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Old 06-11-2009, 05:34 PM   #11
steveb
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I would like to thank everyone for their timely and informative responses to my question. While your technical answers to my question helped in making my decision it was the warm and friendly atmosphere generated by this group that reminded me of how nice the people of the RV community are, something I had forgotten about since we sold the popup and moved to Florida. Thankyou all very much. After reading all the posts I called the dealer and closed the deal. I will be picking up the unit in Georgia next week.

thanks again

steve
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Old 06-11-2009, 05:50 PM   #12
Wavery
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Congradulations.............what did you end up buying????
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Old 06-12-2009, 11:37 PM   #13
larsdennert
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The SL has quite a bit less tongue weight with the batteries in the back. I've towed both a 2720 and 2720SL and the SL was definately lighter on the tongue. My 4Runner has 105" WB too. The FJ Cruiser tows even better than my 4Runner. (I have an older 4Runner)

You are going to love the SL!
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Old 06-13-2009, 07:26 AM   #14
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Lars,

I'm just curious.......do you use a sway bar with your 4-Runner?
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Old 06-13-2009, 12:38 PM   #15
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You are referring to a sway control type device? I don't and haven't felt the need. As you know the TM just doesn't sway much. The FJC has an even shorter overhang and is likely less needy for sway or weight dist control. Much of that depends on the springs though. Toyota's are setup up with soft coils for better off road performance. I think the FJC is a bit wider wheelbase too than my 4R. Imagine the big HDT tractor trailers. They have a pretty short wheelbase on the tractor compared to the trailer. I think there must be more to the wheelbase arguement. Some vehicles are just made for towing and others not so much.

For instance you have a very compact truck but it has a proper frame, a motor that's basically Chevy's V8 350cuin truck motor with two cylinders removed so it's big on torque and durability along with (likely) a 700R4 truck tranny. It has the running gear of some full size Chevy trucks.

My 4Runner is also quite heavy which probably plays into it too. The TM can't push it around quite as much.

I think the biggest danger in towing, and you'll probably agree, is stopping ability. It's seldom addressed but adequate brakes are so important.
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Old 06-13-2009, 08:16 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by larsdennert View Post
Imagine the big HDT tractor trailers. They have a pretty short wheelbase on the tractor compared to the trailer. I think there must be more to the wheelbase arguement. Some vehicles are just made for towing and others not so much.
The big OTR rigs have the trailer wheels located right up against the rear of the trailer. As a result, the trailer can't develop any rotational motion around the wheels, using the wheels as a fulcrum. This is a good thing, from a sway point of view. Of course, it also means that half of the trailer weight comes down on the tractor's rear axle. That's why the OTR rigs have two axles (8 wheels) on the back of the tractor, just like the two axles (8 wheels) on the back of the trailer.

The TM strikes a balance here. The axle is as far back as possible, to minimize the tendency for the trailer to rotate around the axle. But the axle is far enough forward to maintain a manageable tongue weight.

Wheelbase on the tow vehicle provides the abiltiy to resist the rotational tendency of any trailer. Just for fun, imagine a tow vehicle with a 100-foot wheelbase. It is plain to see, I think, that nothing the trailer tries to do could twist the tow vehicle around. Sway would NOT be a problem in that case. Now imagine a tow vehicle with a 2-foot wheelbase. The trailer could yank that vehicle around quite easily, and there is not much the tow vehicle could do to resist it. For a TM, somewhere around 10 feet of wheelbase seems to be the right answer.

Bill
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