Towing a 6000 lb trailer with a Taurus?
http://rvlifemag.dgtlpub.com/issues/2013-08-31/pdf/rvlifestyle_2013-08-31.pdf What am I missing here? That's 6 times the tow rating?
Forum Discussion
Andy and his cult of followers (wrongly) assume that the vehicle designers and engineers in Dearbporn who spend years designing, developing, and testing the exact combination of chassis, suspension, and drivetrain are simply overruled by marketing folks pushing those who want to tow into more profitable trucks. And those folks couldn't be more wrong.
Vehicles are designed and tested as systems. Yes, the Taurus and Explorer are built on the same platform, but that in no way implies that they are equally capable. The F250 and F350 are also built on the same platform... Does that make them equally capable? The Focus and Escape are built on the same platform... So what?
So what Andy's implying is that, despite years of development and testing, the engineers got it wrong? Or is it just remotely possible that the engineers got it right and might actually have a reason for not rating a Taurus SHO for towing? Like, oh, I don't know, maybe its cooling capacity is marginal to start with due to the small nose and tiny radiator? Or maybe the transmission simply isn't rated for moving 11,000 lbs up a grade repeatedly without cooking itself? Oh, but it's the same transmission as in the F-150, and that can do it, right? Except it's not the same transmission... But it's the same engine, right? Yeah... But the radiator is nearly twice the size of the one in the Taurus.
Has Andy taken into account the wheel bearing design criteris and projected life? What about the effect of adding the hitch to the structure of the chassis and its long term impact on the chassis due to the tongue load? Distributing the tongue loads over a larger area means nothing if those areas aren't engineered (not reinforced) to handle the added loads.
Oh, but he's got decades of experience.... So? He also assumes no liability for his products (or failures). He's been lucky thus far.
I will admit that his rigs are impressive, and his logic makes sense on some levels, but to acknowledge that his design is 'right' or 'correct' is to imply that the hundreds or thousands of engineers who designed and tested the vehicle got it wrong... And I'm just not willing to go there.
Vehicles are designed and tested as systems. Yes, the Taurus and Explorer are built on the same platform, but that in no way implies that they are equally capable. The F250 and F350 are also built on the same platform... Does that make them equally capable? The Focus and Escape are built on the same platform... So what?
So what Andy's implying is that, despite years of development and testing, the engineers got it wrong? Or is it just remotely possible that the engineers got it right and might actually have a reason for not rating a Taurus SHO for towing? Like, oh, I don't know, maybe its cooling capacity is marginal to start with due to the small nose and tiny radiator? Or maybe the transmission simply isn't rated for moving 11,000 lbs up a grade repeatedly without cooking itself? Oh, but it's the same transmission as in the F-150, and that can do it, right? Except it's not the same transmission... But it's the same engine, right? Yeah... But the radiator is nearly twice the size of the one in the Taurus.
Has Andy taken into account the wheel bearing design criteris and projected life? What about the effect of adding the hitch to the structure of the chassis and its long term impact on the chassis due to the tongue load? Distributing the tongue loads over a larger area means nothing if those areas aren't engineered (not reinforced) to handle the added loads.
Oh, but he's got decades of experience.... So? He also assumes no liability for his products (or failures). He's been lucky thus far.
I will admit that his rigs are impressive, and his logic makes sense on some levels, but to acknowledge that his design is 'right' or 'correct' is to imply that the hundreds or thousands of engineers who designed and tested the vehicle got it wrong... And I'm just not willing to go there.
