# Can't Believe What People Tow With!



## 54telluride (Feb 1, 2005)

I spent some time driving this weekend to and from by son's Baseball tournament games in western Michigan. As I drove up and down I-131 in Michigan there was a steady stream of campers going both north and south. I began to take note of the tv/tt combinations and was alarmed at the large percentage of TV that looked undersized for the TT.

I saw alot of mid sized SUV's (Jeep Cherokees and Explores) pulling some very large TT. I must confess I don't know the tow rating for these vehicles only that they "look" undersized.

Another observation was the hitch setups. Most that I could see had some sort of WD hitch but again a large percentage seems to be sagging the rear of the TV meaning the setup was not optimized.


----------



## JohnL (Sep 2, 2004)

I have noticed the same thing. There are some really scary looking rigs on the highway. Apparently too many people believe what the trailer salesman told themâ€¦.â€Donâ€™t worry, your vehicle can pull itâ€. I have heard that line myself. I once owned an Explorer, and a salesman was trying to sell me a 28 foot trailer. He was right. My Explorer could pull it. Keeping it under control and stopping it are entirely separate issues.


----------



## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

I am obviously not the only one that looks at other set ups while driving. Last year I saw a 28 ft wilderness pulled by a 4 dr S10 Blazer. Camped next to a guy pulling a 32 ft trailer with a extended cab Dakota pick up and he told me his wife (Grandma ) and his 2 grandkids rode in the trailer while he drove.(was to tight in pick up ya know!


----------



## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

On even a more serious note.... when i went to insure my new truck and new trailer with USAA the girl asked me all sort of questions -- like GVWR and trailer weight and tongue weight etc etc... I finally asked why and she said that she was just some quick math to insure that I was under the tow limit... although I appreciated the effort I once agin asked why ..

she said that USAA had turned down several accident claims of personnel that had both insurance on the trailer and the TV but had exceded the tow ratings of the vehicle and thus knowingly at fault for the accident and they did not pay ..

meaning that if I was pulling a 38 foot trailer with a S-10 pickup and had a wreck .. although I was fully covered with USAA.. they could refuse to pay the claim....

that was an eye opener for me ....

also she said ... that in the San Antonio area (where I live and USAA is based out of) the Bexar County Police had written some tickets to USAA members for exceeding the safety limits of the vehicles at DUI chckpoints --

that was a financial eye opener...

But bottom line is I would feel awful if I killed some family in front of me or beside me becuase my vehicle was overloaded and I could not stop in time or lost control of the vehicle...


----------



## campntn (Feb 20, 2005)

I guess, at times, mine "looks" too big for the Durango. But, it pulls it fine, stops it fine and it's well within the gvwr. It does get that wiggle when a class A or 18 wheeler pushes up behind us., but it recovers fine.I would like a bigger wheelbase, I think. But we love our Durango and it does the job..for now. I have friends with trucks with smaller engines that pull bigger trailers. The way lite weight trailers are built now, it is difficult to really tell. 
I know we have someone in our camping group that the salesman talked him into buying a 28 foot. This old fellar owns a Durango like mine, but has a much smaller engine. It has really limited his trips I believe.
Anyway, visually, yes it can be hard to tell.


----------



## Ymryl (Mar 2, 2004)

Worse than the campers are the folks pulling those UHAUL trailers... This morning I saw a guy that looked to be in his 70's or 80's in a Caprice Classic pulling a trailer. The rear end of the car was literally dragging on the ground (sparks and all)! The rear end of the trailer was wagging back and forth like a happy puppy dogs tail. The driver was absolutely, positively oblivious to anything but the cigarette he was attempting to light as he weaved back an forth. The most amazing thing was watching as we passed by a CT. State Trooper pulling radar - who never even gave him a second glance. Pitiful


----------



## campingwiththe6pac (Sep 22, 2004)

YMRY,

Your setup looks like the rigs that people are speaking of. The Armada looks rather small compared to the size of the 28rss. What speeds do you travel at when moving down the interstate? Also do you ever feel much of the so called tail wagging the dog?

28RSS
8 children, 6 who camp
1 wife who makes it possible to camp.
02 X V-10 to move it all
1 Father/husband with an empty wallet!


----------



## Ymryl (Mar 2, 2004)

Hello "campingwiththe6pac", welcome to outbackers.com sunny

I agree with you when you say the Armada looks small compared to the size of the 28RSS. Hell, an F350 looks small next to the 28RSS. But, the Armada is a full size SUV, not a mid size like an Explorer or say a 4-Runner. According to popular recommendations (places like rvtowingtips.com), I am about 4' longer than I should be for the Armada's wheelbase and believe me, we took a while (and a lot of opinions) to decide whether we wanted to pull something that long or not.
So far, the Armada has pulled the Outback pretty well. I believe it is mainly due to the Equal-i-zer hitch and Prodigy brake controller but I am also sure that the built in air bags (automatic load leveling system) in the Armada probrably helps. It certainly has no problem manhandling the weight (it is rated to pull 9,000 lbs. which is 2,000 lbs. more than the GVWR of the 28RSS - so I am well within it's limit's in terms of total weight).
I generally travel at 60 or 65 mph (65 in long flat straight highway areas) when towing, which tends to really piss off the drivers here in New England as they race around us at 85+. The Equal-i-zer effectly removes the "tail wagging the dog" (sway) problem. I do experience some pushing or pulling as semi's blast by at 80 but the Armada and Outback move as one unit and it's certainly not a "white knuckle" experience by any means.

Regards,
Paul


----------



## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

85+







never

John


----------



## uoutcampin2 (Mar 3, 2005)

Just yesterday I had saw a Toyota Corolla pulling a U-Haul and with every dip in the interstate sparks were flying.







To make it even better, when I was side by side with the car, it had 4 adults in it! The car had Florida plates and I saw them in New Orleans. That is a pretty long way to travel with this set up. One other thing that I saw was a Ford Ranger pulling into a campground hauling what looked to be a 30 foot 5th wheel. Looked like the rear axel was about to snap with that load. Like a lot of you have said about the looks of your set up, my F-150 looks way to small for my 27 but even after we fully loaded her up and took a trip to the scales, we are still below all of our ratings for the truck.

Chris


----------



## 76 cougar (Jan 30, 2005)

After hurricane andrew I saw a picture of a small import car with a bundle (probley 20 sheets) of 1/2 plywood tied off on the roof. There was also a bunch of 2x4s and 10 to 12 bags of concrete in the car. Home Depot wouldnt load it so the guy loaded it himself. When he and his wife got in the car and started to leave the tires blew and rims bent. Looked like the roof caved in some as well. Proves that when it comes to loading and towing some people just have no common sense.
Lawton


----------

