Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Adventure
Yes, the older things get, the closer they get to failures, but that's life. There's no question but that towing introduces durability issues, particularly on the "go" side, as opposed to the "stop" side. But, the brake pads and rotors get replaced on a regular schedule. The wear parts get inspected on a regular schedule. The tires get replaced on a regular schedule. It's just silly to make up numbers like 50% unless you have some hard info that goes with this (how about an NTSB study or an incident report?).
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"A vehicle with a GCWR of 10,000# when new, may only be capable of safely dealing with half that weight @ 100,000 miles. In some cases, that vehicle should not be towing at all".
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If you are referring to the above statement, I absolutely stand by it. There are a
lot of vehicles out there with a 100K miles on it that should not tow anything close to what they were rated to tow new. There are some vehicles with 100K miles that shouldn't tow anything or won't even run, for that matter......I don't need any studies to demonstrate that......that's common sence....I'm not sure what your point is........
Of course, there is everything in between also. It is
feasible that a very mechanical owner could actually increase the vehicles ability to handle heavy loads.
However, in almost every case, a vehicle degrades in it's ability to handle the
maximum amount that it was rated at new as it ages. However, potential buyers of used vehicles normally use the manufacturers maximum weight ratings as though they were considering a brand new vehicle..........
this....is what I am cautioning against. Yes....with regular maintenance, an owner can decrease (or replenish) the amount of wear & tear on the things like brake pads, tires, belts etc. In between those replacement times, those items immediately
start to degrade with use. That's why they are referred to as "wear components".
I purposely used the "tired brake caliper assembly" as my example (I have seen trucks and cars with severely over-heated, warped calipers) but I could have just as easily used "Brake fluid" as my example. How many people change their brake fluid?........I would guess, very few. Brake fluid degrades with heat. Anyone that tows a lot (as I do) should replace all of the brake fluid periodically. I replaced all of the brake fluid on my truck when I bought it used (along with all other fluids and wear items).
As I stated, there are literally thousands of individual parts that effect a vehicle's ability to handle weight. In my career as a dealership Service Manager, it has been my experience that
MOST owners don't have a clew about maintaining their vehicle, especially when towing or dealing with any heavy loads.
My whole point is, if one is using a TV that is rated (NEW) at or close to what they are currently using it for, they may be over-estimating that vehicles ability. When considering buying a used vehicle, consideration for the fact that more margin for safety should be considered and using the vehicle's NEW weight ratings may be unrealistic.
As a new vehicle ages, an owner should be aware that their vehicle
starts degrading those maximum ratings after a very short time.