RE: Tow limit for 2008 Highlander....once trailer is loaded
Thank you, PUCampin. I read post after post about weight, but few take the time to explain the realities of aerodynamics.
Nugget, when you talk about trailer weight, you need to look at fully loaded, not dry weight. As was said, a rough estimate is to add 1,000 lbs to the dry weight to get a realistic idea of what the trailer will weigh loaded and ready to camp. If you plan on traveling with fresh water or heavy items like bikes, etc., in the trailer, add 1500 lbs to the dry weight. A decent sized pop-up will weign in at about 2500 lbs. We had a popup that scaled at about 2000 lbs that we towed with our V6 4Runner, and it was a load.
You alos need to spend some time with your Highlander owner's manual to really understand the weights....don't just go by tow rating. Domestic vehicles have been quoting tow ratings with 1-150 driver in the vehicle, and every lb of passengers or cargo subtracts directly from the tow capacity. I don't think that is the case with Toyota, but your owner's manual will tell you.
Two issues you are likely to run into are hitch and frontal area. The common hith is a weight-distributing tupe (WD) that uses spring bars to trasfer tongue weight to the vehicles front axle so the tow vehicle sits level with the trailer attached. Many unibody vehicles like the Highlander do not allow the use of WD hitches because of the torque they apply to the vehicle's structure. Many smaller vehicles like yours also have ratings for "max frontal area" of any towed trailers. This is directly due to aerodynamic drag, and effectively prevents you from towing a full size RV.
Again, the owner's manual is your resource to get the facts on these two points.
In general, I wopuld look at pop-ups to tow with that Highlander. If you want a hard-sided RV, best to look for a bigger tow vehicle.
RE: Off road TT?
TT is 24' long, you should have no trouble towing this with your 150. There wasn't much info on the Springdale website, but usually these TTs are built with the springs on top of the axles (my Terry is too) to provide extra ground clearance, not really "lifted" like we talk about lift kits in trucks.
RE: Parking / Cover your Crew Cab Pick Ups
Good luck, I think you'll have to build a garage....my '01 Suburban has NEVER been garaged since new and it looks like new, except for the door dings...I wash it regularly and wax 1-2 times per year. My wife's 05 Magnum RT gets garaged, and it's a lot easier to keep clean. Bottom line, the truck will hold up well IF you put the time in on the maintenance.
RE: GVWR
The length to wheelbase ratio that is quoted so often by people claiming 1/2-ton trucks aren't safe for towing long trailers is bogus, there are 3/4-ton and larger trucks with the same wheelbase that are perfectly capable of towing such a trailer, yet you don't see ANYONE claiming the 3/4-ton truck is unsafe in doing so. If length was such an issue then you would be seeing length limits or recommendations being supplied by manufacturers.
The reason that 2500+ series trucks are more capable of handling the same length is that they have stiffer suspensions, stiffer LT-rated tires, and are more capable of stabilizing sway input forces from the trailer. Not magic, just physics.
The reason for upgrading to a 2500/3500 truck is not JUST for the fuel mileage but because we plan on doing a LOT of traveling and I would rather have a truck that doesn't work as hard. Is my Titan OVERworked? Absolutely not, but all things being equal, the 2500/3500 truck will tow the load easier and generally last longer.
What a bunch of double talk...your little Titan isn't overworked BUT you're buying a new truck so it doesn't have to work as hard? Which is it?
I'm not making it out to be something it isn't, it's simply a choice I'm making not out of NEED but WANT. It was an absolute pleasure towing my TT with my Titan down I-10, through the windy section near Palm Springs, blah blah blah. White knuckle my arse. In fact, we're leaving on a 2,500-mile round-trip vacation this Friday, my "little" Titan towing my "huge" trailer while I suffer from white knuckles the whole trip. I hope I survive! So scary!
Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, but doesn't tow like a real duck...I think we get it....
Happy Holidays and try not to call someone you don't know a liar, it's quite rude.
Merry Christmas to you too, and for the record I never called you a liar, that was your interpretation of my comments. I was simply trying to separate the truth from your "reality" so the OP doesn't get led astry by your justification of towing a too-large trailer with your little Titan.
RE: GVWR
Yahooligan, we talk about "dry" weight being the "as delivered" weight....then you add propane, extra battery, etc. The average TT that size will add 1000-1500 lbs of supplies and stuff (not counting water) before you hit the road.
That aside, it's about MORE than just the weight. A TT that big is a big BOX with serious wind loads that present handling issues. New "lite" trailers that are large yet advertised as "half-ton towable" really aren't IMO. The weight of the TT may be within all limits, but the size is too much for a 150/1500 anything to control safely. Again, the weight is ONE factor to consider...
I see from your post in the TT forum that you're looking at a 250 truck even though you have "no issues" towing your TT with your Titan...the fuel mileage argument doesn't fly here, we know you're upgrading that Titan because you don't want another white-knuckle season towing that long TT with that little truck. Hats off to you for biting the bullet and upgrading the truck, but don't mnake it out to be something it isn't. Let's remember that the OP is towing a POPUP today, so he's not exactly skilled at testing the limits of his truck. Difference between "can tow" and "like to tow".
RE: Dexter Self Adjusting Brakes (long W/pics and details)
John, how did you get these assemblies for $39.95 per wheel? I replaced the brakes on our Sunnybrook and it was $125/wheel for the assembled brake/backing plate assembly. And those weren't self adjusting....
RE: Towing w/ snow & salt ??
I say go for it if that's what you want to do....we spend our "hard earned money" to enjoy the fruits of our labors...if you want the TT to last forever parked it in the yard where you can admire it everyday, that's fine. If you bought your TT to have fun with it and enjoy life, then I say take it to the game! The Bills can use all the support they can get this season....
People tell me that all the time about going to the beach...the salt air from the ocean is murder on the truck and trailer....no doubt I spend more in maintenance because of it, and the sand that gets tracked inside the TT is murder! But that's the main reason I bought the TT, and I won't be deterred from having fun just because it means a little extra in the maintenance dept.
Just my $.02.
RE: GVWR
Nobody digs into the facts like JBarca.....hats off to John for taking the time to research the possible truck and TT numbers for your specific situation. In a nutshell, John has summed up the point that many of us have been trying to make on this thread:
There is more to this then weight.
John
RE: GVWR
Just more food for thought...all this talk about food is getting me hungry for a little snackaroo...:B
joe.
You mention food once and it makes you hungry? Sheesh....
Here's a little subliminal thought manipulation:
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :B
RE: Patched Tires on Tow Vehicle???
I always have the Safety Seal Repair Kit with me when I'm on the road.
http://www.safetyseal.com/images/store/kap60.jpg
The "plug" is not as good as the full patch, but I have found them to be reliable and permanent. I have yet to have a leak of any kind after using one of these plugs. I have towed with an E-range plugged tire at 80 psi and have not had any issues. I try to keep plugged tires on the front where the load is less if possible, but sometimes I forget and they get rotated to the rear.
RE: AAA or Good Sam Emergency Service?
I've had Good Sam ERS for the past 3 years and they have been great----I've never had to call them! Like a lucky charm or something...
RE: Looking for a new TV - recommendations needed
Col-Man...At that weight I would get either a big block or diesel. We have a 2001 Suburban with 8.1/4.10 drivetrain and our 32' TT scales at about 8800 lbs fullly loaded with water, etc. Yes, gas mileage stinks, but you appreciate the power when you're towing. Just about anything will get you to the beach or county park, but if you're looking to get off of LI, then you'll want some power to pull that TT. It's nice being able to pass the semi's with their flashers on going up the steeper grades in PA.
You don'ty mention if you're buying used or new. Unfortunately the 8.1 is not available (2006 last year in the Burbs, 07 for trucks), but the V-10 is an excellent choice. Crappie_fisherman has a Excursion with v-10 and he swapped the gears to 4.30's and took his 9000 lb TT out through the Rockies last summer with no issues. But even the 3.73 is still a good choice with the newer V-10.
See you on the beach!
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y134/Burbman/Montauk%202008/Beach%202009/002.jpg width=640
RE: GVWR
I'm OK with saying that the GCWR is "largely a performance rating" but where we go astry is in adding that "it has little to do with safety". Quite the contrary, it has everything to do with safety and also with reliability. Folks on this forum like to talk about whether a truck "can" tow a load, but we don't about how far or for how long...You may be able to tow that TT down the block to the local county park, but will probably wind up on the side of the road somewhere on a long trip. Assuming that GCWR is a performance rating, it's not safe when you're the guy in the right lane at 25 mph trying to get up the hill. It's not safe when you need 1 mile or more to get up to highway speed, so when the acceleration lane runs out you're merging into traffic at 40 mph. Towing at or past the limits with no transmission temp gauge is a dice roll also...not to mention that the rear axle on Chevy 1500's is also a weak point when towing that kind of weight. So there may not be a law that dictates GCWR copmpliance, but exceeding it certainly doesn't make for an enjoyable, trouble-free RVing experience.
I'll echo Les' comments to the extent that when I joined this board right after it was created in 2001, I was a newbie to the TT world and was happy to have a good source for advice. The tone from the senior members back then was one of supporting the RV lifestyle here by promoting safety, encouraging a "belt-and-suspenders" approach. Why? Because folks that are new to RVing are looking forward top all the promises in the RV brochures about scenic getaways with quality family time. If you're cautious about weight ratings, it's much easier to set up your rig for a relaxing, comfotable tow that won't have your equipment breaking down on every trip.
I see discussions like this today and the theme has changed from one of caution to "Sure, you can tow WAY more than what the mfr says, those ratings are only guidlelines." And so we send the newbie TT owner out on a wild white-knuckle towing experience with his new RV, while his truck pukes transmission fluid trying to merge into traffic on an entrance ramp that just happens to join the highway on a 6% uphill grade.
While we talk a lot about weights, we always forget to mention that a TT is a large BOX. It's much higher than the truck and will catch wind from all sides. A TT loaded to 7000 lbs is whole different kettle of fish from a flatbed with a FEL or other equipment on it. With a TT, take that 7000 lb trailer and add wind resistance from the front, and sway input from the sides, and that's a whole handful for a 1/2 ton truck to control.
It's also not hard to go over a 7000 GVWR when you look at the wieght of the truck and passengers, essential campoing stuff in the bed and 15% of the TT weight on the tongue.
Let's gop back to the OP's numbers: He's got a 7000 GVWR on the truck and a 13000 GCWR., That means with the truck fully loaded his TT needs to stay under 6000 lbs. I would look at TT's with a GVWR under 6000 lbs, so probably TTs with a dry weight in the 4000-4500 range. That will ensure that no matter how/what the OP packs, he'll always be within ratings and won't have to worry about whether this next trrip will be enjoyable or stressful.
I just think we need to back to basics and encouraging folks to be safe, instead of challenging folks to tow the biggest TT they possible can with their truck.
RE: Spyware Infection?
Ohters will disagree but rather than trying to find and remove the malware/virus (often times the virus/malware will prevent you from installing software to remove it)I think he will find it easier to buy a second HD. Then remove the original HD, use the OEM system restore CD to load XP onto the new HD.
Once XP is loaded on the new HD and running, install FREE AVG9.0 then install the old HD on the secondary IDE controller (might need to disconnect the CD/DVD drive). Once XP has booted, it will find the old HD as drive D, run AVG scan on the old HD, allow AVG to remove all infected files.
Now you can copy all your data (documents and music) from the old HD My Documents. Once all documents have been copied, remove the old HD and connect CD/DVD drive. Ready to go once again.
Once he is satisfied all is good with new HD he could then reformat the old HD and use as a data backup drive. To do this he can buy an external USB HD enclosure to put old drive into.
This process does not destroy your old HD data until you are ready to reformat and many times after an infection it is just plain easier to deal with..
Geez that's like killing an ant with a sledgehammer....I would try downloading combo fix, it's excellent at weeding out those tough infections.
RE: A poll - What CAI do you have?
Any newer truck already has cold air intake from the factory.
Many "CAI" kits are not sealed from the engine compartment, and allow engine compartment air in, so intake temps will be higher than with a stock air cleaner box.
Agreed, my 01 Suburban came with CAI from the factory, I would be surprised if your truck is newer than that and doesn't have it.
RE: QX56 or Excursion, that is the question
Happy to help. Had your trailer been lighter and shorter, the QX would have been an equally good choice, but with that size trailer, and the amount of traveling you have planned, the X is the best choice here between these two.
Yes, the numbers can get confusing, but a handy calculator and a few aspirin is all it takes. This is the biggest thing that throws folks off track is looking at the tow rating by itself. The fine print (where the devil lives, says crappie fisherman) says that there is no way you can pull a trailer that big while still carrying the tongue weight. Pops is the real world example. His trailer is only a little over 6000 lbs and he's over his GVWR with passengers and tongue weight.
RE: QX56 or Excursion, that is the question
So the TT is 6040 lbs loaded with an 820 lb tongue weight, assuming the unloaded and loaded weights both include the same amount of passengers and cargo in the QX, which I think it probably does given Infiniti's spec of about 6000 lbs curb weight for the 4x4.
Good to know that the QX can handle a 6000 lb TT well. However, the OP is looking at heavier TT that will be 7000 or possible heavier when packed. My TT is 8800 lbs and Joes is 9000 for reference.
