Ball height – Measurements from the ground to the center of the hitch ball on the tow vehicle and to the center of the hitch-ball coupling on the trailer when the tongue is level with the ground.

Ball mount – Part of the receiver hitch system that supports the hitch ball.

Brake controller – Electronic device that applies power to the trailer’s electric brakes in proportion to the tow vehicle’s deceleration.

Breakaway switch – Safety device that automatically activates the trailer brakes should the trailer become disconnected from the tow vehicle.

Bunk trailer – Type of boat trailer that uses flat rails to support the boat.

Fifth-wheel hitch – Trailer coupling device mounted over the rear axle in the cargo bed. It’s so named because of the wheel-shaped hitch plate.

Gooseneck – Type of trailer with a long pivoted coupling arm that is attached to a large ball mount in the pickup bed. Gooseneck trailers usually can make tighter turns than a fifth-wheel trailer.

GCWR – Stands for Gross Combined Weight Rating. This is the manufacturer’s maximum allowable total weight of a towing vehicle plus a loaded trailer. The actual gross combined weight of a fully loaded towing vehicle and gross trailer weight must not exceed the GCWR.

Hitch ball – The sphere-shaped attachment point between the coupler on the trailer and the hitch.

Hydraulic surge brake – Type of brake used on boat trailers. It features a self-contained hydraulic system and lever-action coupler that activates the brakes when the tow vehicle decelerates.
 
Receiver hitch – Hitch design where a receiver subframe is attached to the vehicle frame. The hitch features a square opening that “receives” and secures the ball mount.

Roller trailer – Type of boat trailer that uses self-centering roller assemblies to support the boat.

Safety chains – Set of heavy-duty chains designed to help keep the trailer close to the tow vehicle if there is a hitch failure.

Shank – The removable portion of the hitch system that supports the hitch ball or adjustable ball mount. Also called hitch bar, drawbar, insert or stinger.

Spring bar – Critical part of the weight-distributing hitch system. When adjusted properly, spring bars act like handles of a wheelbarrow and transfer hitch weight to the vehicle and trailer axles.

Sway control – There are two types: mechanical and electronic. Mechanical includes friction or cam-action devices designed for the trailer to dampen yaw or fishtailing. The electronic version is a program in the vehicle’s stability control system that detects trailer yaw and applies pressure on selective brakes to help reduce the trailer sway.

Tongue weight – Weight of the trailer that rests directly on the hitch ball. May also be called hitch weight. Recommended tongue weight is about 10% of the trailer weight for conventional hitches and up to 25% of the trailer weight for fifth-wheel and gooseneck hitches.
 
Tow rating – Vehicle manufacturer’s maximum allowable trailer weight.

Weight carrying hitch – Type of hitch system where the entire tongue weight of the trailer is supported by the hitch ball and transferred to the rear axle of the tow vehicle.

Weight distributing hitch – Type of hitch system that uses spring bars to spread a portion of the trailer tongue weight to all the axles of the tow vehicle and trailer.

On Christmas Eve 2009, a new PriusChat community user on Yahoo pointed to the article “NHTSA Tracking Braking Loss on Prius Hybrids,” which first raised the issue of a problem with the Prius braking system. It stated there were at least “33 complaints” out of 100,000 new model, 2010 Prius cars. Owners were wondering what was going on.

The reaction within the Prius community ranged from “What brake problem?” to “It’s a scary safety issue.” So taking the classic engineering approach, this engineer along with associates set out to gather more data, starting with a survey of Prius owners to find out the extent to which they had experienced the problem. The survey revealed that owners of both the 2009 and 2010 models had experienced intermittent braking problems:

PRIUS SURVEY CHART

Continuing the investigation, questions were asked about details and conditions under which Prius owners had experienced a braking problem. Soon, there were dozens of photos that clearly implicated potholes. The photo montage also revealed the truly awful state of roads across North America.

 PICTURES

Through the results, four common elements were discovered of every situation in which a braking problem occurred: a road imperfection or significant bump; (2) winter or wet conditions; (3) slow speed, and; (4) gentle or moderate braking. Most of the reports were from Northern latitudes (where winter brings a bumper crop of potholes), which also might explain why a resident of Northern Alabama, had not experienced the braking problem…

The PriusChat community proposed that the combined elements of slow speed and gentle braking pointed to a transition between regenerative and mechanical braking. The Prius uses the electric motor as a generator when stopping to charge the traction battery. As the car slows down the brake computer has to transition seamlessly to mechanical braking. Reviewing the brake section of “2010 Toyota Repair Manual, Volume 2″ (RM1291U2), references pointed to a “30 km/h (19 mph) to 0 km/h” (pp BC-85, BC-87) critical speed range. Unfortunately, feedback from the users was qualitative and lacked precise engineering units, which was the precise data we needed for our investigation.

Realizing some true field testing was needed, the engineering team ordered two Gulf Coast Data Concepts‘ accelerometers (one for an owner in Michigan who frequently experienced the problem) and the other for local testing on a Prius in Alabama.

The first morning of testing with the accelerometer in Alabama was perfect–wet and drizzly. Approaching two rows of speed bumps at a badge check gate at a work facility, it happened: The car ‘slipped’ just after the first speed bump. Knowing 19 mph was a critical speed, the Prius was slowed to just under 20 mph before hitting the first bump. As shown in the chart below, the accelerometer captured a momentary ‘slip and slide’ sensation at that instant.

Clearly the braking force, A_{x, went to zero after the speed bump. The integrated velocity curve, V, shows an 800 milliseconds flat line before the braking force resumed. We finally had the brake anomaly, a pause, documented with engineering units.  Meanwhile, about this time Toyota had a new release of the brake control software added to the Prius production line and announced a recall program, SSC-A0B. Regardless, we could use this protocol to validate the fix.}

Ten days later after the fix and under similar conditions the accelerometer showed the problem gone:

The key steps in our investigation were to:

• Solicit user reports looking for patterns – intermittent problems often seem to hover around a few and are missed by many. We needed to capture as many descriptions with as much detail as possible to find a way to reproduce the problem at will.
• Understand the systems – we found boundary conditions in the braking system. Knowing 19 mph was a threshold speed, we focused our efforts in this range.
• Convert intermittent to reproducible problem – as soon as the problem is reproducible at will, experiments can map the boundary conditions.
• Quantify the problem – add instrumentation to convert imprecise text into engineering units
• Validate the fix – using the problem protocol, test to validate the fix.

Toyota’s fix, SSC-A0B, solves the vast majority of these intermittent, slow-speed, momentary, brake pauses. But often one intermittent problem can mask a less frequent problem. After eliminating incompletely applied patches, there remain scattered reports of another braking anomaly, and investigations continue.

Drivers who use hand-held devices such as I-phones or I-pods are four times as likely to get into crashes that result in injuries both to themselves and others. What about the hands-free set-ups? Well, even multi-tasking with them while driving could cause a serious mishap.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation there are three main types of distractions:

• Visual- taking your eyes of the road
• Manual- taking your hands off the wheel
• Cognitive- taking your mind off what you are doing

Distracted driving isn’t just about phone calls or texting. There are other activities that take your attention away from traffic leading to accidents. Here are some examples:

• Adjusting a navigation system
• Eating
• Grooming
• Reading
• Retrieving a dropped item

Nearly half the U.S. States have restrictions against activities that cause driving distractions. Some states ban phone use in construction zones and school zones. Others place restrictions on novice drivers and operators of commercial vehicles including large trucks and school buses. You can research the laws in your state by visiting www.distraction.gov.

So, the next time you reach for the phone or i-pod while driving, answer this question: Is This Call Or Song Important Enough To Risk Hurting Someone, Or Can It Wait?…

This is an article of interest about a young lady who bought a 2007 Toyota Camry with Gen 5 in-dash navigation 3 years ago from the Toyota Dealership and experienced trouble with the navigation unit as soon as the warranty expired.

She was excited about adding the In-Dash Gen 5  navigation package which included an upgraded stereo, satellite radio, and GPS touchscreen navigation. This Navigation upgrade  by Denso is very nice and added $2,000 to the price of the vehicle at the time. The touchscreen for this unit works great and the built-in navigation is extremely convenient to always have in the car (versus putting up and taking down a hand-held GPS each time you get into the car).

Unfortunately a few months after the 3 year warranty expired on the car, the touchscreen display went out. All the functionality appeared to work, but the display was so dim that you could only tell it was on by shining a flashlight at it. So to the dealer it went for a repair estimate. The Toyota dealer after assessing the unit announced that it could not be repaired and should be replaced. Cost to replace a radio unit that cost $2,000 3 years ago…..$3,000 dollars. So apparently in 3 years, the price of this technology went up 50%. The dealer was supposed to charge labor for looking at it but the Dealer rep was so shocked himself by the price that he waived the fee. Good Customer Relations move by the dealer.

It was hard to  stomach this recommendation since it seemed that everything worked on the device except for the display. Pity to toss all those fancy electronics because of a failing LCD screen. After copious searching on the internet for others with similar problems who might have suggestions for repair, a recommendation from a forum suggested a company out of California that repairs these units.

The company is Hi-Tech Electronic Services out of Van Nuys, CA. Through E-mail contact with the company they said that they could fix it and would give a free official estimate once they received the unit (though a rough estimate was given via e-mail). After removing the radio (one of the easiest cars for removing a radio), and $30 of UPS shipping later they had it at their shop.

They examined the unit, repaired the 3 parts that had gone bad, and shipped it back all within a week for $585 total including return shipping. So a new replacement unit is $3,000 from Toyota, repair of existing unit, $585…  A much, much better deal. They only offer a 90 day warranty on their repairs, but that is to be expected with electronic repairs in general. Overall a wonderful experience is reported. The unit was reinstalled into the car and it has been working great ever since.

You may want to check into this company Hi-Tech Electronic Services if you experience any kind of in-dash navigation unit trouble that requires repair.

VSC helps prevent wheelslip and loss of traction by reducing engine power and applying brake force to the wheels that need it. (Figure 1) Rear wheelslip can occur when the rear wheels lose traction and cause the vehicle to slide around.(Figure 2) Front wheelslip can occur when the front wheels lose traction during cornering and begin to drift toward the outside of the turn. Toyota’s VSC monitors your steering angle and the direction your vehicle is actually traveling and senses when your front or rear wheels begin to slip. When it senses this loss of traction or slip, VSC reduces engine power and applies braking to the individual wheels that need it to help correct the slip and keep the vehicle in the intended path.

TRACTION CONTROL (TRAC)

Traction Control helps maintain traction on wet, icy, loose or uneven surfaces by applying brake force to the spinning wheel(s). Let’s say you’re driving and come upon a snowy or icy patch on an uneven road. (Figure 2) If your vehicle gets stuck in the snow, wheelspin occurs, and you come to a stop. (Figure 1) Toyota’s Traction Control sensors are activated when one of the wheels starts to slip. TRAC limits engine output and applies the brakes to the spinning wheel. This transfers power to the wheels that still have traction to help you go safely on your way.

ANTI-LOCK BRAKES (ABS)

ABS helps prevent brakes from locking up by “pulsing” brake pressure to each wheel to help you stay in control in emergency braking situations. When something unexpected appears in your path, you may instinctively swerve to avoid it and jam on the brakes. However, without ABS, the brakes can lock up, the vehicle starts to skid, and you struggle to stay in control. Toyota’s ABS sensors detect which wheels are locking up and prevent the lockup by “pulsing” the brakes at each wheel independently. Pulsing releases brake pressure repeatedly for fractions of a second — a reaction time not possible for humans.This means the wheels never stop rotating and that helps the car to avoid going into a skid, helping you stay in control.

1. Inexperienced or panicking driver applies brakes quickly but without enough pressure. 2. Driver sometimes eases up on the brake pedal too soon. 3. The Brake Assist system increases braking force, even when the brake pedal isn’t pushed hard enough. 4. When the driver intentionally eases up on the brake pedal, the Brake Assist system reduces the amount of assistance applied. Note: To activate the Brake Assist system, keep pressing the brake pedal. When braking assistance is no longer required, ease up on the brake pedal.

Toyota’s ABS technology has Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) to help keep the vehicle more stable and balanced when braking. If you have to stop abruptly, momentum causes the vehicle to tilt forward and reduces the brake force of the rear tires. But in a Toyota, EBD responds to sudden stops by redistributing brake force. Wheels with more braking effectiveness receive more brake force; wheels with less effectiveness receive less brake force. This helps prevent brake lockup. EBD is especially helpful when carrying cargo. Sensors recognize the extra load the cargo puts on the rear axle, so brake pressure on the rear wheels is increased because the extra weight improves braking effectiveness.

That’s a lot of Oil, Brother…

Whats an altruistic way to maybe compensate for the problem?  How about, how many  Toyota Prius Hybrids would need to be sold in order to offset the oil loss?

• Looks like there would have to be almost 1 million Priuses sold globally to conserve enough gasoline to offset the amount wasted as the escaping oil pours into the oceans and damages our beautiful beaches.

Here’s what the Math is based on to calculate what it would take to compensate just for the lost gasoline related to the daily oil loss.

• Anonymous oil-industry experts suggest one gallon of unrefined light crude, the kind the Deepwater Horizon produced, provides half a gallon of gasoline, or perhaps a little more.
• So that’s 500,000 gallons a day we need to save.
• If the average U.S. car drives 10,000 miles a year at 25 miles per gallon (to make the math easy), then the 50-MPG  Prius saves 200 gallons of gasoline per year. Or 0.55 gallons per day.
• So you’d have to sell 912,500 Priuses, each of them saving a little over half a gallon of gasoline a day, to offset the loss of half a million gallons every day.

But Toyota doesn’t make anything close to that number of Prius Cars right now. In fact, in 2009, the Company sold 139,682 Priuses in the United States, out of a total of approximately195,000. 

Until the end of this year, the total annual  production is capped at 500,000 by constraints in the supply of nickel-metal-hydride battery packs used by the cars to store energy.

This is too bad. After all,…  we wouldn’t want Obama’s enemy from a few months back to be the source that saves his new found enemy today, now would we?

A Florida Man’s common commuter car, common that is if you discount the fact that his Toyota Corolla S has racked up 603,500 miles in the past five years commuting about 230 miles each work day to and from his job, is certainly noteworthy…The truth though, is that most Toyotas new cars or used cars for sale are capable of very high mileage and low maintenance.

In a year when Toyota has gotten some bad press for brake and throttle problems and subsequent recalls, the fact that Toyota Connections magazine is doing an article on this gentleman’s Corolla and his marathon commute for a September issue is “great” according to its daily driver. He intends to hang on to it, for a number of reasons.

“It’s so dependable, and quite honestly, I will probably go and hang on to it,,, I want to break a million on it, or pass it down to the children.” said Mr. Ose, an aircraft certification inspector at Gulfstream Aerospace.

The world record for high mileage on a car has been handed to retired New York teacher Irv Gordon’s 1966 Volvo P1800 Coupe, with 2.5 million miles on its original engine.

So Mr. Ose’s Toyota Corolla isn’t fancy. The compact 4-door has a 130-hp four-banger, cost about $14,000 when new, and can manage 30 mpg or more.

Mr. Ose said he bought it while living in Jacksonville, because he needed something cheap and thrifty for those daily commutes to Savannah. He endured the commute for his youngest daughter, Zoe, who has cystic fibrosis and needed to be near a care center at Nemours Children’s Clinic in San Marco.

He works at Gulfstream Aerospace because no job locally has the pay and medical benefits his seniority brings him there. His only concession – moving about a year ago to St. Marys, 45 minutes closer to work, to save some gas and shorten a commute that still starts at 2 or 3 a.m.

So far the Corolla has only needed some rear axle work and “a lot of tire maintenance,” and doesn’t burn any oil.

“Inside’s great. The outside looks great, but it’s a bit scraped from highway miles,” he said. 

Mr. Ose says high mileage runs in the family… He has a minivan with 145,000 miles on it.

Truck Market Studies Confirm That Customers Like Mid-Level V8 Engines.

Why Are Customers drawn to mid-level engines?

• Because They Want V8 engine performance but don’t need brute power for heavy workloads
• They Prefer A lower price and lower operating costs with better fuel economy

The Tundra’s 4.6-liter V8 has advanced engineering features that give it more horsepower and better fuel economy than competitors mid displacement V8 engines.

Check Out The New 4.6-liter V8 available in Tundra for 2010

• 4.6 motor with 310 horsepower with 327 lb-ft peak torque
• That’s 15 more horsepower than the 4.8-liter V8 in 2010 Chevy and GMC trucks
• 18 more horsepower than 2010 Ford 4.6-liter 3-valve V8
• The Tundra’s V8 pumps out more torque than Ford and GM
• The Tundra is equal in horsepower to the bigger 4.7-liter V8 in the 2010 Ram 1500
• More power improves towing performance and drivability

The Tundra 4.6L i-Force V8 is one of the most technologically advanced truck engines

• The All aluminum construction is lighter and dissipates heat faster
• There are 4-valves per cylinder that  flow air more efficiently than the competition’s 2- and 3-valve designs
• Dual overhead cams (DOHC) a Toyota trademark allows the engine to run at lower revolutions/minute and lower temperatures than the competition’s single overhead cam (SOHC) or cam-in-block pushrod designs
• Dual Independent Valve Timing with intelligence (Dual Independent VVT-i) provides more precise and flexible cam adjustments than the competition’s single-timing design

So What Can You Say To Your Neighbor Or Work Buddies About The Tundra 4.6-liter V8 ?

• It’s mated to a new 6-speed automatic transmission; Ford offers 6-speed but Dodge has 5-speed and GM provides just a 4-speed with similar-sized V8s
• The EPA estimated fuel economy¹ of 15 mpg city and 20 mpg highway (2010 4×2 models)is state of the art; Ford is equal but GM and Dodge are lower
• Tundra has ease of maintenance: Toyota engine coolant designed to last 100,000 miles, Toyota spark plugs designed to last 120,000 miles, and Toyota World Standard automatic transmission fluid designed to last 100,000 miles under normal operating condition

This issue will come up many times for owners with navigation. Here is how to fix it:

• Press the Info Button
• On the Info Screen, press Screen Settings
• On the Screen Settings display click Automatic Screen Change “OFF”

This will stop screen changes every 20 seconds on the display.

These Toyota Models Have The New Generation 6 Navigation:

2011 Camry, Generation 6 Navigation

2010Tundra Limited and Platinum grades, Generation 6 Navigation

2010 Venza, Generation 6 Navigation

2010 Prius, Generation 6 Navigation

2010 4Runner, Generation 6 Navigation

2011 Sienna, Generation 6 Navigation 

2011 Avalon, Generation 6 Navigation

TMMK employs about 7,000 team members who build nearly 2,000 quality vehicles each day. A “takt time” of 55 seconds on both of the vehicle assembly lines means that two new Toyota vehicles are built in Georgetown every 55 seconds!

TMMK began production in 1988 with the popular Toyota Camry sedan. The Avalon sedan was added in 1994, while the Sienna minivan was produced from 1997 to 2002.

As you tour TMMK, your guide points out the foundations of the world-renowned Toyota Production System. These will include examples of kaizen, or continuous improvement; just-in-time parts delivery; and the andon system, where team members can stop the line at any time to address quality concerns or any problems.

In the TMMK Visitor Center, you will see current models of the vehicles and engines built in Georgetown, plus the very first Camry produced by team members in May 1988. The Visitor Center also includes interactive video displays and exhibits on Quality, Teamwork, the Toyota Production System, and hybrid technology.

What is the Cost?  Its  Free
Freebies: Toyota vehicle (in the form of a refrigerator magnet!).
Video Shown: 10-minute video provides a brief plant overview, including sections not included on the tour.
Reservations Needed: Yes, but walk-ins will be accommodated as space permits. Phone Numbers:

 (502) 868-3027   (800) 866-4485
Days and Hours: Plant tour: Mon–Fri 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, and 2:00 pm, Thur also 6:00 pm. Closed holidays.
Visitor Center: Mon–Fri 9:00 am–4:00 pm, Thur until 7:00 pm. Toyota reserves the right to cancel or reschedule tours at any time.
Plan to Stay: 1.5–2 hours for plant tour, video, and exhibits.
Minimum Age: Plant tour: 1st grade for public tours and 4th grade for school tours. Visitor Center: no minimum age.
Disabled Access: Yes
Group Requirements: Maximum group size is 64 adults. Large groups must call several months in advance.
Special Information: Photographs and video and mechanical recordings are allowed in the Visitor Center but not during the plant tour.
Gift Shop: Sells logoed golf shirts, T-shirts, caps, etc. Open same hours as Visitor Center.
Directions: From Lexington, take I-75 North to Exit 126 (Georgetown/Cynthiana). Turn right onto U.S. 62 (Cherry Blossom Way). Drive exactly 2.5 miles and turn left at Visitor Entrance sign.
Nearby Attractions: Three Chimneys horse farm, Rebecca-Ruth Candies, Buffalo Trace Distillery, and Old Kentucky Candies tours (see pages 252, 251, 240–241, and 250); Kentucky Horse Park; Keeneland Racecourse; Calumet horse farm; Georgetown College.