"test drive"

Our dealer was happy to let us take it out for a test tow. They put the snap up brackets on the TT tongue and we used a WDH. Yes, the TT was completely empty during the tow. Yes, my truck is marginal for the loaded TT. It still gave me some knowledge on how the truck would handle this TT which was a much longer trailer than the old one. I think it is a very good idea to test drive and I'm kind of baffled about why so much of this thread implies otherwise. +1 on the following post:

goducks10 wrote:
He'll find out one thing for sure. If he doesn't like it empty he sure won't like it loaded. Adding 800-1000lbs won't make much of a difference. I really doubt anyone could tell if their trailer was 800-1000lbs lighter or heavier...

With regards to payload and fuel, with Ford, you do not need to subtract fuel weight from your available payload.

Ford defines payload as GVWR - base curb weight. And base curb weight is defined as "weight of vehicle including a full tank of fuel and all standard equipment". The 2015 Towing Guide referenced earlier states this as does the 2014 Towing Guide I have saved.

I cant speak for how other manufacturers calculate their payload but Ram's web site also says that curb weight is with full fuel and all other fluids full.

I don't know if this still happens or not.....

Some years ago a purchased a second hand Class A MH. AFTER I bought it I took it to the scales. Had 10K gross with load.... weighed just over 9600#s DRY. Dealer Pointed out that I bought it as is,,, where is.....

Probably should have had twins off that ordeal. LOL At least it's gone now, planted in someone's yard as a spare room.

So YES, DO test drive and weigh BEFORE purchase.

NinerBikes wrote:

BubbaChris wrote:

NinerBikes wrote:
Buy enough vehicle to trailer what you want, or buy a small enough trailer to work with the TV you got, without crowding the margin.

Really, it's that simple, leave a hefty margin of tow capacity, don't get near max, and you won't have problems.

Touareg is rated for 7700 pounds towing and 1300 pounds in the TV. The TT I bought is 3700 dry, with a tongue weight of 320 pounds. That's one of the main reasons that I bought it... well within the tow vehicles limits.

Use a little common sense, and a test drive is not even a consideration. I drove out to Indiana to pick up my TT from Los Angeles, because I can trailer for a heck of a lot less than $ 2.50 a mile, certainly when the Touareg gets 33 -35 mpg empty, for half the trip there. Never even considered a test drive I was well within the numbers. Did install an Equalizer hitch at the shop.

I believe it's called common sense, don't tow near the margins of your capacity limits, and all is well. Trying to make silk purses out of sows ears, or going over the limit, or even near is, is lacking common sense, with little margin for error. That big margin of error, or buffer zone is your friend, not something to be tested.

Do the math ahead of time, a test drive will tell you nothing.

Telling someone to do the math off the TT manufacturer's empty TW is not going to be as helpful as you'd like. With your TT setup for camping, I'm betting you could easily be as high as 600 lbs TW.

If you don't have a full load of passengers and gear in your Touareg, you're probably within specs. But you're still a long way from the 320 lbs you quoted.

Anyone with a pilot's license know's all about weight of loads, ballast points, center of gravity.

Yep, it's just me and my trailer. No passengers. No issues.

And what you just said confirms how useless a test tow is.

Aren't airplanes tested without a load of passengers before being put into service?
If a trailer has a problem with it's brakes like maybe no brakes, one wheel that locks up with little brake applied or a bent wheel etc., I'd rather find out about it during a test tow than after I buy it and set out to take it home. If the trailer dog walks due to axle alignment, will it magically straighten out once you load 300 lbs of "stuff" into it? If it's poorly balanced empty and has a rear kitchen, it will likely be as bad or worse once loaded to go. If it doesn't tow well empty, I don't want it. There's nothing useless about a test tow.

Take the trailer home, load it up like you were going camping, take it to the scales and get all the weights, go home and setup the WDH hitch, go back to the scales and confirm the weights, adjust the WDH again, weigh again, take it for a test drive, take it home, unload it, take it back to dealer, try a different trailer and repeat process until you get one that tows okay loaded the way you want it.

Seems like too much work, I think you should get a F150 and trust the salesman trying to sell you a trailer. You will be fine.

In all seriousness, do your homework, work the numbers best you can and buy a trailer within the limits. My opinion is that payload is what will limit what you can tow (at least for bumper pull travel trailers). If you try and reduce the tongue weight to be within specs, you could end up with sway from too not enough tongue weight...

If you do all your homework and settle on a trailer, you might be able to make the purchase contingent on being able to tow it with the tow vehicle and setup you will have.. never tried it but might work.

BubbaChris wrote:

NinerBikes wrote:
Buy enough vehicle to trailer what you want, or buy a small enough trailer to work with the TV you got, without crowding the margin.

Really, it's that simple, leave a hefty margin of tow capacity, don't get near max, and you won't have problems.

Touareg is rated for 7700 pounds towing and 1300 pounds in the TV. The TT I bought is 3700 dry, with a tongue weight of 320 pounds. That's one of the main reasons that I bought it... well within the tow vehicles limits.

Use a little common sense, and a test drive is not even a consideration. I drove out to Indiana to pick up my TT from Los Angeles, because I can trailer for a heck of a lot less than $ 2.50 a mile, certainly when the Touareg gets 33 -35 mpg empty, for half the trip there. Never even considered a test drive I was well within the numbers. Did install an Equalizer hitch at the shop.

I believe it's called common sense, don't tow near the margins of your capacity limits, and all is well. Trying to make silk purses out of sows ears, or going over the limit, or even near is, is lacking common sense, with little margin for error. That big margin of error, or buffer zone is your friend, not something to be tested.

Do the math ahead of time, a test drive will tell you nothing.

Telling someone to do the math off the TT manufacturer's empty TW is not going to be as helpful as you'd like. With your TT setup for camping, I'm betting you could easily be as high as 600 lbs TW.

If you don't have a full load of passengers and gear in your Touareg, you're probably within specs. But you're still a long way from the 320 lbs you quoted.

Anyone with a pilot's license know's all about weight of loads, ballast points, center of gravity.

Yep, it's just me and my trailer. No passengers. No issues.

And what you just said confirms how useless a test tow is.

NinerBikes wrote:
Buy enough vehicle to trailer what you want, or buy a small enough trailer to work with the TV you got, without crowding the margin.

Really, it's that simple, leave a hefty margin of tow capacity, don't get near max, and you won't have problems.

Touareg is rated for 7700 pounds towing and 1300 pounds in the TV. The TT I bought is 3700 dry, with a tongue weight of 320 pounds. That's one of the main reasons that I bought it... well within the tow vehicles limits.

Use a little common sense, and a test drive is not even a consideration. I drove out to Indiana to pick up my TT from Los Angeles, because I can trailer for a heck of a lot less than $ 2.50 a mile, certainly when the Touareg gets 33 -35 mpg empty, for half the trip there. Never even considered a test drive I was well within the numbers. Did install an Equalizer hitch at the shop.

I believe it's called common sense, don't tow near the margins of your capacity limits, and all is well. Trying to make silk purses out of sows ears, or going over the limit, or even near is, is lacking common sense, with little margin for error. That big margin of error, or buffer zone is your friend, not something to be tested.

Do the math ahead of time, a test drive will tell you nothing.

Telling someone to do the math off the TT manufacturer's empty TW is not going to be as helpful as you'd like. With your TT setup for camping, I'm betting you could easily be as high as 600 lbs TW.

If you don't have a full load of passengers and gear in your Touareg, you're probably within specs. But you're still a long way from the 320 lbs you quoted.

Buy enough vehicle to trailer what you want, or buy a small enough trailer to work with the TV you got, without crowding the margin.

Really, it's that simple, leave a hefty margin of tow capacity, don't get near max, and you won't have problems.

Touareg is rated for 7700 pounds towing and 1300 pounds in the TV. The TT I bought is 3700 dry, with a tongue weight of 320 pounds. That's one of the main reasons that I bought it... well within the tow vehicles limits.

Use a little common sense, and a test drive is not even a consideration. I drove out to Indiana to pick up my TT from Los Angeles, because I can trailer for a heck of a lot less than $ 2.50 a mile, certainly when the Touareg gets 33 -35 mpg empty, for half the trip there. Never even considered a test drive I was well within the numbers. Did install an Equalizer hitch at the shop.

I believe it's called common sense, don't tow near the margins of your capacity limits, and all is well. Trying to make silk purses out of sows ears, or going over the limit, or even near is, is lacking common sense, with little margin for error. That big margin of error, or buffer zone is your friend, not something to be tested.

Do the math ahead of time, a test drive will tell you nothing.

fatboy66 wrote:

Sorry but that's silly. What are you going to learn on your very first test tow? A: I like it or B: I don't like it. Regardless of the answer, you're not going to know what either means.

Please reread the second sentence of my text that you quoted.

I wouldn't complete the deal until I was sure of the combo.

One stop would be required, well maybe two. CAT scales..... to see what it really weighs.

Water stop to fill the tanks.... Now is when you 'll start to get a more real world 'feel'. Back to the CAT for a 'filled' weight. Now you'll have a real # to work with as far as 'cargo' is concerned.

I've seen and heard of too many trailers that needed axle upgrades, or even frame fixes,,,, brand new, unfired, out or the box.