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Old 10-19-2002, 07:55 PM   #1
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Trailer Life Magazine-Tech Column

This month's issue of TL has a "most asked" questions article written by the tech column guys. Lots of good info there, esp some basic towing questions.

I also found it interesting to note that they tested a Toyota truck with a 7,100 lb tow rating (I got this wrong in a post to Casita Forum), but given the curb weight of the tested truck (4,800) and the Gross COMBINED Weight Restriction (11, 800 I think), you are only left with 7,000 lbs of rating for a driverless truck, with no cargo or passengers aboard...

It occurs to me that the vehicle ratings are like a chain -- the whole thing is limited by the weakest link.

Pete and Rats



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Old 10-19-2002, 11:45 PM   #2
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towing

Ok, Pete
If they can't get this towing weight part right why would they get anything else right?

Reminds me of this book I read about great making money ideas. It said herefords were the best dairy cows you could get. As soon as they said that, I set the book down.



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Old 10-20-2002, 08:40 AM   #3
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Tow Ratings

When we first started looking seriously into getting a trailer it took me all of about 5 minutes to get VERY frustrated with tow ratings. Problem is that EVERYBODY is motivated to over-rate how much you can pull.

The car manufacturers want you to think their truck/van/SUV is a massive powerhouse capable of anything and everything. Their ratings you expect to assume you're using every piece of assistance hardware (trailer brakes, sway bars, WD hitches etc etc) and have stripped the vehicle of everything except the basics and a driver.

The trailer manufactures (and dealers) want to sell you the biggest damned thing they can (larger profits of course). So they'll look at whatever you've got for a tow vehicle and declare it can tow some massive behemouth. A dealer claimed we could tow "at least" 5000 lbs with our Dodge 1500 Van. Course the max tounge weight was 350lbs (if you have 10% of the trailer weight on the tounge, that ALONE limites you to 3500).

I've seen suggestions that you should basically never exceed something like 70-80% of your listed tow rating. When we were shopping, we decided to go that one better (I'm very pessimistic) and decided that 50% of the tow rating would be our max trailer weight.

Course, when it came down to it - we ended up with the lightest trailer in creation. The motivation however ended up being based less on what the VAN was capable of, but on what I was capable of. Meaning: I wanted something I could manhandle around at home or at a campsite if I wanted to. I REALLY like being able to easily manouver the Boler by hand. It's proven a very nice feature on several occasions.

In addition: Given the ratings of the van... According to the numbers, we could load the van up with passengers, then park the Boler on our roof and still be under our GVWR. :)

Mike
Watters:)



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Old 10-20-2002, 08:51 AM   #4
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Park Boler

Mike>>park the Boler on the roof

Mike, if you park the Boler on the roof of your tow vehicle, the Boler would no longer be a trailer ... but I wonder if would be considered a Boler Class C Motor Home ... or a Boler Class A Motor Home. ;) :)



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Old 10-20-2002, 04:49 PM   #5
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Jan-I have been misunderstood across the board on this (which is my own dang fault). I DON'T think either TL's numbers or Toyota's numbers were wrong. One thing I don't know is TL's definition of "curb weight".

What I do think is that the truck they had, when its curb weight was subtracted from the GCVWR, didn't have as much capacity left as the tow rating. That can often be the case if you have loaded stuf in your truck, be it options, pickup camper, people or horse manure, at some point the combined weight limit is going to come out with less tow than the original tow limit alone.

*******
YOU gotta do the numbers for YOUR truck based on the actual weights and the door sticker, then the manual.
*******

One person on Casita Forum pointed out that their 2WD Tundra's book said 7,200. TL said 7,100, but the tested truck was 4WD, prolly weighs more and that subtracted from the starting tow limit. Even 'tho they seem to disagree, TL and Toyota are both right, but either number is overcome by events if you load up the truck.

I wish I had only 50% of my capacity in tow behind me...

Pete and Rats



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Old 10-20-2002, 05:20 PM   #6
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weight

I remember this from a discussion on the Casita Forum when they EXPLAINED it to me how I can't pull a 17ft Casita. I just wasn't sure what you were going for, but it was the weak link part. I missed that. I got my eye open now :E



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Old 10-22-2002, 12:35 PM   #7
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Your Yellow Escape!

:wave Jan ,would you tell me about your Yellow escape I love the appearance but don't want to get the salesman all excited by asking them yet. We have a Windstar which is a good tow vehicle for our 13'Boler,but I'd like to know the cylinder and litre #'s of yours .It's the only way I can compare.
Thanks



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Old 10-22-2002, 01:18 PM   #8
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Escape

2001 Ford Escape XLT 4X4 3.0L V6 Automatic 201 HP@5900 rpm 196 ft-lb torque @4700 rpm (right out of the book)

I like the get up and go. The only thing I was disapointed in was the MPG. I get about 21+ highway, but others get 24+ so must be me. The trailer brought it down to 14 to 18 with a strong head wind. Very roomy even for four women with two in the 20+ size range and luggage for 4 days. Check out the Escape club. When I bought they were getting 50 to 150 hits a day. Good bunch of people.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thefordescapeclub/

forgot; try Autoweb.com for compairing information. I bought on line from a dealer close by using an online banker. Oh the internet, what would I do without it? anything else, just ask.



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Old 10-22-2002, 03:59 PM   #9
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Escape

Thanks for the info!
pippa



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