Scamp 13" Towing speeds

[RogueIT]

Just picked up our 13" Scamp and brought it home to Ky. I kept it around 65 mph. I tow with a Mazda CX-9 and could hardly tell it was there. Is 65mph within the acceptable standards, or do I need to slow it down?

Thanks

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by RogueIT

Just picked up our 13" Scamp and brought it home to Ky. I kept it around 65 mph. I tow with a Mazda CX-9 and could hardly tell it was there. Is 65mph within the acceptable standards, or do I need to slow it down?

Thanks

At 65mph your at the upper limit. The tires are rated for 65mph max. I tow between 55mph and 60mph which gives me some safety margin and a more relaxed drive.

[floyd]

With your rig, you will save a consistent 4MPG by simply reducing speed to 60 and acceleration by a commensurate amount.
Acceleration is generally more stressful than speed on TV components.

Fact is, towing effects handling, stopping, lane change etc. in other words ALL aspects of safe driving. None of which are improved.

That is not to say that 65MPH is unsafe, but all the other factors must be considered. Following distance, ramp speed, corners, traffic signals etc.

As speed increases, proper loading becomes more critical as well, since more speed increases the possibility of uncontrolled sway.

BTW Our new ST tires are now rated at 81MPH and our car maker says not to tow at more than 70MPH.
I have found a "sweet spot" for each of my TVs , each being different and arrived at by experience and experimentation.
We now have a new TV for our Scamp13D and I expect that it will be next summer sometime when I will have determined the sweet spot for towing it with it.

[DeanCHS1980]

Hi Scott,

Congrats on the Scamp 13'. Always nice to see another Kentuckian with an egg. Our tug is rated to tow 7,500 with 750 on the tongue; however, I prefer towing our Casita 17' FD at 60 mph plus/minus 2 mph rather than 65.

See ya in the campground,

Dean

[Wayne Collins]

We have found that at some speeds, and on roads with promient expansion joints, the rig will get to bouncing. The answer then is to either speed up or slow down. I like to go with the flow. drive the speed limit, of a bit more to keep up with traffic, esp on two lane roads
The stability of your rig depends, not only on proper weight distribution,, but also on how tight the hitch is. A loose drawbar to receiver connection, and a loose ball to hitch will aggravate sway.
Keep a steady hand on the steering wheel, and avoid any sudden changes in direction.

[stevebaz]

Here in California trailer leagle towing speed is 55. Towing the 13 Scamp we fight trying to keep it down below 60. The Scamp 13 tows like a dream it is so easy to creep up in speed. We have trailer brakes so higher running speeds is a bit safer. Its not the speeds you can but the speeds you can safely drive and stop if something bad happens.

[vintageracer]

I run 75-80 all the time.

Pull with a Big Truck and LT Tires on the camper.

Never a problem.

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by vintageracer

I run 75-80 all the time.

Pull with a Big Truck and LT Tires on the camper.

Never a problem.

You may not have experienced a problem, and this is just one man's opinion, so take it with a grain of salt if you like:

Towing at 80 mph is entirely too fast, and inherently dangerous, regardless of your trailer or tow vehicle.

[mdg3369]

We tow our '13 Scamp with a CX-7. Our limiting factor is fuel mileage. It gets about 11MPG at 75. Almost ran out of fuel in middle of nowhere Kansas once.

We've towed about 20k miles in the 4 years we've had it, lots of fuel burned.

[clairemr1]

as others have advised, i tow my 13ft casita at 55-60mph. it's not just about the towing, it's also about the STOPPING. believe me, you won't want to be going much faster if you have an emergency and need to stop quickly and safely. the rest of us and our precious wildlife on the road will thank you for slowing down and enjoying your trip..............

[floyd]

Originally Posted by mdg3369

We tow our '13 Scamp with a CX-7. Our limiting factor is fuel mileage. It gets about 11MPG at 75. Almost ran out of fuel in middle of nowhere Kansas once.

We've towed about 20k miles in the 4 years we've had it, lots of fuel burned.

Try 60MPH and it will be free lunch every driving day and cash leftover!
Really... at 60MPH you'll see 17-18mpg assuming you are running the 2.5L 4CYL.

With a stick and a 2.3L (Escape) we got mid twenties at 58MPH and 18 at 65MPH... We towed at 60.
Don't forget to mitigate acceleration as well. The savings alone is worth the tiny bit of lost time. It can be frustrating at first but it is just a mindset, soon you will learn to relax and enjoy the ride.

At $2.50 per gallon driving 400 miles you would save $35 dollars per day in fuel alone. It will take only and extra hour, that's $35 an hour for your extra time. Buy your lunch at the drive up and eat in the car... make up the time and keep the money!

Toss in the fact that as you increase your speed in traffic, your net gain in distance is reduced. 15MPH in extra speed WILL NOT yield anything close to 15 miles of extra progress, losses increase with speed when you stop for fuel or encounter traffic.

Every single long trip I take with the trailer, I see several of the same vehicles pass me multiple times during a day of driving.

[clairemr1]

i haven't seen anyone address this yet, so here goes. anyone who tows at excessive speeds will be found 100% liable in the event of an accident. there is absolutely no defense you'll be able to give for those high speeds.
my tow vehicle, and my tires both advise/limit towing between 55-65mph. a dear friend, retired long haul truck driver, would never think of towing his trailer beyond the 65mph limit. in many states i've traveled through, the posted speed limits clearly state vehicles towing trailers are limited to 55mph.
tow faster if you want to and take the risk. for me? no way i'm going that fast while towing several thousand pounds of trailer behind me.

[Jon in AZ]

I'm for the more conservative point of view: 60-65 max when towing. There's nothing magic about 65 mph, other than the rating of some trailer tires, but lots of good reasons to slow down: (1) save fuel, (2) less wear and tear on the vehicle, and (3) greater safety margin of error (yours, someone else's, or an act of God).

You do have to consider the speed of traffic around you. If you're going 20 mph below the speed of trucks in the right lane, that's probably not good.

Rural interstates in Arizona have a 75 mph speed limit for all vehicles. Most semis are going 65-70 mph, so I find towing at 65 mph does not significantly impede traffic. I find it interesting that just over the Colorado River in California, where trucks and trailers are supposed to be going 55 mph, the semis are still going close to 65 mph. Apparently they find around 65 mph a good balance of economy, safety, and efficient travel time, too.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by clairemr1

i haven't seen anyone address this yet, so here goes. anyone who tows at excessive speeds will be found 100% liable in the event of an accident. there is absolutely no defense you'll be able to give for those high speeds.
my tow vehicle, and my tires both advise/limit towing between 55-65mph. a dear friend, retired long haul truck driver, would never think of towing his trailer beyond the 65mph limit. in many states i've traveled through, the posted speed limits clearly state vehicles towing trailers are limited to 55mph.
tow faster if you want to and take the risk. for me? no way i'm going that fast while towing several thousand pounds of trailer behind me.

There is some wisdom in what you say, but, that first paragraph is just plain incorrect.

BTW;Tell your friend to stay out of the left lane or his peers will beat him up at the next truck stop!

[clairemr1]

Originally Posted by floyd

There is some wisdom in what you say, but, that first paragraph is just plain incorrect.

BTW;Tell your friend to stay out of the left lane or his peers will beat him up at the next truck stop!

please tell me what is incorrect about my first paragraph. according to traffic statistics, speed is the number one cause of accidents and anyone towing a trailer faster than recommended speeds will indeed be held liable for damages. do you think they won't be?
BTW, my friend worked as an over the road trucker for 40 accident-free years. he can tell you (he's told all of his friends) the many stories of accidents/injuries caused by excessive speed. he certainly knows which lane to drive in. i would trust him on the road towing his trailer at reasonable speeds sooner than i would anyone advocating towing speeds of 75-80 mph.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

I'm for the more conservative point of view: 60-65 max when towing. There's nothing magic about 65 mph, other than the rating of some trailer tires, but lots of good reasons to slow down: (1) save fuel, (2) less wear and tear on the vehicle, and (3) greater safety margin of error (yours, someone else's, or an act of God).

You do have to consider the speed of traffic around you. If you're going 20 mph below the speed of trucks in the right lane, that's probably not good.

If I had to guess, I'd say the person that proudly proclaims they drive 80 MPH while towing has no interest in fuel savings, wear and tear or even an interest in the safety of others on the road. Most likely someone who hasn't had a significant scare yet that made them stop and think. So, your arguments are valid, but most likely falling on deaf ears.

But, I do think it's important to not impede traffic on two lane roads where everyone is passing whoever is going a bit slower. In that case, it might be safer to just go with the flow, up to a certain point. I do, even if it is faster than I'm comfortable with. But I'm also more stressed and glad that section of road is over, when it is.

These days, we have very high speed limits, a lot of impatient people and cars that are very capable of cruising at higher speeds. Plus a seemingly lower level of respect for others.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by clairemr1

please tell me what is incorrect about my first paragraph. according to traffic statistics, speed is the number one cause of accidents and anyone towing a trailer faster than recommended speeds will indeed be held liable for damages. do you think they won't be?
BTW, my friend worked as an over the road trucker for 40 accident-free years. he can tell you (he's told all of his friends) the many stories of accidents/injuries caused by excessive speed. he certainly knows which lane to drive in. i would trust him on the road towing his trailer at reasonable speeds sooner than i would anyone advocating towing speeds of 75-80 mph.

Well since you said please here is what's wrong....
. "anyone who tows at excessive speeds will be found 100% liable in the event of an accident. there is absolutely no defense you'll be able to give for those high speeds."

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by floyd

Well since you said please....

Your first paragraph said...
"i haven't seen anyone address this yet, so here goes. anyone who tows at excessive speeds will be found 100% liable in the event of an accident. there is absolutely no defense you'll be able to give for those high speeds."

Scenario...
1]You are driving 10 over the limit and someone runs a red light from a side street.
2] You are driving 10 over and someone crosses head on into your lane.
3] You are driving 10 over and someone rear ends your trailer.
4] You are driving 10 over and a conscientious truck driver (who always drives the speed limit) changes lanes and strikes your vehicle while you are passing.
5] You are driving 10 over and strike a drunk driver who fails to yield at an intersection.
I'm sure that there are better examples but the most important is...
You are involved in an accident of any kind, only to find that both insurance companies agree to find the cheapest way to settle the claims.

Note that we are addressing your first paragraph of post #12.
Almost every accident involves an error on the part of at least one driver and often both. While speed is an easy scapegoat, It absolutely MUST be coupled with one or more other errors on the part of one or more of the involved drivers.
To claim that speed itself or speeders alone are 100% of the cause in an accident or that these factors alone will result in 100% of liability 100% of the time is far fetched to say the least.

I do have greater confidence in your reading comprehension than to believe that you are implying that I somehow advocate excessive speed.
In fact it is often the case that excessive speed can be reached without exceeding the legal speed limits under many different traffic conditions, even at the speeds at which you tow.

If you're driving in a manner considered negligent and get into an accident and the other drive is considered negligent (speeding running stop signs, crossing over into on coming lanes, etc.) in most states you have shared liability. Investigating officers and the courts determine the percentage. Because you have a shared liability you'll pay something. If you drive at or below the speed limit then you're chances of needing pay are reduced. Speed limit can be not posted like Oregon's towing speed of 55mph or like CA posted towing speed of 55 or WA not posted but understood towing speed of 60.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman

If you're driving in a manner considered negligent and get into an accident and the other drive is considered negligent (speeding running stop signs, crossing over into on coming lanes, etc.) in most states you have shared liability. Investigating officers and the courts determine the percentage. Because you have a shared liability you'll pay something. If you drive at or below the speed limit then you're chances of needing pay are reduced. Speed limit can be not posted like Oregon's towing speed of 55mph or like CA posted towing speed of 55 or WA not posted but understood towing speed of 60.

While I am sure that what you say is essentially correct in many states, I don't really see what I might have said to elicit your response, short of inference.
Notice that I have since reduced my response to its essential minimum.
Your quote will still be there to show the long version which is still essentially correct as well.
Thanx!

You have shown a glimpse of the complexity which denies certainty.
As I once wrote...
"A good lawyer reveals just how complex a simple subject can be.
An excellent lawyer reveals just how simple a complex subject can be"

[Raspy]

Byron,

Maybe sometimes ignorance is bliss.

I recently towed through Oregon and never did see anything about the towing speed limit. In CA it's posted all over the place at 55.

As I wondered if there was a towing limit, everyone, including trucks, were merrily cruising along at about 65, so I did too.

Recently wondered the same thing about Idaho, as we kept getting passed by cars doing 80.

In Nevada, there is no separate speed limit for towing and you can see 20 miles ahead in many places. You might only see one car in that distance. I saw an 80 MPH limit sign out there this trip and it made me think of earlier days in Nevada when the limit was "reasonable and proper" In those days, I could make it from Reno to Lovelock, including a bit through town, and 110 total miles, in one hour if I was determined. Not towing, of course. If you got off the road for some reason, about the worst that could happen was to excavate an acre of sage brush and add a bunch of Nevada pinstriping to the car, or, worst case, hit a wild mustang.

Getting bogged down in parsing all the possible legal ramifications of every action certainly takes away from the fun of traveling. And it's a conversation that devolves into boring "I know more about it than you" responses.