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Post by bigbill on Apr 24, 2014 14:05:11 GMT -8
nccamper that is what we have been preaching for ever, 50% and the same goes for tires if you want a long safe dependable life out of them. Any time you go to the max on any thing you are ask for trouble.
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queenofdarts
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Post by queenofdarts on Nov 9, 2014 14:54:02 GMT -8
This thread may be over a year old, but it is extremely helpful! We had so much fun in our new (to us) trailer this fall, that I can't wait to take it on longer excursions next season. Right now I am towing with my mom-mobile, a 4cylinder Forester. It has done fine, but we've stayed within 2 hours of home. I am really thinking I need to upgrade my tow vehicle - both so I can tow in more diverse terrain and so my little ones will be separated from each other in the back. I thought I'd be more nervous towing, but the hardest part has been listening to 3 trapped, bored munchkins squabbling! If I hope to spend my coveted summers off traveling across America, I'm thinking I need a 7 passenger. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks!
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Post by bigbill on Nov 9, 2014 16:52:33 GMT -8
IF you don't want to here the three munchkins fussing at each other I think the best choice would be a 65 passenger school bus then put one in the rear, one in the middle, and one near the front but not to close.
Seriously pick out a vehicle that appeals to you and is in the price range you can afford, then research it to see what it's towing capacities are. I would recommend a tow capacity twice as much as your trailer load is. Make sure that you are researching the exact vehicle you are considering. Does the engine, transmission, rear end gear ratio match the one you are wanting to buy. Does it have a towing package and so on. Just because your friend owns one the same color and tows a trailer very well that doesn't mean the one you are considering will unless all of the above match.
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redhed83402
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Post by redhed83402 on Aug 26, 2015 13:56:36 GMT -8
I am bumping this back to the top because I was just involved in a situation where the spouse couldn't drive the rig home. Ladies you may not normally tow your trailer but you may have to someday so take it to an empty parking lot and practice, then when you are on a decent road drive a few miles every now and then. You can do it, many women tow their trailers all the time by themselves. You never know when you may need to have this knowledge. Husbands can get sick even if healthy, things like flu, food poisoning, and broken bones can happen to anybody. Husbands it is your responsibility to see that she can drive your rig if needed. Oh this is so true! We went clear to Paradise, Utah to pick up our little lo liner, & we had to haul her back to idaho falls. My husband had me drive tow from McCammon on.
I was scared to death, but he said, "if you can't even tow her home, how on earth are you going to handle it if something happened to me?" So i sucked it up & did it, & guess what, it wasn't so bad at all.
Although i will say, either the van or the trailer is named Betty, cuz the whole way home i kept up a monologue of "it's ok, Betty, you're doin' fine, we're almost there", along with a prayer to the tune of "please help me & Betty make it through that heavy traffic, please make that semi realize he's gonna have to go around me"....
When all was said & i felt pretty grateful, blessed, and just a touch proud. And that little lo liner towed like a dream, too.
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Post by bigbill on Aug 27, 2015 9:31:18 GMT -8
I am bumping this back to the top because I was just involved in a situation where the spouse couldn't drive the rig home. Ladies you may not normally tow your trailer but you may have to someday so take it to an empty parking lot and practice, then when you are on a decent road drive a few miles every now and then. You can do it, many women tow their trailers all the time by themselves. You never know when you may need to have this knowledge. Husbands can get sick even if healthy, things like flu, food poisoning, and broken bones can happen to anybody. Husbands it is your responsibility to see that she can drive your rig if needed. Oh this is so true! We went clear to Paradise, Utah to pick up our little lo liner, & we had to haul her back to idaho falls. My husband had me drive tow from McCammon on.
I was scared to death, but he said, "if you can't even tow her home, how on earth are you going to handle it if something happened to me?" So i sucked it up & did it, & guess what, it wasn't so bad at all.
Although i will say, either the van or the trailer is named Betty, cuz the whole way home i kept up a monologue of "it's ok, Betty, you're doin' fine, we're almost there", along with a prayer to the tune of "please help me & Betty make it through that heavy traffic, please make that semi realize he's gonna have to go around me"....
When all was said & i felt pretty grateful, blessed, and just a touch proud. And that little lo liner towed like a dream, too. It sounds to me like you have a pretty smart husband. He knew you could do it he just had to convince you that you could. We knew a couple that both drove semis for a living, he pulled conventional 53 foot trailers, but she pulled dbles because they paid more money. when she got her first million mile with no accidents pin she was very proud. Don't tell anybody I told you this but women are capable of doing anything if they really want to, some are just afraid to try.
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redhed83402
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Post by redhed83402 on Aug 27, 2015 9:45:28 GMT -8
Well, being raised in a family of all girls (my poor daddy, 5 daughters & not a son among us), with a VERY proper mother (wasn't allowed to take shop class or even run, because young ladies don't do those sorts of things), it has taken me a bit to learn that. You are right, i do have a pretty smart husband. :-D He has taught me all sorts of things, ~ what a jolt into the world of men he is ~ an Alaskan through & through.... :-D
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trotwood56
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Post by trotwood56 on Apr 8, 2016 18:14:15 GMT -8
Anyone ever tow with a 4.0 jeep wrangler with a manual tranny. My camper is 13' and about 1800lbs. I just got an anti sway bar and class 3 hitch and about to wire up trailer brakes. According to the jeep dealer it has the power and weight capacity to tow. Anyone have any thoughts?
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Post by danrhodes on Apr 8, 2016 18:32:52 GMT -8
Anyone ever tow with a 4.0 jeep wrangler with a manual tranny. My camper is 13' and about 1800lbs. I just got an anti sway bar and class 3 hitch and about to wire up trailer brakes. According to the jeep dealer it has the power and weight capacity to tow. Anyone have any thoughts? Plan to tow similar with equivalent 4.0 Tacoma. Tow rating 5k... What's the wrangler these days? Factory tow package?
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trotwood56
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Post by trotwood56 on Apr 8, 2016 18:56:17 GMT -8
The tow capacity in the manual says 2000lbs. But they said with brakes and anti sway we'd be fine for 3000lb. I know the 2016 4 doors will do about 3500
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Post by danrhodes on Apr 8, 2016 19:13:56 GMT -8
The tow capacity in the manual says 2000lbs. But they said with brakes and anti sway we'd be fine for 3000lb. I know the 2016 4 doors will do about 3500 As a former wrangler owner, I'd be worried... Short wheelbase and low capacity is not a good combo.
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trotwood56
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Post by trotwood56 on Apr 8, 2016 19:22:59 GMT -8
I've alao got a 03 nissan frontier with a 4 banger. It has a much longer wheel base and is much more stable. But I did the math on towing with my gear ratio(with over drive off), to cruise at about 60mph I'd be around 3350 rpm give or take. Would I be better of driving my nissan at higher rpms in order to have the power I need or driving a jeep with plenty of power but iffy stability. In a perfect world I'd get a bigger truck. But I am finishing my senior year in college and the money isnt there to upgrade vehicles.
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bellflower62
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Post by bellflower62 on Oct 22, 2016 12:47:38 GMT -8
As long as we're talking women towing, Hamlet's lady person would add another tidbit. Make sure you are able to drive your tow vehicle safely. As in ANY vehicle, you should be able to see over the steering wheel comfortably, reach the gas and brake, and clutch if you have one, easily while still having your chest at arm's length from the steering wheel. If you have to ratchet yourself up so your arms are all bent at a 90 degree angle so you can reach the pedals, the vehicle is too big for you. I think they still make the pedal extender things, but it is NOT safe to sit too close to an airbag. If the power steering were to go out suddenly, do you have the strength to get the truck and trailer safely to the side of the road? If the vehicle sits very high, do you need (and do you have at hand) a step to get up and down? Although I am not the primary tow person, and Hamlet is pretty small, I can absolutely act as relief driver, back and park (although it may not be pretty) and hitch, unhitch, set up and take down the trailer by myself. And I am little and old. Well, kind of old. This is great info - I am investigating a new rig now, and never thought about an interior "fitting" a smaller person while being safe in an air bag deployment. This list and bigbills is really handy...thanks.
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bellflower62
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Post by bellflower62 on Oct 22, 2016 12:55:40 GMT -8
Thanks for all this great chat...interesting comment about the dealership mgr suggesting HALF the manual's printed tow limits. yikes. I'll bear that in mind.
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msgoehring
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Post by msgoehring on Oct 22, 2016 17:29:19 GMT -8
I'm so glad that bellflower restarted this thread cause I need a new vehicle period. I have a 2004 Nissan Quest that for the past 5 years has been a major pain in my behind. It blows out blue smoke every time you start it, at first it was intermittent, now it's every freaking time. We have no idea what the mileage is on it anymore cause the odometer only shows partial dashes. The weather stripping on all the doors has come off in places. The sliding door on the driver side gets jammed all the time. The radio has now started working only part of the time. And we just had to spend $270 to have the rear 3 spark plugs changed for us because hubby didn't have anywhere he could work on the thing for a few days while he tore the top rear of the engine apart to get to the plugs. And then my daughter has been very destructive to it. I don't have a rear light that isn't broke, there's dents and dings everywhere from where she hit stuff. For some reason every time she takes my vehicle she hits something with it.
This is a very low mileage vehicle, maybe 50,000 miles on it now. It's nothing like our last Dodge Caravan that we put almost 200,000 miles on before it started having major issues. I miss it so much, and have now come to hate Nissan. I will never own another Nissan as long as I live, it's just the way I am. Make me look a fool and to heck with you, that's the way I feel about cars.
So now I'm looking at a SUV, not a crossover either cause they don't seem to be good at towing. It's crazy that the top towers are Lexus and BMW. Yeah, like regular people can afford one of those. I don't want a truck, I'm just not a truck woman and hubby has to have a secure vehicle for all the junk he carries around for work. He's done trucks in the past and they were more a pain than help. He has a 1996 Ford Explorer, it tows fine, but it sits high and isn't comfortable enough for me to be in for long with my back problems.
Once again, thanks for sharing this information. I've bookmarked the thread so I can come back to it when it's time to start shopping. Sorry for the rambling, but it's what I do 😆
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Post by vikx on Oct 22, 2016 22:29:36 GMT -8
I agree, go with an SUV with a truck frame. Our 08 Trailblazer is rated at 5K and does very well for our vintage trailers. For a longer trailer (17+) I would want more towing capacity. Do a google search for tow vehicles under $20K or 15K, etc.
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