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Old 01-27-2004, 08:54 PM   #5
camperboy
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Default Re:thinking of trailmanor. Need help!

I have to agree with the others. It's just too much for the Highlander to handle. You do need a Class III hitch because of tongue weight, which others have pointed out is a problem because of the low weight capacity of the Highlander. At one point I read about someone towing a TM with a Ford Escape. They soon traded up to a larger TV. Aside from the issue of rather or not you can tow the TM down the road, it just isn't going to be safe or pleasent.

Another issue which hasn't been brought up is wheelbase. I'm not sure what the wheelbase of the Highlander is, but I expect it to be small. Longer wheelbase makes the combo more stable. Do a search on the board for wheelbase, going back about a year. RockyMtnRay has some excellent posts on the subject. If you can't find them post back and I or someone else will explain why wheelbase is important.

I tow a 1991 M-26 which is equivalent to today's 3023 with a Ford Ranger rated at 5660#. I wouldn't want to tow much more with it. It goes great, but when we lost the brakes on the TM coming down Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado I had to depend on the truck brakes to stop us. The summer after that we were nearly hit by a impatient driver who tried to sneak up on the right between us and a semi at an entrance ramp merge. Guess they couldn't wait to get on the highway to pass that semi. If it hadn't been for an empty left lane, a stable TV/TM combo and WDH hitch w/sway control I think that there would have been some bent metal that day. Those are the reasons on which I base my judgement of tow vehicles on. There are some who argue that even my Ranger is too little for a 3023.

Camperboy
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