No fools in this forum Sam. They are all friends and acquaintances.
Bill
Towing a UHaul trailer capable of carrying a full-sized car?
Moderator: bfadmin
[quote="Dude"]I find the difference between this website and others in regards to towing to be completly opposite. Here people are willing to max out the tow ratings and even go over. On other sites people won't tow a popup trailer with anything less than a big full size V8 pickup truck. I got into many debates over the fact that I towed with a 4cyl Tacoma.....My popup was 1,900 #'s and my Tacoma is rated to tow 3,000 and people thought I was crazy and unsafe for doing that.
I firmly believe that the manufacturer puts ratings on certain items for a reason. These ratings are determined by engineers and put through many tests. If it was unsafe to tow at the max, then the manufacturer's lawyers and insurance companies wouldn't allow them to approve that high of a number. If it was safe to go over, then the manufacturers would stamp the higher number so they could say they can out tow the other guy and get more sales.
Can a vehicle perform under a higher tow load....probably yes.
Should you do it.....the guy's lawyer you might potentially crash into says it will cost you big $$$$[/quote]
You said it and a Plus 1 to you. I have been towing 10k behind an E350 PSD 7.3 for 10 years and made all the upgrades specified in the earlier post. In addition I fitted F350 brakes, 17.5 inch wheels with G rated tires, upgraded shocks and springs as well as air bags. Added a Supertune chip, 4" down pipe! upgraded turbo! and a Bully Dog tranny. It also needed a Class 4 hitch. I have a rear axle load of 7k, front of 3k which with the 10k trailer I am at max. It works well but when towing up and down hills you know it's at its limits and drive accordingly. This means a max speed of 65 but usually more like 60 and often in the 50s remembering you can only go downhill at the speed you go up for safety. But it's a good tow. I bought it with 20k on the odo and it now has 107 almost all of which is towing at that weight.
But if I have learned anything, peace of mind is only obtainable when towing at 75% or less of the limit. Once you get over that all the vehicle dynamics are challenging especially given the state of our highways and the speeds of other drivers especially the 18 wheelers.
I firmly believe that the manufacturer puts ratings on certain items for a reason. These ratings are determined by engineers and put through many tests. If it was unsafe to tow at the max, then the manufacturer's lawyers and insurance companies wouldn't allow them to approve that high of a number. If it was safe to go over, then the manufacturers would stamp the higher number so they could say they can out tow the other guy and get more sales.
Can a vehicle perform under a higher tow load....probably yes.
Should you do it.....the guy's lawyer you might potentially crash into says it will cost you big $$$$[/quote]
You said it and a Plus 1 to you. I have been towing 10k behind an E350 PSD 7.3 for 10 years and made all the upgrades specified in the earlier post. In addition I fitted F350 brakes, 17.5 inch wheels with G rated tires, upgraded shocks and springs as well as air bags. Added a Supertune chip, 4" down pipe! upgraded turbo! and a Bully Dog tranny. It also needed a Class 4 hitch. I have a rear axle load of 7k, front of 3k which with the 10k trailer I am at max. It works well but when towing up and down hills you know it's at its limits and drive accordingly. This means a max speed of 65 but usually more like 60 and often in the 50s remembering you can only go downhill at the speed you go up for safety. But it's a good tow. I bought it with 20k on the odo and it now has 107 almost all of which is towing at that weight.
But if I have learned anything, peace of mind is only obtainable when towing at 75% or less of the limit. Once you get over that all the vehicle dynamics are challenging especially given the state of our highways and the speeds of other drivers especially the 18 wheelers.