You are wrong. You are comparing lever with pivoting point on the center with lever with pivoting point on the end. Totally different animals.

 

Nope, I'm right! Not much difference in that animal there jaKtech!

 

You have a lot to learn.

 

Splitting hairs too...
but lifting the rear WILL make a difference in the balance...
do a internutty search for moment of inertia, fulcrum, etc...
the quantity of difference is not the important point...
the important point is that there IS a difference

I vote for better handling of the weight via the airbags !


Now, it you REALLY want to get into a hot debate....

A plane is standing on a runway that can move (some sort of band conveyer).
The plane moves in one direction, while the conveyer moves in the opposite direction.
This conveyer has a control system that tracks the plane speed and tunes the speed of the conveyer to be exactly the same (but in the opposite direction).
Can the plane take off?"

now watch the leaps in logic

(my take ? the plane will easily take off !) will save the why for later

 

Believe me you will KNOW if your over payload, you won't do it again. Follow the spec sheets you will have no problems.

 

Than you are taking the assumptions that you are not telling us about. Some planes can lift off vertically so they don't need ground speed at all.
Than on average plane the air around the wings need to have certain speed to produce lift off force. Even the propellers can move the air on plane not moving horizontally, that air will flow only around part of the wings.
Lot of variations possible just like with lifting the rear on truck.

 

What happened to Newton's third law?

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

 

The answer to the OP's question was answered by Bucci in post #2.

 

Assuming we are talking about a standard fixed wing aircraft with fixed engines that only produce forward thrust, it could take off. The aircraft's airspeed is determined by the amount of thrust produced by the engines and the amount of drag produced by the airframe. The airframe will require a specific airspeed to generate enough lift to lift a given weight.

There are essentially three different speeds in play here, the aircraft's ground speed (speed in relation to planet earth), the runway speed (identical to the aircraft's ground speed, but in the opposite direction on the conveyor runway), and the airspeed. Assuming there is no wind, ground speed and airspeed can be equal. Assume aircraft X has to have an airspeed of 150 mph to lift off on a normal runway, and it takes Y percent throttle to achieve this speed, this gives it a ground speed of 150 mph. Being that it is on a normal runway, the ground speed is equal to the runway speed which is equal to the airspeed. The aircraft's wheel rotate forward at 150 mph.

An aircraft applies its motive force to the air, not the ground. So if it is on the conveyor runway, and the pilots give it Y throttle, ceteris paribus, the aircraft will still move forward with 150 mph airspeed and 150 mph ground speed. The runway speed will be 300 mph as the runway is moving in the opposite direction at the same speed. The aircraft's wheels rotate forward at 300 mph. Asside from increased rolling resistance from the wheels due to their higher rpm, nothing will change.

Now if this were a car, since a car applies its motive force to the ground, it would simply sit still as long as the conveyor speed was equal and opposite to the cars wheel speed.

This is a long post for a simple question, but it's late and my thoughts consist of endless ramblings. Enjoy, lol.

 

This thread has taken a pretty interesting turn haha!

 

Maybe we should talk about airplanes taking off with 0 ground speed and in reverse?
Check it at 3:08
Sto Tirso 2008 - F3P - YouTube
It is a model airplane, but technology for manned planes always follow.

 

I'm siding on air springs leveling the weight and giving better control. It was said they would not increase payload, just stabilize it. This thread went crazy from teter totters to airplains. Made sense to me very early in the discussion. Not sure if all that extra helped answer the original question. But a point to ponder. You are in a car traveling at the speed of light. You turn your headlights on. What would happen?

 

Your headlights operate as they normally would.

 

Your headlights would still turn on, they just wouldn't project any light in front of you.

There is a really simple way to answer this whole question of the weight being transferred some to the front. TAKE IT TO THE SCALES! Hook up the trailer and air up the bags. Weigh it then without moving, let the air out and see if the weights change. Yes it is that simple.

As far as handling goes, it for sure would help in the handling and steering. If you understand things like caster and camber, you would understand that the *** sagging effects the geometry of the front end. I know first hand that the *** sagging can really effect the handling. I picked up two pallets of paver stones and the 12 mile drive home was a little scary.

Now I do believe that where the weight is in comparison with the rear axle will effect the results. I have pulled the same trailer with and without air bags and I will tell you they DO make a difference in handling. I never did the weight comparison at the scales so I won't get into a debate about the weight transfer.

 

Well, at least I can't say this isn't the most entertaining forum I've ever encountered. Bottom line, it's harder to steer when the wheels you control are air born. Thanks for the show guys