Hi Gaia,
I wrote:
I can hook up my trailer to a motorcycle and take a picture. Does that make it a good tow vehicle?
GaiaGoddess wrote:
Well I didn't mean a picture of it sitting in a parking lot, i've seen pictures of Escapes DRIVING down a road towing a camper. But I guess it would be easy to do that just for the picture to fool people but that seems like a pretty elaborate scheme to go through all that when the know it isn't even possible!
I didn't mean to imply the pictures are fake. But there are a million things you don't know about those rigs, including size and weight of the trailer, enhancements to the tow vehicle, or breakdowns, repair bills, and lifespan.
I wrote:
The fact that you don't understand GVWR, GCWR, frontal area, and a bunch of other important towing concepts further exacerbates the situation. Can you tow it? Of course. Will it be safe? Very questionable. Will it place undue stress on the vehicle? Most definitely.
GaiaGoddess wrote:
I do understand GVWR, it stands for gross vehicle weight rating, and it means that is how much the vehicle can withstand, total. Which is why I was trying to find a trailer that weighs less than that.
Respectfully, your response clearly indicates you don't understand. The GVWR of the Escape and weight of the trailer have very little to do with each other.
GVWR=Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. This is the amount of weight the vehicle can safely support on its chassis. In other words, it's how much it can
carry, including itself. Payload is derived from this number. Note that there are two vehicles here, the Escape and the trailer. Each has its own GVWR, and they have nothing to do with one another.
GAWR=Gross Axle Weight Rating. This is the maximum weight an axle can safely support. You'll also see FGAWR and RGAWR for front and rear, respectively.
GCWR=Gross Combined Weight Rating. This is the maximum the combined rig should weigh. In other words, it's how much the tow vehicle can
pull, including itself. Tow rating is derived from this number.
Tow rating. This is the number published by manufacturers, often as "you can tow X pounds." It's a marketing number. Although technically not a lie, there's a lot more to it than being able to hook up a travel trailer listed at X pounds. Unless you understand all these other factors, which you don't (yet),
ignore this number.
Frontal Area Rating. This is the maximum square footage that should be exposed to the wind from the front, including the tow vehicle itself. Many folks overlook this, and that's a huge mistake. While cruising on level ground, aerodynamic drag has
far greater impact than weight on your ability to pull something. That's just the physics of it.
Tongue weight. This is the portion of the weight of the trailer which much be carried by the hitch on the tow vehicle. It counts against the GVWR of the tow vehicle, as well as against the hitch rating. A properly balanced trailer will have about 12-15% of its total weight on the tongue (and the rest on its axles). So a 3000# trailer will have around 400# of tongue weight.
Hitch rating. This is the amount of tongue weight the hitch can safely carry.
Wheel base. This is the fore-aft distance between where the wheels touch the ground. Longer is better, as it provides more stability against sway.
Wheel track. This is the side-to-side distance between where the wheels touch the ground. Wider is better, as it provides more stability against sway.
See this picture, which is often posted by forum member BenK. A reasonable estimate for trailer GAW is 85% of its GVWR. This assumes the trailer will be loaded to capacity (more likely than you might think) and balanced 15% tongue, 85% axle.
GaiaGoddess wrote:
I do understand people trying to prevent me from making a mistake, but all i'm saying is it's confusing when there are lots of people saying it IS possible. I got at least 5 private messages from people probably afraid to say it in here for all to see because they knew they'd be in the minority, but it's not as small of a minority as you think. That being said, I still understand the complications of this and realize i'm in over my head and will most likely give up on my dream.
I don't know that you need to give up on your dream, unless it's so rigid you're not willing to modify it. I know you love your Escape, but it's just a car. In a few years, it will have lived its useful life and you'll be on to another vehicle, anyway. Over the course of your life, you may own a dozen. I wouldn't let one of them destroy your dreams.
-- Rob
