Towing 3326 With 2002 Ford Escape

[Bill]

Originally Posted by rtry9a

Im just not convinced about the TV length issue being a big factor. Anticipation is a huge factor to keep out of trouble as is keeping speeds reasonable.

You are quite right about anticipation - it is very important. But some things cannot be anticipated, and you still have to deal with them. As an easy example, maybe some jerk makes a sudden lane shift in front of you, or ignores a stop sign and shoots out in front of you from a side road. Think of the sudden appearance of a huge pothole, or a ladder lying in the road (as I have encountered).

One of my most interesting un-anticipated experiences occurred when I was coming down the mountains on the Coronado Trail (Rte 191) in eastern Arizona. The road is very steep, very narrow, full of switchbacks, and often posted at 10 mph. A beautiful place, in other words. But as I was approaching one very steep 10-mph switchback, two unanticipated events happened. First, as I came around the corner, there was a cow standing in the road. A big one. Almost as long as the width of the road. No way around her (actually him). And second, one of the brakes on my TM had failed, unknown to me, so the braking was weak and it pulled to one side.

Between the lack of full braking, the fact that the TM was braking crooked, and fact that the TM and the tow vehicle were at a very sharp angle to each other at that moment - well, let's say I noticed that the TM was trying to push the TV in a direction I hadn't chosen. Namely, off the cliff edge.

At 114", my TV does not have a really long wheelbase. I'm convinced that if it had been 10" shorter, I might not have made it through that unanticipated experience.

Of course, you may be better at anticipating than I am ...

Bill

Originally Posted by Rufus280

Speaking from my MANY years of boat towing experience, wheelbase of the TV is a major issue. Your example of a stationwagon is "apples and oranges". The stationwagon probably has a lower tow capacity and is certainly not designed to pull a trailer. It's designed to be a soft ride.

That statement may be a little goo generic.

I no longer have my 1986 Ford Crown Victoria station wagon, and I never towed with it. As I recall it had a factory rating to tow about 6,000 pounds. It also had a pretty long wheel base.

Unfortunatley no one makes a decent station wagon like that any more.

Im not so sure a big boat is a good example to compare TM towing duties with - the ones Ive been associate with have had a LOT more weight than our "light weight" trailers have, and most of that weight was concentrated high and behind the trailer's wheels where the engine(s)/ outdrives are mounted- not conducive to stability. Add to that the significant problems with the boat's hull acting like a big sail in cross winds and 18 wheeler vortices. TM's are far better behaved, low c/g and light.

The last big boat I towed was with a Surburban + WD hitch; it did the job quite well and was also very good at burning fuel faster than I like. FWIW, I had bad experiences with past pickups, not that they don't tow loads well- mostly because they are terrible in snow (no weight over rear wheels) and Ive found that a flatbed trailer is a lot easier to load and leave behind when not needed. I was always worried about leaving expensive stuff uncovered in the truck bed during rest stops and while parked in public.

The TV choice for me really involves which SUV works out the best- it boils down to vehicles that have a strong (truck) frame rails under the body and enough torque to the wheels to pull intended loads. I don't just don't spend enough time towing to need a vehicle specialized to that task. For the majority of MY needs, having sufficient gearing, cooling capacity, and reasonably good fuel economy for all tasks is more important than a long wheelbase.