My son and I always take notice when we see people towing beyond what we believe to be the towing capacity of their TV. Today after returning to our campsite after an outing, we see that our neighbour is pulling a Surveyor very similar to ours(rear slide, front bunks) with a Toyota Sienna. According to Forest Rivers website, this model of trailer maxes out at over 7k and the Toyota tow cap is 3,500 lbs.
I just looked out my window and what do I see? Another mini van (Ford this time) towing a double axle Trail Cruiser. Am I just really paranoid about towing capacities and should I just keep my mouth shut or what. I upgraded to a Dodge Durango to make sure we would be safe. (our trailer maxes out at 5,500 lbs and our towing capacity is 6,850 lbs)
Any advice??
* This post was
edited 08/13/08 04:28pm by Fraser in YYZ *
You have done the correct evaluation on your TT and TV, many people don't give this a thought and when they have an accident they are the first to complain that the manufacture failed to properly build the unit. Salesman and others seems to contribute to this situation by telling prospective buyers that the vehicle will handle it with no problem, just like some seem to believe they do not need a weight distribution hitch or sway control. I just hope that I do no comes near one of these improperly loaded units on the highway as they are a disaster waiting to happen.
Mike and Nancy
Tundra TRD V8 4WD
Prowler 20' Lite ( The Kramalot Inn )
EU2000i * Prodigy * McKesh * Trek
You're going into dangerous territory with this question. Reality is, your tow rating has no legal status in a court of law! Your gvwr does to what you have paid for. So the fact that said folks were towing what they were towing, does NOT mean they are unsafe.
Some of my employees were pulling a single axel trailer that weighed 3000 lbs with the pallet of sod in it. Towing with a 1 ton dually, dang near drove off the road due to the trailer sway! The pallet was sitting at the back of the trailer with probably -500-700 lbs of tongue wt! Yes under trailer tow capacity, but the trailer was loaded wrong creating an unsafe situation.
I towed at 15K GCWR upwards of 18K with a 1 ton SW truck with its GCWR of 12500! No issues what so ever. Yes I was not the fastest guy on the road, but I performed to my expectations. Meanwhile the same truck with a different motor and 4.56 gears vs my 4.10s, was rated at 19500! Otherwise no difference in tow rating! Was I really that unsafe at 15K vs 12500? No!
To me, one is best off to figure out what you need to do to two safely, ie keep your rig under its GAWR's, ie both the TV and trailer. After that, power it to meet "YOUR" performance standards, and enjoy the trip!
marty
05 Chev CC D/A LS Dooley
92 Navistar dump truck, 7.3L 7 sp, 4.33 gears with a Detroit no spin
00 Chev C2500, V5700, 4L80E, 4.10, base truck, no options!
92 Red-e-haul 12K equipment trailer
3 Single axle utility trailers
I do think a lot of people on this forum need to chill a bit when it comes to being concerned about what TV's people want to use and what Trailers they want to pull (it's really not anyone's business but theirs and if they grenade their TV then so be it). I will say that someone pulling a 7k trailer with a Toyota Sienna is pretty stupid not to mention completely unsafe. Just think of it like this, if you see someone at your favorite campsite with a setup like this, I bet you won't see them next year!
The only thing that truly concerns me when camping is how people handle things around the hooks up! I just wonder how many people get poo all over their hands and then wipe it all over everything. Thank God for rubber gloves
There's no reason why you cannot communicate to anyone concerns about their rig, weights, set-up or any thing else for that matter. Presentation is the key. Whoever you want to talk to has already made their decision on choice of rig. In their on opinion, they are OK and see nothing wrong. So using a little diplomacy and asking thought provoking questions goes a lot farther than jumping right in and saying their rig set-up is risky. And, some people just don't care either. That's why asking questions is sometimes a much better approach.
For example: Are you crazy? You're towing THAT monster trailer with THAT Volkswagon?
Or:
I didn't know a Volkswagon could tow anything that big before. Do you have problems towing? Tell me about it....
Most people are not in a position to buy a new tow vehicle. So berating someone for their current tow vehicle will get no where except a trip to the hospital with a shoe attached to your back side! (if you know what I mean).
DutchmenSport
2005 Chevy Silverado 3500 Dually Duramax 6.6L V8 Turbo
Century Truck Cap Commercial /Toolboxes
Northeast Outfitters Canoe
This is my one of several thoughts about this.Is an impaired (or unsafe)vehicle any different then an impaired person behind the wheel?I see them as both negligent and a danger to others.And I must admit in the past I have done both but I did wise up lol.
You might want to pull me over. I know that I am about 2K pounds over my max when I have either the golf cart or any other two toys in the garage. But, it handles nice and the only thing we ever worry about is some idiot on there cell phone yapping away or texting. That's who we need to really worry about.
* This post was
edited 08/17/08 02:34pm by an administrator/moderator *
Navy Chief
2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Laramie w/6.7 CTD, exhaust brake, 6 speed auto.
2007 KZ 41CKS3 Montego Bay Sportster
2006 Kaw KDX 200
2008 Can AM Outlander Max 650
2009 Harley Dyna Glide
2006 Yam R6
Golf cart
DutchmenSport wrote: There's no reason why you cannot communicate to anyone concerns about their rig, weights, set-up or any thing else for that matter. Presentation is the key. Whoever you want to talk to has already made their decision on choice of rig. In their on opinion, they are OK and see nothing wrong. So using a little diplomacy and asking thought provoking questions goes a lot farther than jumping right in and saying their rig set-up is risky. And, some people just don't care either. That's why asking questions is sometimes a much better approach.
For example: Are you crazy? You're towing THAT monster trailer with THAT Volkswagon?
Or:
I didn't know a Volkswagon could tow anything that big before. Do you have problems towing? Tell me about it....
Most people are not in a position to buy a new tow vehicle. So berating someone for their current tow vehicle will get no where except a trip to the hospital with a shoe attached to your back side! (if you know what I mean).
I will admit I like your P.C. approach to address the subject with them. It might lead to educating them on their obvious mistake. Though I think I might stick to my 'thinning the herd' approach, lol.
I'm with you Fraser in YYZ. If someone is towing unsafely on a road I'm driving on they are potentially risking my life. I could care less if the wreck their vehicle by pulling too much but if they start swaying and take out other around them then that isn't ok.
There are alot of people on the road who don't take the time to ensure what they are doing is safe. I just hope I'm never in the vicinity when they find out it isn't.
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I just wonder how many people get poo all over their hands and then wipe it all over everything. Thank God for rubber gloves 
