TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post

Mr. Adventure · 04-01-2009, 07:29 AM

Barry,
Thanks for the detailed report. I always enjoy hearing about new TrailManor owners. And I'm pleased to hear that things went well for you on your first adventure.

I have to make a couple comments, though. First, you are very likely towing over your rated capacity. Given how sloppy our manufacturers are in rating these things, I personally believe that there are some better rigs on the road that are over capacity than many of the rigs on the road that are well under their rated capacity. Some vehicles are harder to keep on the road than they should be, even without the trailer. Everyone's towing experience is in untested territory to some degree, I suppose, but you are likely driving with important variables outside the envelope. Accordingly, I urge an abundance of caution in all of the things that we worry about: axle weights, tongue weights, load distribution, packing light, hills, hot weather, wind, rain, hot transmissions, tires, etc., but most important, speed and stopping distance.

I think 70 is probably too fast for most RV's, but especially when you're pushing the limits. When things go wrong, you have options at lower speeds that you just don't have at 73 for maneuvering and stopping. The wind resistance on the trailer adds to the load on the power train (the frontal area of what you tow is a big deal for your transmission on a hot day). Sometimes things aren't adjusted just right for conditions. Sometimes things in reality aren't working like they should be in theory. The trailer has it's own agenda in an emergency, and it's real easy to be on the wrong side of the learning curve. When we used to own a 37 foot Winnebago, I actually found that I could drive more miles in a day at 63 than I could at 70 just because of the attention it took to keep it in the lane (much better gas mileage, too -- about 20% as I recall).

My Toyota owner's manual says nothing about not using overdrive, and my Highlander seems to be able to find a gear pretty well without hunting back and forth. But I haven't had it out west, yet, either. Your Sienna seems to be able to figure out how to find the power curve on it's own, and that's encouraging.

Join the forum, and thanks for your post!

04-01-2009, 07:29 AM	#41
Mr. Adventure TrailManor Master Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Williamsburg, VA Posts: 668	Barry, Thanks for the detailed report. I always enjoy hearing about new TrailManor owners. And I'm pleased to hear that things went well for you on your first adventure. I have to make a couple comments, though. First, you are very likely towing over your rated capacity. Given how sloppy our manufacturers are in rating these things, I personally believe that there are some better rigs on the road that are over capacity than many of the rigs on the road that are well under their rated capacity. Some vehicles are harder to keep on the road than they should be, even without the trailer. Everyone's towing experience is in untested territory to some degree, I suppose, but you are likely driving with important variables outside the envelope. Accordingly, I urge an abundance of caution in all of the things that we worry about: axle weights, tongue weights, load distribution, packing light, hills, hot weather, wind, rain, hot transmissions, tires, etc., but most important, speed and stopping distance. I think 70 is probably too fast for most RV's, but especially when you're pushing the limits. When things go wrong, you have options at lower speeds that you just don't have at 73 for maneuvering and stopping. The wind resistance on the trailer adds to the load on the power train (the frontal area of what you tow is a big deal for your transmission on a hot day). Sometimes things aren't adjusted just right for conditions. Sometimes things in reality aren't working like they should be in theory. The trailer has it's own agenda in an emergency, and it's real easy to be on the wrong side of the learning curve. When we used to own a 37 foot Winnebago, I actually found that I could drive more miles in a day at 63 than I could at 70 just because of the attention it took to keep it in the lane (much better gas mileage, too -- about 20% as I recall). My Toyota owner's manual says nothing about not using overdrive, and my Highlander seems to be able to find a gear pretty well without hunting back and forth. But I haven't had it out west, yet, either. Your Sienna seems to be able to figure out how to find the power curve on it's own, and that's encouraging. Join the forum, and thanks for your post! __________________ 2005 TrailManor 3023 2003 Toyota Highlander 220hp V6 FWD Reese 1000# round bar Weight Distributing Hitch Prodigy brake controller. "It's not how fast you can go, it's how fast you can stop an RV that counts."