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Topic: Idle curiosity

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The Bimblers

27/6/2016 at 4:41pm
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As the title of this thread says..... this is, quite simply, idle curiosity.

Can someone (anyone?) explain why the wheels are in the middle?

If you get, for eg, a 28 foot long, twin axle caravan, the axles are in the middle.

Surely it would be far - FAR - more stable and secure if it had a (dead?) axle at the back and a simple steerable draw-bar axle at the front?
And the 'jacking it up' argument doesn't wash: with modern technology, and air suspension, it would be the simplest thing in the world to have all four wheels independently operated from a single point to level the thing out.

So, anyway, an inherently un-stable 2 axles in the middle. Why?

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Camping........ Fishing........ Fishing........ Camping........ Oooh. Decisions, decisions
:-)

moppetsdad

27/6/2016 at 5:23pm
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Cost one would imagine would be a big factor.

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David

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diesel steve

27/6/2016 at 5:41pm
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that would certainly be entertainment on a site watching peoples trying to reverse onto a pitch,

Big Roy

27/6/2016 at 5:42pm
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I am a HGV driver and have driven a fair few with a draw bar trailer and trust me if you think reversing a caravan is difficult you really wouldn't want to reverse one with a draw bar

Crypto

27/6/2016 at 5:44pm
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Ever tried to reverse a 2 axle with front one steerable. Nightmare!!!
I used to have to tow a big mobile generator with a short wheelbase truck. It was extremely difficult. We ended up putting a tow ball on the front of the towing truck to make it easier to manouvre.

carpets163

27/6/2016 at 8:49pm
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hi.i think it would be rather difficult to get round corners with an axle both ends.An axle in the centre should give a better pivot action so not to hit curbs. But i am a bloke and not always right.

Harpmaker

27/6/2016 at 9:28pm
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IN the 1970s and 80s a company in NZ called Liteweight had a model called the Tracker that had a single wheel under the A frame that steered with the car (think Reliant Robin etc). I even think a few were imported to the UK (from what I read). Try as I might I can't find any pictures that show this system clearly, but they did get good reviews at the time for towability.

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Alan in New Zealand

The Bimblers

27/6/2016 at 9:32pm
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Afraid the reversing things doesn't wash: Old Fair-ground caravans were huge things with a wheel at each corner. They managed quite admirably, so.......

I see what carpets163 says about corners but, as someone who has often used a draw-bar trailer that doesn't wash either.

So........ back to the original question; Why?

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Camping........ Fishing........ Fishing........ Camping........ Oooh. Decisions, decisions
:-)

navver

27/6/2016 at 10:08pm
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Is an axle at the back and a steerable draw-bar axle at the front more stable than a conventional caravan set up. I'm not so sure it is.

Lorries are not like that, they go for articulated.

The conventional set up lets the overrun brake system work. The other wouldn't. It would need a braking system controlled by the car system and that would be a bit more complex than fitting a towbar.

diesel steve

27/6/2016 at 10:27pm
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more weight can be carried on a draw bar trailer. more stable than the axle in the middle, i used to drive trucks with both types of trailers and the trailer with axles in middle didn't like cross winds where as the draw bar trailer was rock steady in cross winds, also the loading in a draw bar trailer was not as critical as a trailer with axles in the middle

Hairywol

27/6/2016 at 11:03pm
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It has to be cost really. Manoeuvrability would also be a factor, both forward and reverse turning.

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Camping Gear expands so as to fill the space available for its transportation.

iank01

28/6/2016 at 9:29am
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Wouldn't there be a big difference in weight making it difficult for smaller cars to tow the unit especially if the driver only has a B licence.
I believe in the US the axles are not in the middle, but slightly to the rear making the noseweight very heavy however this is compensated for by using that they call a straight liner.

freeatlast

28/6/2016 at 1:17pm
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Quote: Originally posted by The Bimblers on 27/6/2016
Afraid the reversing things doesn't wash: Old Fair-ground caravans were huge things with a wheel at each corner. They managed quite admirably, so.......

Size matters though. Any small trailer is harder to reverse than a larger one.

Is stability an issue? Will the drawbar trailer swing from side to side when towed at 60mph?

The Bimblers

29/6/2016 at 1:33pm
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A Draw-bar trailer would be rock steady at 60mph.

It would also, as already mentioned, be rock steady in a crosswind too.

As for the weight issue, sorry, that doesn't wash either. If you already have two axles then you're only adding a very small amount (as an overall percentage) to make the thing steer-able.

As for towing/reversing the things: Yes, they would handle differently, but --if that was the way it was done -- then it would be common so no one would notice!

So, this brings us neatly back to the original question. Why?

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Camping........ Fishing........ Fishing........ Camping........ Oooh. Decisions, decisions
:-)

alpiner

29/6/2016 at 1:38pm
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alpiner

iank01

29/6/2016 at 1:43pm
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Reminds me of the ox wagon my ancestors used!

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