How Much Safety Margin to Allow...If Any?
Hi Everyone, We have a 2011 Ford Expedition 4x4 with the Heavy Duty Trailer Tow package. A few relevant specs: Axle = 3.31 Max Loaded Trailer Wt = 8,900lbs GCWR = 15,000lbs GAWR Front = 3,70...
Forum Discussion
wintersun wrote:
The question should be how much of a load can you safely tow and still stop the SUV and trailer in an emergency braking situation. My 1998 Tahoe was rated to tow over 7,000 lbs. but with a 3,000 lb. boat and trailer it took a country mile to come to a stop from 60 MPH and to me it was not safe for towing.
SUV's have a lot more body weight to deal with and I would want to upgrade the factory brakes with aftermarket components before towing anything close to the rated towing capacity.
I don't want to die because my trailer brakes malfunctioned and the tow vehicle's brakes were not able to handle the additional load.
Using this logic, nobody should tow more weight than their tow vehicle's payload.
I clearly know first hand what it feels like when trailer brakes fail. I blew right through a red light with my family loaded up due to this problem. Unfortunately, sometimes bad things happen.
Trailer brakes are designed to stop the trailer. Tow vehicle brakes are designed to stop the tow vehicle loaded to max payload (and some type of safety margin). A Ford F450 rated to tow 31,000 lb (or whatever the current number is) is not rated to stop the additional 31,000 lb - it is rated to stop the weight of the F450 plus the F450's payload.
