Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2008 11:05 pm
David Potter,
My intent is not to start an argument here but I need to say that the laws of physics still apply no matter who manufactures a tow bar system and no matter what kind of offset was designed into their tow bar.
If the base plate attach points are 7" lower than the receiver ball on the back of your motorhome, then during a really hard stop, this 7" drop will result in a very significant portion of the deceleration force being transferred as a downforce on the baseplate attach points which may result in damage to the front suspension of your toad and/or the baseplate itself.
The following is quoted from the tech topic Towing Physics 101 on Blue Ox's website as follows:
Blue Ox's recommendation is that the receiver hitch of the motorhome should never be more than 4 inches higher than the baseplate attachment points. Four inches or less keeps the tow bar level with the ground or slightly angled up towards the coach from the car. The tow bar should never be angled "up" towards the car from the coach. If an extension is added for say a bike rack it is even more imperative the tow bar not be at a severe angle. Not only does it increase the leverage, but each connection adds more slack in the whole setup. It's all geometry and physics. Please, no groans, I know you enjoyed those classes! The farther back you move the pivot point of the tow bar from the center of gravity of the coach, the more vertical movement you get and the more leverage is applied to the receiver hitch, tow bar and the baseplate. See, that wasn't so bad!
You can read the complete document at their website link below:
http://www.blueox.us/instruction/towingphysics101.htm
My intent is not to start an argument here but I need to say that the laws of physics still apply no matter who manufactures a tow bar system and no matter what kind of offset was designed into their tow bar.
If the base plate attach points are 7" lower than the receiver ball on the back of your motorhome, then during a really hard stop, this 7" drop will result in a very significant portion of the deceleration force being transferred as a downforce on the baseplate attach points which may result in damage to the front suspension of your toad and/or the baseplate itself.
The following is quoted from the tech topic Towing Physics 101 on Blue Ox's website as follows:
Blue Ox's recommendation is that the receiver hitch of the motorhome should never be more than 4 inches higher than the baseplate attachment points. Four inches or less keeps the tow bar level with the ground or slightly angled up towards the coach from the car. The tow bar should never be angled "up" towards the car from the coach. If an extension is added for say a bike rack it is even more imperative the tow bar not be at a severe angle. Not only does it increase the leverage, but each connection adds more slack in the whole setup. It's all geometry and physics. Please, no groans, I know you enjoyed those classes! The farther back you move the pivot point of the tow bar from the center of gravity of the coach, the more vertical movement you get and the more leverage is applied to the receiver hitch, tow bar and the baseplate. See, that wasn't so bad!
You can read the complete document at their website link below:
http://www.blueox.us/instruction/towingphysics101.htm