Posts about weight got me thinking (RANT of sorts)
The title says it all. I hear so many people saying "you will be over", "you need a truck with a V8", "You can't tow with that size vehicle". This is especially true to a newbie, trying to get into RVing, and doesn't have the resources for a big truck to tow a big trailer. They may have a smaller SUV and looking to get a small trailer. Everyone is saying "They can't do it". That was even said to me. All that my baby diesel can pull is a small popup. As you can tell, I downsized 2' from what I wanted and about 1000 pounds.
So, all of that got me thinking, when I was towing the Busch North Car with my Dually, what was my weight. Should I criticize anyone about weight (unless they are talking real stupid about what they want to tow and tow with).
First off, my tow vehicle at the time was a 91 F350, 4x2 dually with a 7.3l international engine and a Gale Banks turbo setup, an E4OD transmission, and 4:10 gears. Advertised tow rating was 10,900, and the rig was 10,000 GVW.
Race car trailer. I believe it was a Featherlite, and it was about 42 feet in length. It had a gas tank and an onan generator. Went looking, and a similar size trailer today weighs in around 7200 pounds without any options. so, lets call it 7500 pounds. Lets do simple math and guestamates.
Trailer 7500
Race Car 3200
Pit Box 2000
Tires and Rims 400
Spare Parts 2000
Other******1000
Grand estimate
16,100 pounds...what would that put me? About 5200lbs over?
Of course, we weren't the only ones towing this way. Not many Busch North teams had big rigs back then. My only casualty was the E4OD transmission. To this day, that transmission made me hate Fords.
So, what do you think about the guy who is 100 pounds or so over GVW or "tow rating"?? This guys says, go ahead, live your life, enjoy your camper, and be safe. You only live once, enjoy it while you can.
By the way, the local short tracks, those tow rigs were real scary! For a while, I didn't even know trailer brakes existed, because no one I knew had one! Never even heard of a weight distribution hitch!
So, all of that got me thinking, when I was towing the Busch North Car with my Dually, what was my weight. Should I criticize anyone about weight (unless they are talking real stupid about what they want to tow and tow with).
First off, my tow vehicle at the time was a 91 F350, 4x2 dually with a 7.3l international engine and a Gale Banks turbo setup, an E4OD transmission, and 4:10 gears. Advertised tow rating was 10,900, and the rig was 10,000 GVW.
Race car trailer. I believe it was a Featherlite, and it was about 42 feet in length. It had a gas tank and an onan generator. Went looking, and a similar size trailer today weighs in around 7200 pounds without any options. so, lets call it 7500 pounds. Lets do simple math and guestamates.
Trailer 7500
Race Car 3200
Pit Box 2000
Tires and Rims 400
Spare Parts 2000
Other******1000
Grand estimate
16,100 pounds...what would that put me? About 5200lbs over?
Of course, we weren't the only ones towing this way. Not many Busch North teams had big rigs back then. My only casualty was the E4OD transmission. To this day, that transmission made me hate Fords.
So, what do you think about the guy who is 100 pounds or so over GVW or "tow rating"?? This guys says, go ahead, live your life, enjoy your camper, and be safe. You only live once, enjoy it while you can.
By the way, the local short tracks, those tow rigs were real scary! For a while, I didn't even know trailer brakes existed, because no one I knew had one! Never even heard of a weight distribution hitch!
