing a vehicle?

There is no such thing as leaving too much room.
We should not trust or rely on technology features of newer cars to go faster, closer, etc.
We should all drive like 40 years ago- no power steering, no power brakes- not to mention no anti-lock brakes-
Back then we were forced to be better drivers due to the limitations of our vehicles.
The safety features are all good, but never a substitute for good driving habits/practices.
Even though push/pull on the steering wheel is not necessary because we all have power steering these days, it is still a good practice to force you to slow down and control your vehicle.
Speed is not your friend.
Space is your friend.


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[Rich Jenkins]

^^^ At least I'm old enough to know what push pull is.

Good points.

[switz]

The sun sometimes creates a nice shadow on the curb side of the rig which is a good reference that one has cleared the other vehicle. Since I have the Voyager rear view wireless cameras on both trailers, I make sure the passed vehicle is a ways behind before pulling in. Sometimes the truckers will flash their headlights.

I always flash my headlights once the semi-trailer is safely clear of my rig so they can safely pull in. I usually get a thank you flash of their rear lights.

[SailorSam205]

Originally Posted by switz

I always flash my headlights once the semi-trailer is safely clear of my rig so they can safely pull in. I usually get a thank you flash of their rear lights.

Good to see that there are still people on the road who practice common courtesy.

I do the same.

Al

[m.hony]

To know when to come back into the lane:
Your entire rig is past the vehicle you are overtaking and you can see lots of space between the rear of your vehicle and the front of the vehicle you are overtaking-
Another way I judge:
When the front of the vehicle following directly behind me in my lane me is even with the front of the vehicle I am overtaking- Then I know I won't take off their front bumper moving back over in front.
Actually, I very seldom pass anyone because I tow at the posted speed limit up to 65 mph. At speed limits above 65 mph I still tow at 65 mph maximum for reasons already mentioned- fuel economy and following distance/reaction time for evasive/avoidance maneuvers-