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Old 12-05-2016, 06:40 PM   #21
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Dodge Durango.
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Old 12-05-2016, 10:23 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Fish View Post
The OP is a friend of ours and I can tell you guys that you are WAY off track. I'm sure that suggestions for a practical SUV that will tow a Bigfoot and carry the dogs would be helpful. The rest of the comments are crap.

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It has been said that generalities are always false, but my comments at least were proven generalities which can truly help in the decision process.
Giving some thought to motivation and sales techniques can save both money and future disappointment. These considerations are equal in importance to the vehicle's capabilities for a successful long term purchase.
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Old 12-05-2016, 11:12 PM   #23
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Thanks for all your suggestions, everyone. My '05 4-runner has 128K miles and isn't experiencing issues, yet. How do you decide when to replace your tow vehicle: wait for a major expense or some other criterion?
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Old 12-05-2016, 11:16 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by DavidJS View Post
We bought a 2017 Audi Q7, which has 7700 lbs towing capacity, to pull our Oliver trailer that we picked up in September. The Audi has been a fantastic car, and Consumers Reports loves it. I get 26 MPG on the highway, and 14 MPG when pulling the Oliver at 65-70 MPH. Next year I will see what mileage I get when I travel at 60 MPH.

One caution with the Audi (and with the similar VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne) is that owner’s manual prohibits use of a weight distribution hitch. My experience has been that it tows the Ollie just fine without a WDH. There are ways to weld on a hitch support that allow use of a WDH.

David
I've always used a WDH. the idea of towing without it makes me nervous. Do you understand the rationale for not needing one?
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Old 12-05-2016, 11:57 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by Ericpa3 View Post
Thanks for all your suggestions, everyone. My '05 4-runner has 128K miles and isn't experiencing issues, yet. How do you decide when to replace your tow vehicle: wait for a major expense or some other criterion?
I consider that low mileage. It should go 200,000 at least. That said, many miles of towing does add some additional wear. My 2008 Ridgeline has over 150,000, towed the Casita about 25,000 miles and is nowhere near being used up.

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Old 12-06-2016, 12:09 AM   #26
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Originally Posted by Ericpa3 View Post
Thanks for all your suggestions, everyone. My '05 4-runner has 128K miles and isn't experiencing issues, yet. How do you decide when to replace your tow vehicle: wait for a major expense or some other criterion?
I am a retired fleet mechanic and have spent my life building cars and even raced SCCA , yet I am faced with the same question.
If you have done regular and reasonably comprehensive maintenance on your 4Runner then 128,000 miles is not a problem.
My Ranger is approaching 180,000 miles and is in excellent condition, I even have several outstanding offers from potential buyers.
I still don't open the hood between oil changes.
Our annual trip to Sebring is coming up next month and I will likely tow that 3400 miles with the Ranger. This truck has had nearly zero dollars in unscheduled maintenance.
EVERYTHING put together sooner or later falls apart and I can't actually look inside major components to see their condition, yet I still expect an uneventful trip.
The truck is 16 years old so I may even want a new one in the next couple of years anyway.

Most trips usually cover fewer than the number of miles between service intervals so check everything pretrip and then relax and enjoy your truck for a while yet, remembering that even new vehicles can breakdown away from home and ruin a trip, and most warranties are only 36000 miles.
When you do buy, take your time and buy something you really like. That will make taking care of it much easier!
Remember the cautionary statement on the cover of the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".... "DON'T PANIC!"

OBTW... I have always viewed the Odometer as a device to help schedule maintenance and not something to determine if the vehicle is worn out.
That decision is mine.
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Old 12-06-2016, 12:31 AM   #27
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Dave and Floyd,
I very much appreciate your comments and don't see any reason to undertake such a major expenditure when the vehicle should last as long as you indicate. I am "religious" about scheduled maintenance and am a very conservative driver. I would estimate that 5% of my driving is towing.
Thanks much!
Eric
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Old 12-06-2016, 08:33 AM   #28
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Originally Posted by Ericpa3 View Post
I've always used a WDH. the idea of towing without it makes me nervous. Do you understand the rationale for not needing one?
If the trailers's tongue weight plus cargo wieght in the rear of TV is below TV's tongue weight rating, then WDH is a useless paperweight you're burning fuel to move.
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Old 12-06-2016, 08:54 AM   #29
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Originally Posted by sokhapkin View Post
If the trailers's tongue weight plus cargo wieght in the rear of TV is below TV's tongue weight rating, then WDH is a useless paperweight you're burning fuel to move.
I've always have been quite fond of useless paperweights.
I much prefer that my headlights illuminate the road and not the evening sky.
I could eliminate my WDH and probably increase my fuel mileage by 1 /100 of 1% but I won't. I can afford the added fuel cost.
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Old 12-06-2016, 09:24 AM   #30
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Originally Posted by Ericpa3 View Post
I've always used a WDH. the idea of towing without it makes me nervous. Do you understand the rationale for not needing one?
It is not that the Audi Q7, VW Touareg, and Porsche Cayenne, don't need a WDH, but that they cannot have one, based on structural concerns about how the receiver is mounted to the frame.
The best description I have found is from an Airstream Forum
An excellent discussion on an Audi Forum.
Solutions involve welding on a support bracket to strengthen the hitch, a method pioneered by Can-Am RV in London Ontario. There are pictures of these mods on various forums.
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Old 12-06-2016, 07:07 PM   #31
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I bought an '08 Lexus GX470 with 85K miles, a year and a half ago. Just about all service was done by the dealership at that point. Now it's at 107K miles. It is like a new vehicle yet. It should be fine for another 100K at least. Previously, I drove a Highlander for 185K and towed with it for 140K of those miles; it was rock solid.

Nothing wrong with using WDH. It's a good safety tool. If one has between 10% and 15% of the trailer's weight on the hitch, the trailer should not sway... but peace of mind can be worth the price of the device.
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Old 12-06-2016, 07:13 PM   #32
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WDH and sway bar are 2 different things installed for different purposes. Don't mix them.
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Old 12-06-2016, 08:06 PM   #33
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Originally Posted by sokhapkin View Post
WDH and sway bar are 2 different things installed for different purposes. Don't mix them.
Is that why some WDH are sold with optional sway control?
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Old 12-07-2016, 08:52 AM   #34
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Glenn, I think he meant "mix" in the sense of "confuse," not in the sense of "combine." Weight distribution and sway control are separate issues, but they can certainly be used together. It's my understanding that some WDH systems integrate sway control in their design, while others require a separate component. Some people seem to assume that WDH automatically provides sway control, hence the confusion.

Anyone can benefit from adding sway control. As has been said many times, it's not a band-aid for a trailer that is unstable due to poor design or improper loading, but an added safety measure in an unusual situation or emergency avoidance maneuver. Stand-alone sway control devices are simple, lightweight, and inexpensive.

Not everyone benefits from using a WDH, or the benefit may be minimal considering the cost, weight, and complexity added. In some cases, the vehicle is designed to handle the rated tongue load sans WDH without excessive squat or degradation of handling. In others, the vehicle and/or trailer frame may not be designed to handle the concentrated prying forces of a WDH.

Many manufacturers of modern unibody SUVs do not recommend using WDH. Reasons, when given, seem to reflect a concern that improper adjustment could cause adverse issues with handling, perhaps due to sensitive AWD and stability systems. David's post #11 is the first I've heard of an outright prohibition.

In this case, a Bigfoot 17 is large and heavy enough to make WDH at least a reasonable consideration. From what I can tell, some B17 owners use it and some don't.
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Old 12-07-2016, 09:02 AM   #35
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sway bar thoughts

I can tell you that the absence of a sway bar made a huge difference when I'd forgotten to tighten it while descending a steep, windy grade on the Oregon coast! I've traveled that path many times, and with the sway bar tightened, it made the ride quite pleasant. Saved my rear!
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Old 12-07-2016, 04:42 PM   #36
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sokhapkin View Post
WDH and sway bar are 2 different things installed for different purposes. Don't mix them.
Well, you're right. I've been using WDH's with built-in sway control for so long, I sometimes forget that some people still use the (IMO inferior) ones without it.
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Old 12-07-2016, 04:47 PM   #37
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I don't use neither WDH, nor sway bar. Scamp 16 + F150.
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Old 12-07-2016, 05:06 PM   #38
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Magee View Post
Well, you're right. I've been using WDH's with built-in sway control for so long, I sometimes forget that some people still use the (IMO inferior) ones without it.
Mike, are you using a WDH with your Lil Hauley? Does a WDH work with surge brakes?
Dave & Paula
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Old 12-08-2016, 06:26 PM   #39
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Originally Posted by David B. View Post
Mike, are you using a WDH with your Lil Hauley? Does a WDH work with surge brakes?
Dave & Paula
My Hauley has electric brakes. But actually I wasn't using WDH with it because the weight and balance varied greatly every day when I was towing it for work. And on the one vacation last summer with the Hauley, no WDH either; the buyer of my last travel trailer wanted the Andersen No-Sway along with it, and my Equal-i-zer was too heavy-duty for our little trailers so I've sold that hitch, too. Those were the only WD hitches I've used for years, although long ago I did have one without sway... I forget the brand.
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