# Should I Feel Like A Heel?



## docks5 (Oct 4, 2006)

Ok-I had a family come and look at my trailer. Their little girls loved it and so did the parents. I over-heard them talking about heading off for spring break on a family camping trip. They seemed really excited about getting it and then I asked what kind of tow vehicle they had. Heres where it gets kinda bad. He said that he planned on using his 1/2 ton Suburban to tow it. We got to talking about weights and towing compatibility and I told him that I didn't think it was safe to tow this big of a trailer w/his vehicle.

He told me not to worry about it, that basically it was none of my concern. I looked at the faces of his daughters and didnt want to be the one to turn on the news and see some accident with them involved and the camper I sold them. I politely declined the deal and wished him luck on his purchase.

I guess Im looking for a little advise. If anybody thinks I should have done something different, you can p/m me if you want. I would just hate for my judgment of right or wrong to be forced on another family.

Sorry for the long post, but this really kinda got to me.

Thanks
Jeff


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

CONGRATULATIONS on being the kind of person who acts on their principals! I, for one, applaud what you did - maybe you should become an Ethics Trainer for the RV dealers of America!


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## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

I think you could have sold it to him and safety wise he would have been fine BUT you did save the life of that poor half ton burb it would have died a horrible transmission meltdown or that 10 bolt rear would have puked out its bearings.

You saved a bowtie today









John

Disclaimer:
I don't condone the use of a 1/2 ton pulling a 31rqs but at least the wheelbase might keep him out of a ditch.


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## rms0726ea (Aug 9, 2006)

Bottom line - you did the right thing......


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## skylane (Oct 28, 2007)

Wow you did the right thing...... thanks for the refreshing taste of morals and humanity that is so lacking in all of our information outlets nowdays.

thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Bravo Jeff! Bravo!

I applaud your decision and your sense of ethics. You have absolutely no reason to feel like a heel.
Well done!









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## mike (Dec 17, 2006)

Great job! its difficult sometimes to stand up for what u believe, but looking at his girls i can see why u did it. YES u did the right thing


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## compass49 (Feb 4, 2008)

I agree with your decision.

The unfortunate part is that someone else is simply going to sell them the same trailer.


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## RizFam (Feb 25, 2006)

You Absolutely did the right thing.







I applaud you as well!! Hopefully he learned a valuable lesson.
Now you can rest easy.

Tami


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## Justman (Jul 22, 2006)

Right on! I think you did the right thing by telling him that you thought it would be unsafe. Hopefully he'll take some advice and do some research before he goes out and purchases something else...


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Wish I lived a little closer to you as you deserve a pat on the back and a solid handshake.

While the Dad should have known better...or at least listened to your advise, the little girl has no input. You absolutely did the right thing!

You're the Outbackers.com HERO OF THE DAY!!


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

I agree that you did the right thing and it doesn't sound like it was a difficult decision for you to make...You have Morals, which is something alot of people are lacking in this world...Good for you!

Hopefully that man took your advice, took his family home and is now doing the research he should have done before getting everyone's hope's up


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## Husker92 (Feb 11, 2006)

Safety first!









You can rest easy knowing you did the right thing.

So are you getting a new TT?

Happy Outbacking!
Steve


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Well done!

-CC


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## daslobo777 (Mar 24, 2007)

Jeff -

I salute you !!

I hope I do the same if I am ever in that situation.


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

Good job!

The difference between 1/2 and 3/4 ton is more than engine and transmission.. It's also brakes. You did the right thing!

Ed


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## JimBo99 (Apr 25, 2006)

YOU did the best thing! No matter what anybody else does. Commendations!!


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## docks5 (Oct 4, 2006)

Wow-thanks to everyone for the replies, it really is appreciated. Now that I have had time to read all of the posts I feel better about my decision. As always, this site is a wealth of info., and the insight is always welcomed.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)




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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

You did the right thing. But I'm not sure I could have done that, especially if they were willing to meet my price.

I started out pulling our 29BHS with a 1/2-ton Suburban. (Yeah, the dealer said my Burb would pull any trailer they had on the lot. They didn't use the words "safely" or "reliably," though!) But it didn't take long for me to realize that the Suburban would eventually die - probably transmission - if I kept pulling with it. We took delivery of the trailer in August and made four short trips with it before winterizing - the longest trip was about 110 miles, round-trip.

That following December, I traded the Burb for a new 3/4-ton Crew Cab pickup. Personal experience and this web-site convinced me that for the safety of me, my family, and everyone else on the road, I needed to get a TV that was designed to pull my trailer.

A co-worker wanted to buy my pop-up, when we had it up for sale and were waiting for delivery of our Outback. (Our Coleman Bayside - with slideout - weighed about 2700# empty, and could weight 3400# when loaded.) He had a small, Ford minivan that had already shucked one transmission and had 65,000 miles on the second. After some discussion, he came to the conclusion that his minivan would be overloaded with a family of five, their gear, and a 3000# trailer behind. And they were in no financial position to trade the minivan for an SUV, so they did not buy.

Like I said, I would have been tempted to sell them the trailer, but not until I let them try a test-tow with their Burb, and then with my truck. It could be that they would have wised up, like me, and come to the conclusion that they needed to upgrade the TV. Or they might have considered buying something smaller, if a TV upgrade was not within their financial grasp.

But I applaud you for not letting money cloud your concience!

Mike


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Our financial desires and moral principles do not always agree. Congratulations on choosing wisely.

_Proverbs 14:12_


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

Occasionally someone does something that reminds me that there are a few people out there that don't always put themselves first. Thank you Jeff, you are an inspiration and your story will be told at the dinner table tonight as an example of what is right.


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## mountainlady56 (Feb 13, 2006)

You did the right thing, and I want to congratulate you. It's hard to find people with high moral standards (like myself), these days, and I salute you!!




























I know, first-hand, it's hard to stand up for what you believe.......you don't win a popularity contest doing this, and even harder to turn down a financial gain. BTW, I would have done the same thing.








Darlene


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## Morgueman (Dec 3, 2006)

As others have said - You can stand tall and proud of yourself.


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## nynethead (Sep 23, 2005)

You definitely did the right thing. i got rid of my 11month old crew cab 2005 chevy half ton becuase i didn't feel safe pulling my 29BHS and the 31 is by far more massive.

They would have been miserable and blamed you forever.


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## Campforthenight (Apr 1, 2007)

You did do the right thing but, What if he knew it would not tow correctly and that was going to be his excuse to get a brand new 2500 or 3500?

By the way thats how I got my new TV


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## kbickers (Oct 8, 2007)

While it's never easy turning a sale away at least you won't have to worry about what might have happened. You did the right thing and you won't lose any sleep.

All I can say is I couldn't imagine towing your Outback with my 1/2 ton Suburban. My 25RSS is about as much it can handle.


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## Mgonzo2u (Aug 3, 2004)

Kudos to the OP for doing the right thing.

Who says cash is King?

You won't have long to spend $ if you don't sleep well at night.

There is a proper buyer out there waiting to be united with your for sale OB.

*Advertise it and they will come*.


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## Piecemaker (Nov 15, 2007)

Congrats on your decision









Brian


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

Well, all you have to do is remember back to the Eden Prairie accident a couple years ago. You did the right thing....


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

As long as you feel you did the right thing then you did... if you feel that you let a sale that was already virtually done walk away -- then you did ...

Hopefully you sale the Outback quickly so you don't have regrets for doing what you felt was right...

and yes -- for the record -- I would have laid out all my concerns to him -- just like you did --- and then if he -- a grown man over 21 yrs of age -- still wanted to purchase it -- I would have smiled all the way to the bank...

Quick story ...

I had a Harley Lowrider.. great bike ... but I wanted a larger one ... so I put the bike up for sale... for the record -- the bike was in great condition -- and just serviced...

Young kid comes by -- wants to buy it -- would be his first bike -- yada yada .. i thought about it -- thought about all the stuff that could go wrong with him being young and his first bike -- and did not sale it to him... i was pretty proud of myself..

That afternoon an older guy -- 50 -- been riding forever -- cash in had -- shows up -- we make a deal -- took his money -- signed the title ... and that should have been it...

Next day the phone rings ... the 50 yr old guy states -- the brakes were bad -- the engine sputters -- something is wrong with the balance, the valves are making noise, the bike is shaking at highway speeds... etc etc ... he tells me that he thinks I cheated him and he wants 2,000 off the bike ... I told him nothing was wrong with it and tried to be nice -- well he started calling the house and would leave messages like 10 times a day for the first week... what finally broke the camels back was when he showed back up to the house with a friend of his ... I finally had to put my not so nice hat on and told him that the deal was done -- and any further phone calls or visits would be considered harassment and that i would prosecute (after kicking his butt) ...

never saw the guy again ... suddenly the bike worked fine i guess

In hindsight though -- i would have sold it to the kid ....


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## 1jeep (Jul 24, 2007)

" brakes were bad -- the engine sputters -- something is wrong with the balance, the valves are making noise, the bike is shaking at highway speeds... etc etc"

Should have told him that was part of the HD image, i found this out when i bought mine...lol


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## Northern Wind (Nov 21, 2006)

You did good, rest assured!

Steve


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