Quote:
Originally Posted by Wavery
Tow ratings are a bit of marketing strategy.
The tow ratings in 2006 were based on what a vehicle was able to tow with a driver and 10G of gas. Any passenger, cargo and fuel weight added to the vehicle must be subtracted from the tow rating.
Just about any vehicle (including an old VW bug) can PULL a TM. The key question is, "Can the tow vehicle in question stop a TM in a safe distance at highway speeds?".
Along with the ability to stop, terrain and weather conditions must be considered.
Early this year, I returned to TM and I purchased a Honda Ridgeline which had a 5,000# tow rating. I considered that plenty to haul our 3600# TM with my wife and myself and about 300-500# of cargo (we usually carry a lot of firewood). I found, on our first trip out, that the Ridgeline was having a hard time hard stopping in the mountains. The Ridgeline had all new brakes. I decided that the issue may be that it needed a weight distribution hitch (WDH) to return lost weight back to the front wheels. A few trips later, I had to make an emergency stop on a downhill grade and nearly had a collision.
The next week, I sold the Ridgeline and bought a Chevy Silverado 1500. I lost about $3,000 on the Ridgeline because of all the $ that I put into it to be sure that it was up to the task.
Lesson learned........... good gas mileage doesn't necessarily equate to saved $.
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Interesting experience with stopping. I certainly didn't mess with towing capabilities and use a Tahoe or 2008 Explorer. For braking I found the trailer brakes more than compensated for braking power. However, and this is a big however, I have never had to (and never hope to) test this during an emergency stop.