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Topic: Caravan wheels (Balancing)

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trog100

10/6/2015 at 10:04am
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my glasses would not simply fall over.. they would without the slightest doubt bounce two feet in the air at the first pot hole and smash to pieces.. i use plastic beakers.. i sometimes leave a folded towel on the top of my fridge when i move off.. its never there when i stop and go into the van..

the shock forces inside my van whilst on the move are pretty high.. less at the front but way higher over the axle and towards the rear of the van.. way more than you would get in any car..

my fridge contents have ended up on the floor.. i no longer put heavy stuff (bottles) in the fridge door.. my grill pan has ended up on the floor (messy that one) and so has my knife and fork draw.. its all now got extra securing fixings..

but cars do have real suspensions.. caravans dont.. i even fitted some after market alko shock absorber to mine and do run my tyres as soft as i think i can get away.. the suspension arms are all running at the right angles and new (plus extra) hinges everywhere in an attempt to stop locker doors coming open have all been fitted..

i do own some small video cameras and on my next trip will mount one inside the van to record whats going on..

i can only speak for my van and the rubber suspension may well have hardened with age.. but my van suspension is petty hard..

the only thing i am sure of its got nothing to do with tyres being balanced or not.. this wont have any noticeable effect at lower trailer towing speeds..

it is about speed.. how fast the tyre rotates and the force of gravity.. the vibration is caused by a heavy spot being accelerated by the force of gravity on the way down and slowed down on the way up.. the faster the wheel spins the greater any out of balance effect will be..

the industry does not consider 60 mph and less fast enough to cause any problems.. which is why caravans tyres dont come "balanced" from the factory..

its not because they cant be bothered.. its because they dont consider it to be of any benefit.. fifty plus years of driving experience tells me the industry is correct..

trog

ps.. my first car had a top speed 55 mph and a cruising speed of 40 mph.. it didnt have "balanced" tyres and back then i dont think any car did.. they were not known for the wheels coming off.. he he..

this forum like most internet forums is loaded with copy and paste nonsense.. people should never take anything they read on it seriously.. he he he..

Post last edited on 10/06/2015 10:25:32

AVON EAGLE

10/6/2015 at 2:51pm
Location: Blackpool
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Just had an email back from Elddis. They do NOT balance tyres/wheels before fitting them.

johnks

10/6/2015 at 2:52pm
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Quote: Originally posted by AVON EAGLE on 10/6/2015
Just had an email back from Elddis. They do NOT balance tyres/wheels before fitting them.

I gather Bailey do.

-------------
John

AVON EAGLE

11/6/2015 at 8:24am
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I have a long journey coming up - so I am going to get them balanced. I don't get any shaking (That I am aware of) in the van - but I thought it may improve MPG.

johnks

11/6/2015 at 8:54am
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Quote: Originally posted by AVON EAGLE on 11/6/2015
I have a long journey coming up - so I am going to get them balanced. I don't get any shaking (That I am aware of) in the van - but I thought it may improve MPG.

I am sure it won't make any difference to your mpg.

-------------
John

Kenny2105

11/6/2015 at 11:07am
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Yes vibration is increased with speed, its generates the faster you go, say it comes in around 30 mph and re appears at 60 a stronger in harmonics, its frequency based, but unless something was terrible wrong its not like an earthquake.

trog100

11/6/2015 at 12:46pm
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i think just to be pedantic its more gravity induced..

when the heavy spot (assuming there is one) is on the way down it tries to accelerate the tyre.. at the bottom the force disappears and then kicks back in again but in the opposite direction.. it tries to slow the tyre down because the heavy spot is now going uphill as opposed to downhill..

the thing is a good tyre should not have any "heavy spots" in the first place at least not heavy enough to cause problems at towing speeds..

the faster the wheel goes the more force gets brought into play.. an out of balance wheel spinning at 100 mph will generate far greater forces than one at 50 mph..

assuming the tyre not to be faulty some maybe are.. 60 mph should not be fast enough to generate enough forces to be noticeable or a problem..

its a bit like a car engine piston.. at the top of its stroke it comes to stop.. it does the same at the bottom.. each time it goes up and down it has to accelerate and stop.. large forces are generated and the faster the engine revs the greater the forces..

the heavy bit of a tyre does pretty much the same thing.. gravity tries to speed it up in the way down and slow it down on the way up.. the slower the wheel spins the less force is generated..

but good tyres at towing speeds will not generate enough force to cause vibration problem..

so they can be balanced (just to make sure) but expert opinion says it isnt necessary at towing speeds..

this thread will be gone soon and a new one will soon appear.. he he..

trog

Kenny2105

11/6/2015 at 3:01pm
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Trog100 im guessing you mis spelt Troll!

billy

11/6/2015 at 5:17pm
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The comparison to an engine is relevant but not in the way intended. The unbalanced engine is balanced with a flywheel much as a tyre is balanced with weights.

brianconwy

11/6/2015 at 6:26pm
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The effects of gravity will be negligible compared to centrifugal forces.

Andy Higham

11/6/2015 at 7:38pm
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Tie a small nut on the end of a piece of string and twirl it around you can feel the tug on the string, imagine the force when twirling it around at 800rpm

AVON EAGLE

11/6/2015 at 9:32pm
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Quote: Originally posted by johnks on 11/6/2015
I am sure it won't make any difference to your mpg.

I'll let you know when I have returned from Northern Scotland and worked out all the details.

(I do keep a close check on my MPG when towing)

trog100

12/6/2015 at 8:56am
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"Trog100 im guessing you mis spelt Troll! "

the forum myth is that caravan tyres need to be balanced.. :)

any attempt to dispel that myth or go against the majority view will earn me that title.. he he

for billy.. the engine spins a bit faster than a wheel.. the heavy flywheel is there to smooth out individual power pulses not to put right out of balance forces.. the heavy lobes on the crank shaft attempt to do that..

for andy.. a weight on a bit of string dosnt generate vibration..

but from a forum point of view most people think caravan wheels need to be balanced.. nothing will change that.. he he

trog

Post last edited on 12/06/2015 09:07:32

Kenny2105

12/6/2015 at 9:52am
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I bet playing scrabble with you is a fun game

johnks

12/6/2015 at 9:57am
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Quote: Originally posted by Kenny2105 on 12/6/2015
I bet playing scrabble with you is a fun game

He can only say two words he he!

-------------
John

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