What is trailer sway and how do you stop it?

什么是拖车摇摆，你如何阻止它?

Trailer sway, or fishtailing, is when a trailer begins to move from side-to-side on its own, eventually resulting in flipping and (sometimes) turning the towing vehicle over, too. You can see an example in the video below.

拖车摇摆，或称拖尾，是指拖车开始自己从一边到另一边移动，最终导致拖车翻转，有时也会将拖车翻转过来。你可以在下面的视频中看到一个例子。

视频1-拖车事故集锦

It doesn’t happen on vehicles with a fifth wheel attachment, such as an articulated truck, only on vehicles where the towing connection (hitch) is well behind the rear axle.

如果后拖车带有铰接装置，就不会出现这种问题。这种问题只出现在脱钩直接和后桥连接。

视频2-配重失误解析

As you can see in the video above, trailer sway is made worse when the load balance causes too much weight over the rear of the trailer and not enough weight over the trailer’s hitch. A minimum of 10-12% of the trailer’s weight should be over the trailer’s hitch. If a lot of weight as at the back, it acts as a pendulum. It’s important not to overload the hitch, though. 

正如你在上面的视频中看到的，当负载平衡导致拖车尾部的重量过多，而没有足够的重量导致拖车的悬挂时，拖车的摇摆会变得更糟糕。至少10-12%的拖车重量应该超过拖车的故障。如果在后面有很多重量，它就像一个钟摆。不过，重要的是不要让这个故障负担过重。

It’s also important not to exceed the maximum towing weight specified by the manufacturer, and for people who have no experience towing to avoid towing a trailer that’s heavier than the towing vehicle.

不要超过制造商规定的最大拖曳重量也是很重要的，对于那些没有拖曳经验的人来说，避免拖曳比拖曳车还重的拖车也是很重要的。

What causes trailer sway?

拖车摇摆的原因是什么?

Trailer sway is usually set off by a strong gust of wind, either from a side wind in exposed areas or from a passing truck, and quick changes of direction such as on winding mountain roads. It’s made worse by incorrect air pressure in the trailer’s tyres, and the driver trying to correct it but not reacting fast enough.

拖车摇摆通常是由一股强风引起的，要么来自暴露区域的侧风，要么来自路过的卡车，以及在蜿蜒的山路上快速改变方向。更糟糕的是，拖车轮胎的气压不正确，司机试图纠正，但反应不够快。

The risks can be dramatically reduced by:

可以通过以下方式显著降低风险:

• Loading your trailer keeping heavy items down low and near the centre of gravity装载你的拖车，保持沉重的项目在低和附近的重心

• Pumping your tyres to the correct pressure把轮胎打气到正确的压力

• Anticipating adverse conditions and slowing down in time (large trucks coming towards you or overtaking you, particularly road trains), exposed bridges with strong crosswinds, and coming out of the lee (wind shadow ) of a building or geographical feature.预料到不利的情况，及时减速(大型卡车向你驶来或超车，特别是公路列车)，有强烈侧风的裸露桥梁，从建筑物或地理特征的背风面(风影)出来。

Stopping trailer sway with trailer sway mitigation

停止拖车摇摆与拖车摇摆缓解

This video shows how trailer sway mitigation works.

这个视频展示了如何拖车摇摆缓解工作。

视频3-博世ESP系统

Trailer sway mitigation automatically controls the braking of the tow vehicle’s wheels independently to counter the forces of the fishtailing trailer.

拖车减摇自动控制拖车车轮的制动，以独立对抗拖尾拖车的力量。

Stopping trailer sway without electronic intervention

如何停止拖车摇摆，在没有电子干预情况下

If you can apply the trailer brakes separately, do this immediately as that will drag the trailer back into line.

如果你可以单独使用拖车刹车，请立即这样做，因为这样会把拖车拖回正轨。

Take your foot off the accelerator but do not apply the brakes unless you’re at risk of hitting someone.

把脚从油门上拿开，但不要踩刹车，除非你有撞到别人的危险。

Steer gently against the motion of the trailer. As you slow down, the trailer will stop swinging so violently.

小心地控制拖车的运动。当你减速时，拖车就会停止如此剧烈的摆动。

The risk of you losing control will depend on the overall weight of the trailer in relation to the towing vehicle. A light trailer will have less impact on how the towing vehicle moves, and vice versa.

你失去控制的风险将取决于拖车相对于拖车的总重量。轻型拖车对牵引车辆的运动影响较小，反之亦然。

There are special towing hitches with more friction that can help reduce the risk of trailer sway.

有一些特殊的带有更多摩擦力的拖曳装置，可以帮助减少拖车摇摆的风险。

How should a trailer handle?

拖车应该如何操作?

Strong crosswinds will push the vehicle sideways, even out of the lane if the driver isn’t quick enough, but they shouldn’t start the trailer swaying, even though up to 1500kg of force could be applied to the side of something like a caravan!

强烈的侧风会将车辆侧推，甚至在司机不够快的情况下会将车辆推出车道，但它们不应该使拖车摇摆，即使在大篷车之类的车辆上施加高达1500公斤的力也不行!

If you are doing everything right but your trailer is still swaying then you need to get it checked out as there may be an underlying problem.

如果你做的一切都是正确的，但你的拖车仍然摇摆，然后你需要去检查，因为可能有一个潜在的问题。