High percentage is best.
If tongue weight is too low, the trailer can actually lift the tow vehicle when you hit a bump. Great way to have a real bad accident in a sweeping turn.
A hitch that rattles too much is a clue.
Please help me understand towing
- Thread starter Veinot
- Start date
If tongue weight is too low, the trailer can actually lift the tow vehicle when you hit a bump. Great way to have a real bad accident in a sweeping turn.
A hitch that rattles too much is a clue.
or spend $25K on a 4K# tear drop and find out the Honda can't pull it as fast as you expect
yeah, right in the middle
but with a 500# trailer the tongue weight is almost irrelevant. with a 5000# trailer tongue weight becomes critical
more important, since you have zero towing experience, start light, get the experience, move up if you need more but with your towing experience quit trying to max out the unit
I don't think I am trying to "Max out the unit" as much as I am trying to figure out what "Max" really is so I don't max out the unit; I apologise if I am coming off that way. Most of Canadian regulations are written for the few who will not use common sense and not for those who are relatively cautious; so they are usually written well into the side of safety to the point where you really have to try and hurt yourself. On the other hand, manufacturers push things so close to the edge that if you don't find all the small print you will be greatly misinformed. "The new Ford Furious can reach top speeds of 400mp\h and corner flat at at speeds in excess of 320mph" says the man on the tv with the burly voice but the small print says; "Actual top speeds may very depending on passenger weight, tires, luggage, whether the vehicle is assisted by donkey mule or horse, the physics of your preferred driving dimension, and how much tinker bell fairy dust is used in your local petroleum" so I don't trust the manufacturer either.
So for people like me just trying to get into things it makes it hard to know where the margins actually are. To add more bull dung to the mix, went to a RV dealer with my uncle (who tows a lot) because he was looking to upgrade, and the sales guy was trying to sell him rigs well over his safe towing limits with statements like "Any 1/2 ton can tow this" and my uncle was like "No, you need a xyz or a abc to haul that with a 1/2 ton you cannot just put it on a half ton because it is a half ton". When I was looking at one and asked how much it weighed he was like "your SUV can tow that any SUV can", and I'm not that dumb to go "Zerpty derpt! Ok, if you say so". (and I did ask my uncle about towing and he said I need a truck to tow an RV. When I show him a teardrop trailer between 600# and 2000# instead of answering the question can I tow this, he informs me I don't want to camp in that and what I need is a 32ft RV with 6 pull outs and a 2019 GMC Sierra with the Big Balls Towing Package, the exact setup he has, at which point he then tries to sell me his truck and rv as a "package deal". Guess what, he is a sales men, if you have not guessed lol).
All I need to know is if I am looking at a Sunray 149, or a 14ft vintage, or similar small camper can I safely tow it or... do I look for a small sleeper like a teardrop or benroy that sits in at under 1000#? Oh since I last posted I can say the heaviest thing I now towed was a 16ft flat deck trailer 2 axle, with a Dodge 1500 with break controller loaded with 32folding tables, 40 4 gallon jugs of water, 100 boxes of gatoraid. I have no idea how much that weighs but it was definitely more than a lawn tractor or a ATV delivery. I couldn't get the break controller set right so at every stop from a speed of about 60km\h or more I was dragging the trailer with locked up wheels for a a second or 2. I could also tell the weight balance was off, the hitch did rattle and the steering felt vague; I had to pull over and redistribute. Got the steering feeling right but the hitch was still a bit chatty; but I survived!
Cheers!
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