Class B and Teardrop Combo
DH will be retiring in about 14 months. The last thing I want to do is give up my RoadTrek but ... we are gonna need more space once there are 2 of us doing road trips. DH loves to cook and I'm t...
Forum Discussion
Towing with a "B". Some agree, some don't. It's really an individual choice.
We do tow a trailer and have for years, and like others have suggested, I do have to look in the mirrors from time to time to see if it's still there.
Yes, acceleration is a bit slower, and stopping can be a bit longer, but we almost always take it with us. 7,800 miles, nearly two months, this past summer. It surely made the trip more fun.
OK, our contents are a bit different that others have suggested as ours includes a motorcycle inside and a canoe on top.
DW likes to cook outside when the weather cooperates, so we carry that equipment in the trailer. Lousy weather, we simply move inside the "B".
But - there's seemingly always a "but".
Our trailer does have electric brakes (wouldn't tow without 'em) and the rest of an appropriate "set up".
Some (maybe many) of the teardrops are built with 2,000 lb (or so) axles and 13" tires. Certainly 13" tires are adequate for the axle capacity, but, if - and it's a big if - the trailer happens to have brakes, the largest brake size that will fit in a 13" wheel is 7". To move up to 10" brakes requires 14" wheels, or larger.
Some small trailers may have "surge" brakes (like boat trailers), but, personally, I don't like them as there is necessarily a delay in the trailer brakes being applied. With electric brakes, if setup correctly, the vehicle brakes and trailer brakes are applied simultaneously. Proportional brake controllers are best, IMHO.
Separately, different states have different thresholds for when brakes (either type) MUST be installed and "in use". Below, usually, 3.000 lbs, the trailer manufacturer is not required to include brakes. They may be offered as an option, but are not required at manufacture.
That said, some states/provinces have brake requirements as low as about 1,000 lbs (NY). Three are 1,500 lbs (CA, ID, NV), Three more are 2,000 lbs (MS, OH, UT) Very few are above 3,000 lbs. (IIRC) so one could have a bit of a problem if circumstances unfolded against them. In most states, those are "loaded" weights, not empty weights.
Finally, most "B"s, when loaded "for the road" are surprisingly near their GVWR. So, to then add a trailer (without brakes), IMHO, puts one in a potentially precarious position. If emergency braking is required, well, one would be asking the brakes designed for the vehicle weight only to stop well more weight. And, if, for whatever the reason, the trailer manages to swing left or right while stopping, well, that'd be a real problem.
We do tow, we do like the flexibility/options it offers us. We give up "parking in town" unless we drop the trailer at a campsite (and we've done that).
In the end, each "B" owner will do what they think suits them.
Cheers.
We do tow a trailer and have for years, and like others have suggested, I do have to look in the mirrors from time to time to see if it's still there.
Yes, acceleration is a bit slower, and stopping can be a bit longer, but we almost always take it with us. 7,800 miles, nearly two months, this past summer. It surely made the trip more fun.
OK, our contents are a bit different that others have suggested as ours includes a motorcycle inside and a canoe on top.
DW likes to cook outside when the weather cooperates, so we carry that equipment in the trailer. Lousy weather, we simply move inside the "B".
But - there's seemingly always a "but".
Our trailer does have electric brakes (wouldn't tow without 'em) and the rest of an appropriate "set up".
Some (maybe many) of the teardrops are built with 2,000 lb (or so) axles and 13" tires. Certainly 13" tires are adequate for the axle capacity, but, if - and it's a big if - the trailer happens to have brakes, the largest brake size that will fit in a 13" wheel is 7". To move up to 10" brakes requires 14" wheels, or larger.
Some small trailers may have "surge" brakes (like boat trailers), but, personally, I don't like them as there is necessarily a delay in the trailer brakes being applied. With electric brakes, if setup correctly, the vehicle brakes and trailer brakes are applied simultaneously. Proportional brake controllers are best, IMHO.
Separately, different states have different thresholds for when brakes (either type) MUST be installed and "in use". Below, usually, 3.000 lbs, the trailer manufacturer is not required to include brakes. They may be offered as an option, but are not required at manufacture.
That said, some states/provinces have brake requirements as low as about 1,000 lbs (NY). Three are 1,500 lbs (CA, ID, NV), Three more are 2,000 lbs (MS, OH, UT) Very few are above 3,000 lbs. (IIRC) so one could have a bit of a problem if circumstances unfolded against them. In most states, those are "loaded" weights, not empty weights.
Finally, most "B"s, when loaded "for the road" are surprisingly near their GVWR. So, to then add a trailer (without brakes), IMHO, puts one in a potentially precarious position. If emergency braking is required, well, one would be asking the brakes designed for the vehicle weight only to stop well more weight. And, if, for whatever the reason, the trailer manages to swing left or right while stopping, well, that'd be a real problem.
We do tow, we do like the flexibility/options it offers us. We give up "parking in town" unless we drop the trailer at a campsite (and we've done that).
In the end, each "B" owner will do what they think suits them.
Cheers.
