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Old 08-17-2015, 11:04 PM   #1
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Mini TV

Driving up I-5 in central California yesterday, we passed a 16 foot Amerigo being towed by a Geo Metro. I guess you really can tow a molded fiberglass trailer with almost anything. We took photos but I can't figure out how to insert them .,

My wife just googled Amerigo and found an ebay ad for this trailer. The owner said that he tows it with a 3 cylinder Geo Metro. "Takes a while to get to freeway speed." I bet.
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Old 08-18-2015, 05:17 AM   #2
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An interesting topic for sure Doug. We have learned from the off shore countries that smaller vehicles can make good tow vehicles and have many advantages over the big ones.

Mini's, Golf's, etc actually perform well as TV's when set up right.

Had to laugh... A few weeks ago there was a street garage sale where our 23' was parked and we had the trailer opened up to show some friends that day.

A number of folks came up the driveway and asked if we were selling it. One guy checked it out and asked what we were towing it with. I pointed to our mid sized G35 sedan and he thought for a minute and said... "well I guess it doesn't matter how long it takes you to get somewhere as long as you get there". I just had to bite my tongue and smile. Little did he know that we effortlessly, cruise all day at 100klm/hr in quiet comfort with trailer in tow.
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Old 08-18-2015, 09:04 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug in Sacramento View Post
Driving up I-5 in central California yesterday, we passed a 16 foot Amerigo being towed by a Geo Metro. I guess you really can tow a molded fiberglass trailer with almost anything. We took photos but I can't figure out how to insert them .,

My wife just googled Amerigo and found an ebay ad for this trailer. The owner said that he tows it with a 3 cylinder Geo Metro. "Takes a while to get to freeway speed." I bet.
You left out the operative word "Safely", with that word inserted you can't.....

Unfortunately Curt made a hitch rated for 1000 lbs/100 lbs for the Geo, which might lead someone to think that it actually had a towing capacity. But even the Amerigo would exceed that limit by 100%

This just supports the idea that there are those out there that place their own "Common Sense" decisions above all others, without regard to their own safety, much less the safety of others on the road.

I hesitate to use a derogatory statement to describe the person who does this, but we all get the idea.

Best bet when you see this, stay clear, you may become it's first/next victim.

As oft mentioned, successfully doing the wrong thing, doesn't make it right.



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Old 08-18-2015, 09:18 AM   #4
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Mini TV

Here's your basic "Mini" TV. I had to upgrade the TV when I stepped up to a 17"
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Old 08-18-2015, 09:19 AM   #5
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I own a Firefly, (exactly the same as a Metro), but mine is the 4 cylinder model. So these pictures, from a Trillium ad, caught my eye. I sure hope he has trailer brakes.

I don't even have a tow hitch on my fly.
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Old 08-18-2015, 10:07 AM   #6
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I owned a Suzuki X-90 briefly to use as a Tow'd behind a short (and depressing) experience with a Class "A" motorhome. it was OK to tow, but horrid to drive.


My ex-fiancé of many years worked as a Temp at Suzuki Motors U.S. headquarters in Brea, CA for a while. She was on the customer assistance phone lines and knew nothing about motor vehicles. She had a Q&A script to follow and when the question couldn't be answered, she was supposed to refer the caller to their nearest dealer, which were few and far between. She left because she didn't want to make untruthful statements to customers, of which there were many being made. Is it any wonder that they pulled out of the market a few years back?



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Old 08-18-2015, 10:30 AM   #7
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Suzuki still sells in Canada. They even have a version of the Suzuki Swift, (the Suzuki version of the Metro/Firefly)

I love my fly. I am on my third one. The first one I purchased brand new in 1991 and put about 40,000 km/year on it. My now ex-wife crashed it several years after we split. My second one was purchased for $400 and I drove it for more then 4 years. I purchased my current fly, for $300, about a year before my last one quit. I have been driving it for over a year. I put very little maintenance into them, and they just keep going.

My favourite thing about my fly is that I don't care about it at all.
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Old 08-18-2015, 10:53 AM   #8
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Here's your basic "Mini" TV. I had to upgrade the TV when I stepped up to a 17"
LK, the new Mini's are much more capable......


https://youtu.be/LHJCA06cQ90


https://youtu.be/d8l8ECTSVO8
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Old 08-18-2015, 11:57 AM   #9
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Much more capable of what????
It doesn't look like there is a towing value specified in owners manuals for recent Mini's. But maybe the Mfg. just forgot to list it.... LOL


On the Mini owners site all of the towing weight limits given are either WAG's or specifications for hitches being sold by 3rd party providers, who will always include the disclaimer to: "Do Not exceed manufacturers specifications".


In looking at the Youtube's, and mfg's specifications, I can't quite figure out how a basic Vistabule Teardrop comes in at 1220 lbs dry, yet a much larger Taylor Coach 8' comes in at 700 lbs dry.... Is all of the touted "Airstream Aluminum" on the Vistabule that much heavier? Vistabule | VISTABULE Teardrop Trailers



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Old 08-18-2015, 07:45 PM   #10
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I never meant to imply that the combination we saw was safe. Far from it. I was being sarcastic saying that you can tow a fiberglass trailer with anything, although apparently some people think you can. The Metro/Amerigo combination, in my opinion, is crazy, for so many reasons. I would have loved to have seen it climbing up the Grapevine.

In the ebay ad, the guy claimed that he got 38 mpg towing the Amerigo. That would be nice.
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Old 08-18-2015, 08:11 PM   #11
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I can't quite figure out
Not surprised, maybe I can help you out.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Miller View Post
how a basic Vistabule Teardrop comes in at 1220 lbs dry, yet a much larger Taylor Coach 8' comes in at 700 lbs dry.... Is all of the touted "Airstream Aluminum" on the Vistabule that much heavier? Vistabule | VISTABULE Teardrop Trailers
I have met and talked with Brad at Taylor Coach about custom building us a trailer. Since they have been in business for over 40 years they have innovative ideas for building lightweight trailers. Many of their customers tow with smaller 4cyl cars. Oh, by the way that Hyundai Elantra in the pic below has a 3,000lb tow rating so all is well.
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Old 08-18-2015, 09:06 PM   #12
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Actually I was wondering about the extra 520 lbs. weight of the Teardrop, it being made out of "Airstream Aluminum" (per brochure) and all.


As the Taylor is a lot smaller than a 13' Scamp, and their empty weight "Used" to be advertised as some where around 850 lbs., really stripped 700 lbs sounded believable for advertising purposes. As far as the Elantra, didn't even notice it....



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Old 08-19-2015, 07:04 AM   #13
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What is amazing to me is the fact that many of the "trucks" that they call vans and SUVs or CUVs (called trucks since the safety considerations are less) are based on the sedan platforms and are not really reinforced all that much if any. They are taller and have higher centers of gravity and handle much poorly than the sedans that they are based on. However since the buyers expect it to tow (sometimes) the manufacturers give it a tow rating where they don't the sedan it is based on.
Most manufacturers have a parts bin that applies to a "platform" that they pick and choose from to build a model and they may or may be stronger from one to another.
The Unibody CUVs often have the same wheelbase, engines, transmissions, suspensions modified to sit taller etc. but little if any real differences when it comes to what contributes to towing capability other than excess weight.
If you were to look at the weight ratios and length, heigth ratios between some of the trucks I see towing very large trailers the smaller cars have more favorable ratios.
I think the main thing needed is for the manufacturers to apply SAE J2807 to their cars with the same fervor that they do with their trucks. I would bet that it would be a real eye opener, but might cut into the sales of the higher profit trucks, SUVs, and CUVs.
Personally while the SUVs and CUVs are selling well I don't care to drive one all of the time so I tow with my VW TDI and I am quite well pleased with it's performance and stability. The Jetta (golf in the rest of the world) wagon is the same platform as the Tiguan and the heavier, lower torque Tiguan is rated to tow, but is less stable and has less pulling power than the JSW. In my mind the winner is the Golf ( this was agreed with with the UK testing as well)
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Old 08-20-2015, 09:51 AM   #14
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Suzuki still sells in Canada. They even have a version of the Suzuki Swift, (the Suzuki version of the Metro/Firefly)
I am told that Suzuki stopped selling in Canada, last year. Thanks Brian!
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Old 08-20-2015, 10:09 AM   #15
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As far as the Elantra, didn't even notice it....
Sure thing but if you did notice it how do you feel about the engineers giving it such a high tow rating for a smallish 4cyl econobox?
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