How Long is too long

blt2ski wrote:
Wheelbase to trailer length ratio rule of thumb......per iirc RV Consumer group...

Min WB for towing anything is 110". Maximum trailer length is 20'. For each additional 3 or 4", you get another foot.


Marty

This is the ratio that we most commonly see in the wheelbase issue, and perhaps it is a good starting point for a rule of thumb (as you indicate). However, I have never seen any vehicle manufacturer name such a ratio. If you search this ratio online you find that most every allusion to it is in a forum such as this in the context of 'I read somewhere...' or 'RV.org once posted that...' I continue to contend that, if wheelbase were to be considered as this significant an issue, it would be listed in vehicle specs alongside GVWR, GCWR, etc... Even frontal area and the weight of the driver considered in tow ratings is listed as a detail in many manuals, so I just don't give that much weight to a wheelbase ratio that has taken on a life of its own but seems to have come from one RV buying guide at some indeterminate point in the past (perhaps it is still in their guides, I don't know).

I hope this does not come across as argumentative (these forums sometimes don't allow for the tenor of a conversation to be conveyed), I simply wanted to offer the contrary point on the wheelbase question. It may be something to consider, but I think the ratio can be very misleading. For us, in practical terms, our 2500 Suburban would be limited to a 25-26' trailer by this ratio, while an F150 with a long wheelbase would be set for up to 36-38'. We tow 35' and are solid as a rock - a lot more solid than an enormous portion of the people out there towing similar units with 1/2 ton trucks that are within the ratio but way overweight!