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Old 08-04-2012, 12:06 PM   #11
moaboy
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If he said his trip was 600 miles, I'd say he got lucky.

At 6,000 miles I'd say he proved his point.
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Old 08-04-2012, 10:58 PM   #12
CeeWoo
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moaboy View Post
If he said his trip was 600 miles, I'd say he got lucky.

At 6,000 miles I'd say he proved his point.
So long as an accident is acceptable every 6001 miles, I agree
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Old 08-09-2012, 06:53 PM   #13
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Operator error may occur long before 6,000 miles with some folks...
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Old 08-10-2012, 03:05 PM   #14
rooksroost
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We where towing 5900 lbs with a 06 Tundra, didn't like it at all! We have a 09 Tundra now!
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Old 08-13-2012, 08:43 PM   #15
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Default From the Hensley Newsletter (photo shows car as TV)

The Future of RVing
Been to Europe lately? I have. Of course, I can't just relax and enjoy the bread and Black Forest cake (in the Black Forest). I found myself noticing the RVs scurrying down the autobahn. I think I counted a total of five very small motor homes, hardly bigger than the van driven by your daughter's last date (the one that ended within a few seconds after the little punk sauntered up to the front door and addressed you as "dude").

What I was pleasantly surprised to see, however, were plenty of travel trailers. And do you know what was towing them? Cars. Not SUVs. Not 1 ton pick-ups with 8 liter diesels and mud flaps that say "will work for fuel." I'm talkin' BMWs, Audis, Mercedes, and Volvos haulin' travel trailers. Most were of the 26 foot class, mind you, but you got the sense that the Germans weren't going to let a little thing like $8 per gallon gasoline ruin their vacation to the Alps. By the way, if you ever get the opportunity...WOW!

We've been down this road before. I've made my case that a smaller tow vehicle makes RVing a lot more affordable. Not only for the fuel savings while towing, but for the fuel savings realized during the other 340 days in the year when you're just using the vehicle to get to work, to run the grocery store, or to cart around the kids. Even if you opt for the ultimate BMW tow vehicle, you'll save a heck of a lot of money in the long run (please don't call and ask me where you get a receiver installed on a BMW...I take over after that's already been done).

Seriously, though, in the U.S., we'll more likely opt for a half-ton truck all the way down to mid-sized sedan. It all depends on a variety of factors--how much towing you intend to do, how far you want to travel, mountains or plains, etc. But don't limit yourself to the old way of thinking. You'll find yourself discouraged right into spending summer weekends gardening in the back yard.
Excerpt from Hensley Hitch Newsletter
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Old 08-14-2012, 07:10 AM   #16
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Many of those European cars pulling trailers are pretty hefty Mercedes Diesels or similar. And most Europeans do not travel very far with their campers.

We used our VW Passat diesel wagon to pull a 2500# popup + gear all over N. America, and it worked very well. But I wouldn't haul anything larger. It used to be that you could get a big, non-unibody N.American car with a strong V8 to haul your heavy Airstream all over. But no longer.

The bottom line for me is that as long as you do not exceed your vehicle's gvwr, gawr, tow capacity and gcwr, you are good to go. How far under these numbers you go is all personal preference.


Also, the European trailers are designed very different, with the wheels set much closer to the hitch. This must make the tongue weight very low compared to the trailer's weight, way under 10% I imagine. This is probably to reduce rear end sag, as Europeans don't use/understand Weight Distribution Hitches and are using cars, not trucks for towing. Not sure how they deal with the resulting trailer sway though. Perhaps that's why they are always travelling so slow?

Personally I prefer the N.A. standard of 10-15% hitch weight and the ability to use a WDH.
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Old 08-14-2012, 10:01 AM   #17
PopBeavers
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When we still had it, out 1986 Ford Crown Victoria station wagon had a 6,000 pound towing capacity. I had seat belts for 10, but 4 had to be young children.

We never towed with it.

Fully loaded with two adults and two kids off to Grandmas for Christmas we gt 16.6 mpg. This was when the minivans first came out. I considered the minivan for about 1 minute before deciding the station wagon was a better choice.
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Old 08-14-2012, 11:01 AM   #18
T and C
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Folks,

I towed a 1200 pound tent trailer behind an 84 Ford crown victoria station wagon for a few years. The only problem I ever had with this was that I had to get a 3 row radiator installed to alleviate overheating on mountain roads.

On the subject of towing travel trailers with cars, I have been thinking about buying a Jaguar S type. While doing some research on these cars I discovered that the factory brochures listed the tow weight of both the V8 and V6 models as 4200 pounds and a tongue weight of 156. I even found a photo of one hooked up to a typical European "Caravan".

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Old 08-14-2012, 11:12 AM   #19
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Quote:
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...
On the subject of towing travel trailers with cars, I have been thinking about buying a Jaguar S type. While doing some research on these cars I discovered that the factory brochures listed the tow weight of both the V8 and V6 models as 4200 pounds and a tongue weight of 156. I even found a photo of one hooked up to a typical European "Caravan".
...
There you go. And no doubt some crazed European would actually tow a 4200# travel trailer with a 156# tongue weight (~4%).

I know boat trailers and open car transport trailers will often have low % tongue weights. And the folding Trailmanors could get away with lower % tongue weights than they do 'cause of their low sides. But a full height Travel Trailer? What are these people thinking?
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