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Old 11-20-2012, 07:09 AM   #61
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Yep, that's the speed limit. I'm also using a half ton pickup rated to tow 9600 lbs, with a fifth wheel trailer that weighs not much more than yours, you can't compare the two when you're using a CRV with a bumper pull.
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Old 11-20-2012, 07:24 AM   #62
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Originally Posted by Thomas G. View Post
Another option is to install the 16 foot VT surge brake system, but that takes a lot of scrambling to find parts.
Doubt if that is an option without changing the springs on the VT surge brake controller. The lighter CT would not initiate the surge brake as fast and it would likely only react during a panic stop. Most parts are available on the UHaul web site. May want to look at the system used on TAB's which are relatively light weight.
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Old 11-20-2012, 07:35 AM   #63
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Originally Posted by Francesca Knowles View Post
This is true of surge-type brakes, which is one reason for their unsuitability for RV trailers.


Francesca
agree that most are, but there are some called free backing drum brakes that at are specifically designed to allow backing, such as those on the UHaul VT. I Back it up an inclined drive with no issues if I take it slow. My two cents



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Old 11-20-2012, 07:43 AM   #64
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Another option is to install the 16 foot VT surge brake system, but that takes a lot of scrambling to find parts.
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Originally Posted by mmeyer View Post
Doubt if that is an option without changing the springs on the VT surge brake controller. The lighter CT would not initiate the surge brake as fast and it would likely only react during a panic stop. Most parts are available on the UHaul web site. May want to look at the system used on TAB's which are relatively light weight.
Michael J
I should have said a VT- type surge system. You would need to track down the VT drums either from UHaul, or find functional equivalents. It has been said the the 10 lug hole drums sold at UHaul fit both the car trailer and the VT - I can't verify.

Once you have the drums, you can freely buy 10" hydraulic brakes and tongue mounted actuators that are for lighter trailers.

Example: Hydraulic Surge Trailer Brake Actuators at Trailer Parts Superstore
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Old 11-20-2012, 07:49 AM   #65
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Trailer Speed Limits

Jared,

My point is most people who have fiberglass trailers don't tow at 75 mph no matter how big their tow vehicle or how small their trailer.

I believe there are only 4 or 5 states that have trailer speed limits of 75 mph, by far most state speed limits are 65 mph or less. The reality is that it's not legal to tow in most of the country at 75 mph and specifically not Kansas (70).

The typical state max tow speed is between 55 and 65 mph. For most small fiberglass trailers there are 4 cylinder vehicles capable of towing them well.

As far as our 'bumper tow' Honda CRV goes, it tows well, reliably and efficiently. I know many on the site don't like our use of our CRV, that's fine with me. We are careful, do obey state speed limits and the ratings of our tires.

Wishing you safe travels
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Old 11-20-2012, 07:54 AM   #66
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There is no trailer speed limit in ks per highway patrol, not sure where you get 70 from. None in mo, ia, or mn, either. As for most people not towing that fast with them, most people on here are already pushing the limits of their tow vehicles, I'm not even close. I prefer a larger margin, each to their own. 75 with mine is safer than much of what I see on here at 55, IMHO. Yesterday I saw a new exploder pulling an airstream that was at least 25', with their headlights pointed at the sky, not even a wd hitch. I hope they just take themselves out.
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Old 11-20-2012, 08:11 AM   #67
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Andrew,
I've read all of this thread, and for sure, there are plenty of thoughts and opinions that have now been covered. Lots for you to ruminate. So I'm going to throw another line of reasoning out there, which is not directly related to your question, but I feel it is important to consider.
You state that you have neither the camper nor the tow vehicle yet, and you are planning a "big trip" apparently. My suggestion would be to allow yourself many, many months of ownership of both the car and trailer prior to your big trip. Do your research, buy your rig, and then go for short weekend trips to a local state park or similar, and that will give you time to come back home and work out all the little details. And there will be many, many "little details" and things you will want to customize to make it all work well for you. You will find that early on, you'll likely take some things with you that you really don't need, and vice versa.
If you read some of Norm's ( Norm and Jenny ) many posts, you will see that even with all the years/miles of experience, they are still fine tuning their rig to be just the way they want it.
My overall point is to do your homework early, choose a trailer that will make you happy, buy a TV that can handle it, then iron out all the maintenance/upgrade items, well before striking out on the "big trip". That way, you'll be better prepared to have a great trip with the least likelihood of problems.

Good luck with it, and stay in touch here. It will be a fun journey. Both the purchase, the work on the rig and the use of it, it's all fun.

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Old 11-20-2012, 08:23 AM   #68
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Jared,

I took a quick look at the states you mentioned. States in the mid west tend to have higher speeds, longer distances and lower density traffic.

I also took a quick count of states with 55 mph and 65 mph.

Iowa 65 mph
MN 70 mph
MO 70 mph

16 states are 55 mph.
17 states are 65 mph

Source: State Towing Laws for RVs
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Old 11-20-2012, 08:46 AM   #69
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The site is wrong. Ks, mo, ia, and mn have no trailer limits.


Ks speed limit on interstate is 75, the rest are 70. I did my research.
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Old 11-20-2012, 09:27 AM   #70
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It's odd that we all keep trying to teeter on the edge. Buying the least capable tow for the most trailer.
Travel without anxiety should be the goal.
Which is why I leave the bocce balls and the cast iron pans at home...
As a general rule, I find more of the conversation about tow vehicles on MFROG to be closer to "paranoid wretched excess" than to "teetering on the edge", most offering more heat than light with no more information than can be found in the owner's manual.
Informed common sense should lead to "rightsized" and "adequately equipped" tow vehicles.
Either extreme can be ridiculous and negate the point of small fiberglass trailers.
At any rate, a tow vehicle with twice the required capacity,adequately equipped, and adult driven should not be denied it's place on the road.
Drive safely and enjoy your trip!
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Old 11-20-2012, 12:37 PM   #71
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Yep, that's the speed limit. I'm also using a half ton pickup rated to tow 9600 lbs, with a fifth wheel trailer that weighs not much more than yours, you can't compare the two when you're using a CRV with a bumper pull.
This is true...and to expand on your point, the same is true in reverse.

What one can/should do with a fifth wheel doesn't follow with a bumper pull trailer regardless of tug size. A fifth wheel is a very different tow, performance-wise.

I think the "speed limit" argument superfluous- regardless of any stated upper limits on a road, it's still only an upper limit. Every driver is required to adjust speed for "conditions", and those conditions can certainly include speeds lower than 70 while towing.

As to the supposed "danger" of going slower than 70:

I think this logic flawed since outside of perhaps Montana, most roads with 70mph speed limits are multi-lane highways...right lane travel at 60-65 is perfectly safe....and safer.

Francesca
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Old 11-20-2012, 12:41 PM   #72
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Originally Posted by Jared J View Post
Yep, that's the speed limit. I'm also using a half ton pickup rated to tow 9600 lbs, with a fifth wheel trailer that weighs not much more than yours, you can't compare the two when you're using a CRV with a bumper pull.
Having pulled through many states with the speed limit of 75mph all I can say is thats the max speed limit & it doesnt mean you have to do it. Actually confirmed that with highway patrol in Montana once. Most if not all states have something written into their laws that says you dont have to do the speed limit if unsafe to do so. If your running ST tires it is very unsafe and even if your not a good argument can be made as to why pulling a trailer at 75 mph is unsafe regardless of the size of tug or tire type. In fact in my experience the majority pulling travel trailers dont do 75 mpg regardless of tug size. Actually I have found that even when I stay to under my trailer tires rating of 65 mph I pass more big tugs than small tugs ;-) Yup even on some pretty big hills - actually the longer the hill the more I normally end up passing.
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Old 11-20-2012, 01:24 PM   #73
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I think that the OP has staggered off, wondering what kind of asylum he has wandered into.
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Old 11-20-2012, 01:41 PM   #74
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I think that the OP has staggered off, wondering what kind of asylum he has wandered into.


My guess is that he's too busy to post here because by now he's probably swamped with private messages... each of which sounds convincing, and all of which are contradictory!

Francesca
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Old 11-20-2012, 02:13 PM   #75
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My guess is that he's too busy to post here because by now he's probably swamped with private messages... each of which sounds convincing, and all of which are contradictory!

Francesca

I still think we need a permanent, on going thread called "Your Tow Vehicle is Too Small - No It's Not- Yes It Is".

If that works well, we can expand to "Only Old Women Drive at 55 MPH - Oh, Yea? - Yea!"

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Old 11-20-2012, 02:32 PM   #76
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I still think we need a permanent, on going thread called "Your Tow Vehicle is Too Small - No It's Not- Yes It Is".

If that works well, we can expand to "Only Old Women Drive at 55 MPH - Oh, Yea? - Yea!"



Great idea!

I suggest an all-encompassing title: " I'm All Wet??? You're All Wet!!!! "

Francesca
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Old 11-20-2012, 03:11 PM   #77
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Smile Towing with a Subaru

We have towed our Trillium with our 2000 Subaru Outback 5 speed stick, rated 2000#, for four years and have had no issues.
Well, we did have one. We had a clunking noise when we first started towing and it turned out to be that we didn't have the hitch ball torqued correctly. After torquing to 150 in-lbs have had no issues.
We have been to Arizona three times and Cranbrook BC once. Our Trillium was weighed at Quartzsite and came in at 1840#. We will win no drag races, of course, but we do get 19.5mpg.
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We have been limited to 32mph ascending Crow's Nest Highway to Stagleap Provincial Park going east, and 40 mph ascending the Siskiyou Pass in Oregon, but we are no worse than some of the semi trucks.
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Old 11-20-2012, 03:34 PM   #78
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Back to whether the Subie can tow a 13' Scamp. I commented in another thread on towing with a Tacoma. Over there I said something to the effect of "you can tow with this, but will you want to?"

To be clear - you want to tow with a car that has a 2700lb tow rating. You want to tow a trailer that has a stated weight under 1500lb, possibly 1200lbs. I think you will be fine, even with your gear in the car (just leave the kitchen sink at home).

The 2.5 non turbo was never a "fast" car. And getting low 20's MPG towing is still better than a trunk getting mid to low teens towing. So long as you are willing to not be the first to the top of every mountain pass, then it should be fine. If you tow the trailer a lot then maybe a more powerful tug would better trade off, but if you are more concerned on daily driver duties and go on less trips then go with the Subie.

BTW, the Outback was just a trim level on a Legacy for years. It added plastic body cladding and a little ground clearance. No extra wheel base. I haven't looked in the last couple years to see if the same is still true.

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Old 11-20-2012, 03:37 PM   #79
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We have towed our Trillium with our 2000 Subaru Outback 5 speed stick, rated 2000#, for four years and have had no issues.
Well, we did have one. We had a clunking noise when we first started towing and it turned out to be that we didn't have the hitch ball torqued correctly. After torquing to 150 in-lbs have had no issues.
We have been to Arizona three times and Cranbrook BC once. Our Trillium was weighed at Quartzsite and came in at 1840#. We will win no drag races, of course, but we do get 19.5mpg.
Attachment 53012
We have been limited to 32mph ascending Crow's Nest Highway to Stagleap Provincial Park going east, and 40 mph ascending the Siskiyou Pass in Oregon, but we are no worse than some of the semi trucks.
I just noticed the axle is more towards the rear in the trailer body. I went out and looked at our Egg - it is almost perfectly in the middle (eye balling it). I wonder about that and tongue weight.

Jason
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Old 11-20-2012, 03:44 PM   #80
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I just noticed the axle is more towards the rear in the trailer body. I went out and looked at our Egg - it is almost perfectly in the middle (eye balling it). I wonder about that and tongue weight.

Jason
The placement of axles is a design element that differs from trailer to trailer. A lot depends on where interior fixtures/tanks etc. end up, since that has an effect on the targeted proportion of around 60% weight ahead of the axle.

Francesca
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