Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1999 23:10:43 -0400
Reply-To: Bulley <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Bulley <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Subject: Lady engineer???: Towing with a Vanagon?
Randy-
Just a small thought you may contemplate...
When a writer says "... a lady engineer..." the writer is subtly implying
that this engineer is somehow different than 'regular' engineers, (who we
must assume are men). Is that sexism?
If one were to say "It is a book written by a black engineer..."or ... "it
was written by a white engineer", or any other useless category, we aren't
enhancing the reader's understanding by conveying this categorization.
Instead, we are subtly conveying that the engineer is (in their estimation)
"different", "not normal, so I must point it out". We encourage the reader
to prejudge the book, and the engineer, due to their categorization.
Just a point to ponder...Some of my best friends are black, woman,
engineers.
G. Matthew Bulley
Director
Bulley-Hewlett & Associates
www.bulley-hewlett.com
Cary, NC USA
888.468.4880 tollfree
-----Original Message-----
From: Randy Bergum [SMTP:organslave@EARTHLINK.NET]
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 1999 6:23 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Towing with a Vanagon?
Hi Joseph:
I tow a flatbed trailer that weighs about 600 lbs empty, and 1500 lbs
loaded. The handling improves from the inertial coupling to the rear of
the
van, and the ride improves also. Make sure to place the ball fairly low.
My van has a receiver that I made from square and rectangular tubings,
welded to the existing bumper brackets. It all tucks up under the bumper
and only the receiver shows.
The trick to stability is getting the load positioned correctly on a
good trailer.
Good things:
Long hitch-to-trailer CG distance
Low load CG
Wide trailer wheelbase
Short distance from van rear axle centerline to ball center.
If you use leaf springs on the trailer, position the shackles in
front of the axle. This makes the axle countersteer for you when the
trailer leans over in a corner - a convergent, not divergent, behavior.
There is a book on trailer design by a lady engineer that spells this
out, if you're interested I'll dig it out.
Randy Bergum
1990 Carat
Joseph Badger wrote:
> Hi, my name is Joseph Badger and I currently have a 1990 Vanagon Carat
> with about 170,000 miles. I also have a 1996 Jetta GLS. Would you tow
> a boat and trailer weighing less than 1,000 pounds combined with either?
> The owners manual says 1,350 pounds for an "unbraked" trailor.
>
> If so would trailor this, where do you recommend getting a hitch that
> will work with US type trailor mounts?
>
> Joseph