Cybertruck hitch analysis by Engineering Explained

[jpms4]

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[jpms4]

i'm towing 8000 lbs regularly, i am not worried but it would be nice to see tesla really test this and publish results to put this to bed.

 

[CyberTexas]

In my opinion, if you are regularly towing >8000 lbs with CT, then you need a HD diesel truck. You are better served by going that route. I would never tow near the limit. Always go conservative.

Same for my F150 Hybrid. Sure it can tow 10500, but I would at max tow 7500. Anything more, then I get HD truck.

CT like my Ford is about towing occasionally at 8000 lbs or less.

CT is about a multi task vehicle that most of us use daily. Commuters. Save money vs gasser. Convenient (storage galore). Quiet transportation. Ocassional tow. And, of course, FSD. These are the reasons why I am considering CT.

 

[JackCypher]

I think he gets solid credit for trying to inform the viewer without resorting to sensationalism and I respect that a lot. It's a question that I want answers to and I feel more informed after watching the video. The concern that rises to the top for me is fatigue over time, but I think I need to understand the problem more.

On a side note, I wonder if there are going to be aftermarket solutions that pop up for this issue, or is it even something that people worry about to be worth the expense?

Echoing your point: Watch; of all people James Cameron the Avatar Movie director and 'professional' deep, deep sea explorer explain materials strengths and what to select when you need a structure vessel to not only 'survive' but sustain the capability of handling 2,343 lbs. per square inch when you 1 mile below the sea. [that's one ton per square inch].

What comes to the fore and other vessels builders know is that steel has a near 'infinite' ability to handle stress cycles...unlike no other material we've yet to make. Nearly all other materials over stress cycles will fracture, delaminate and fail.

So you have to pick your materials carefully. Is it geeking out?..not really. It is drilling down to what you really, really need the material and structure to do. A hitch will go thru millions of minor and 100's of major stress cycles. AND have to be also high strength to handle 5,000-15,000 lbs of loads. Both is needed.

It is easy to gloss over thinking is it not important. I'd offer an F1 is a fast car, so is a NASCAR, so it a dragster...but you'd look like a complete idiot bringing a dragster to an F1 race track.

Regards
Jack

 

[2000prerunner]

go to 7:30 min

designed to break off. If you don’t want that , just overlay a formed 1/8” 4130 or SS steel plate and have it bolt to the other bolt holes sandwiched between the bed.

 

[cadamo001]

His point #3 - Long time fatigue - has been my #1 concern with the design since before it was released. The real world catastrophic scenario I see is very real (pulling an airstream over washboard for 1000's of miles over time). It is basically a 5000lb jackhammer on the hitch. It will eventually fail - possibly after you left the dirt road and are cruising at 70mph.

Are you using a weight distribution hitch? I haven't seen that question yet but I would imagine that changes everything? Or maybe not? Can someone offer an explanation on how that might change the EE video analysis?
And I love EE but they don't like Elon/Tesla.

 

[timschoenfeler]

Aside from the mechanical, I'd like to see them integrate an auto hitch mode into the CT's autopark such that the truck could center the truck's hitch ball below the trailer hitch. The goal would be ease of hookup of trailers.

 

[TickTock]

Are you using a weight distribution hitch? I haven't seen that question yet but I would imagine that changes everything? Or maybe not? Can someone offer an explanation on how that might change the EE video analysis?
And I love EE but they don't like Elon/Tesla.

Yes I do - was required on my prior truck (K2500 GM Suburban). And yeah, it really changes the dynamics. I've been on roads with my back two tires almost off the ground (truck+airstream resting on airstream tires and truck front tires). Not quite, but enough that the rear tires slipped on level ground when they dropped into a gulley.

 

[cybercricket]

Aside from the mechanical, I'd like to see them integrate an auto hitch mode into the CT's autopark such that the truck could center the truck's hitch ball below the trailer hitch. The goal would be ease of hookup of trailers.

Yup, that would be a significant quality of life improvement for charging with a trailer on the long trips, since the most charging stations at this time aren't setup for trailers. But it would have to work pretty good to be useful - apparently Lightning has that feature, and it's not working great.

 

[TyPope]

I think the physics there is a lot more complicated than what was presented.

For example, assuming a 3,000lb trailer, is there a difference in [downward] forces during braking between an 8,000lb steel plate versus a 10ft tall 8,000lb concrete ring ?
Is there a difference between the forces when the pivot point is 10ft away from the hitch versus 15ft away ?
And finally, what is the impact of the trailer brakes slowing down the trailer more than the towing vehicle ?

Of course there's a difference. He picked very simple numbers so people don't get confused. If, for instance, you had a trailer that was 5' back to the axle, and you were carrying a one pound weight on a weightless tower that was 14,000' tall, one G of stopping force would put 14,000 lb/ft of force on the trailer hitch. One pound. My god, think of the children, man!

 

[CyberTruckeeTheOne]

Interesting!

My level of comfort is seeing the hitch bolted in supporting A frame in the chassis.

Am towing only 4,200 pounds so I should not worry?

 

[UberNoob]

Not getting my click lol. I’m not too worried about towing.

 

[Gaximus]

Not getting my click lol. I’m not too worried about towing.

I’ve been watching this guys videos for years. He actually does a really good job breaking down the engineering of the hitch. He is actually a pretty big fan of Tesla engineering. tlrd of the video, unless towing at max capacity, in A configuration that no one would do, it’ll be fine. Also he brought up the regulations for UK where it says that towing hitches and connections must be made of steel. Could be why they haven’t released in the UK.

 

[HaulingAss]

So you have to pick your materials carefully. Is it geeking out?..not really. It is drilling down to what you really, really need the material and structure to do. A hitch will go thru millions of minor and 100's of major stress cycles. AND have to be also high strength to handle 5,000-15,000 lbs of loads. Both is needed.

It is easy to gloss over thinking is it not important.

Hey Jack, have you considered offering your materials science expertise to the naive engineers at Tesla? You might be able to help them pick materials that will actually work without failing.

Oh, wait, have any of you armchair engineers considered that Tesla has engineers that actually understand materials fatigue, and how they can avoid fatigue failures? Maybe you should wait until there is at least one credible failure of a hitch being used within it's design limits before thinking you know more than the engineers who chose the materials and the design?

Wthout a single credible failure, I'm wondering why there are so many worry warts. Airplanes with aluminum structures regularly handle forces that dwarf what a trailer applies to a hitch, and many of them have been in continous service for 30-60 years. Maybe your armchair engineering skills would be bettter directed towards the aviation industry. It's so arrogant and naive at the same time. Where are the documented failures? Who got hurt? Where's the coverup? It's like a bunch of waaa-babies crying about things they know little about.

A little bit of knowledge is an embarrassing thing.

 

[HaulingAss]

Of course there's a difference. He picked very simple numbers so people don't get confused. If, for instance, you had a trailer that was 5' back to the axle, and you were carrying a one pound weight on a weightless tower that was 14,000' tall, one G of stopping force would put 14,000 lb/ft of force on the trailer hitch. One pound. My god, think of the children, man!

Good point! And what if the earth flipped it's axis at the same time you were towing that 14,000 foot tall weightless tower with a pound on top! I know the Earth's axis doesn't flip very often, but it does happen, the forces would be unbearable, especially if that hitch had already towed a million miles over washboards. I don't think it could handle it.

How come Tesla didn't address this issue?

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