Hitch ? Where to install?

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by honda03842

.........
Fear, particularly in today's society, is easy to create since it underlies much of today's media.

Right, plus some people get their kicks instilling fear in others.

[Carol H]

Its equally unfortunate that there are less than a handful of folks here who regardless of the fact they don't tow & never have towed with the OP's vehicle &/or the trailer make they are considering feel those that have are discouraging or creating fear in a newbie for sharing their experience and opinion on towing with the said vehicle and or combo of vehicle and trailer.

So be it. At least the OP can't later say no one warned them.

[Jared J]

Agreed. I was looking for a small scamp to pull with my subaru. Luckily, I made a trip with a small flatbed trailer first and hit high wind in a storm with it. That right there made me decide I did not want to use mine for a camper. I've driven semis, and things that make people here freak out, and I just don't think I would be comfortable with it. Then I figured if I was using the pickup anyway, I might as well go "big", similar got the fifth wheel.

[MC1]

Originally Posted by honda03842

W, I forgot what vehicle you tow with and what size Airstream you tow, please remind me.

Like you, we have successfully towed with a small non-truck vehicle, our Honda CRV, without any issues outside of a thermostat and a fan, not bad for 200,000 miles.

It's unfortunate that there is a strong element on this site that discourages newbies. I know people who have purchased new tow vehicles or smaller trailers because of their views.

Fear, particularly in today's society, is easy to create since it underlies much of today's media.

Norm... For the last 7 years we have been towing with a CA pro set up Infiniti G35. Very stable, quiet, and a strong performer with or without the trailer in tow. Here post #60.... http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...-105356-5.html

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by McKenna Lynn

.........What would be the advantages of a Class III for me, if I would not be upgrading to a heavier trailer in the future.

None. Once you have the 2" opening, further capacity is of no help with your tow vehicle.

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by honda03842

It's unfortunate that there is a strong element on this site that discourages newbies. I know people who have purchased new tow vehicles or smaller trailers because of their views.

Fear, particularly in today's society, is easy to create since it underlies much of today's media.

In IT we call it FUD it stands for Fear Uncertainty and Doubt. But I do think the newbies are well served by the information provided by the proponents for and against most choices they need to make.

Generally on this site both viewpoints are based on the individuals real world experiences and are valid data points to be considered by the OP. Norm has experiences that say you can push past the limits to some extent without problems, Carol has experiences that doing this can lead to more repairs than one might otherwise have.

Both are making true statements, both provide OP with more good information than they started with. If I was OP I would want as much of that as I could get.

One does not want to purchase camper too small to meet needs or over purchase TV.

Sounds to me like OP could purchase a 16 ft and tow with Outback but may want to plan on something with a bit more tow capacity as a TV at a future date if they find themselves doing a lot of towing.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by RogerDat

Sounds to me like OP could purchase a 16 ft and tow with Outback but may want to plan on something with a bit more tow capacity as a TV at a future date if they find themselves doing a lot of towing.

RodgerDat thats a pretty good summery of the situation.

[Byron Kinnaman]

I see some people promoting ignoring towing specifications of tow vehicles. This can be dangerous, not in itself necessarily. Most if not all incidents, crashes, bear attacks, hikers lost, etc. are caused not by single thing, but by several stacked up against the person involved. Without knowing how an person drives and how much attention they pay to the other towing dynamics you know don't have any idea how much risk is being promoted.

The trailer industry and here demographics (for lack of a better word) has been changing. We now have lots of people with small children indicating a lower age group joining our ranks. Many have never towed a trailer. They turn to here for answers. When they are given answers that go against published limits, there can be a tendency to not believe other published limits.

For safety sake it's always best to stay within the published limits and as a group that provides answers and advice it always best to advise to stay within the published limits.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

I see some people promoting ignoring towing specifications of tow vehicles........ .

I think this is a misrepresentation of the discussion. But I agree, if you don't know what you are doing you should go with a larger, more forgiving vehicle.

Conversely, until someone shows me the results of a SAE J2807 test for a particular vehicle, it is reasonable to believe that the towing limit was not set using the new standard, but rather set to meet other objectives including warranty and liability reduction, or to encourage the purchase of more profitable vehicles.

* Repeat, if you are unsure of your towing abilities go with a larger tow vehicle. *