"test drive"

proxim2020 wrote:
That's all well and good. My intentions were not to get into the debate over the validity of the test. I was simply letting the OP know that it's a perfectly reasonable request and dealers will provide the opportunity, especially to a serious buyer. I'm not the OP or in their head, so I cannot deduce what they may or may not learn during a test hookup.

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.

If I were a new TT buyer, or thinking about moving to a substantially longer TT or from a TT to a 5Ver; I would take the offer of a test drive in a heartbeat.

No, it is not going to give you the same feel of the loaded trailer but it is going to tell you about corners, highway travel, mirror visibility, blind spots and when you return it you can practice a bit of parking with the DW.

Renting a TT for a 10 day trip told me more about TTs before I purchased than all the book reading and forum information I could ever acquire.

I must say I never thought of a test drive but I sure would not have pass one up.

That's all well and good. My intentions were not to get into the debate over the validity of the test. I was simply letting the OP know that it's a perfectly reasonable request and dealers will provide the opportunity, especially to a serious buyer. I'm not the OP or in their head, so I cannot deduce what they may or may not learn during a test hookup.

proxim2020 wrote:
To answer the original question, if you're a serious buyer then getting a test hookup shouldn't be a problem at all. After you've come to a consensus on the price ask for a test hookup. They'd be fools to say no.

SoundGuy wrote:
Ummm, who's the fool here? ... a dealer who says no or a prospective buyer who insists on it, thinking that towing an empty trailer off the lot is going to tell him anything at all about how it will really handle later on, fully loaded and ready to camp, with a battery on the tongue, gas in the tanks, and water in the tanks? :h

FWIW, I was that fool ... once, when I didn't know any better. Found out the hard way just how useless that so-called "test tow" was. :o

proxim2020 wrote:
Maybe you aren't ready to use that "was" quite yet. Reading comprehension. The OP initially asked if a dealer would allow such a thing. In that post he didn't ask for opinions to the validity of such a test. I answered his original question and stand by my statement. Oh by the way, there's a lot more to towing than just hauling weight.

Oh wow, thanks SO MUCH for that! Been towing for 15+ yrs now and it never occurred to me that "there's a lot more to towing than just hauling weight." Good grief, what was I thinking?! :S

Hey, if the OP wants to waste his time on a test tow with an empty trailer by all means have at it ... but regardless of your cutesy response I'll likewise "stand by statement" that's not going to alter the fact he won't learn anything about the true towing characteristics of this towing combination.

SoundGuy wrote:

proxim2020 wrote:
To answer the original question, if you're a serious buyer then getting a test hookup shouldn't be a problem at all. After you've come to a consensus on the price ask for a test hookup. They'd be fools to say no.

Ummm, who's the fool here? ... a dealer who says no or a prospective buyer who insists on it, thinking that towing an empty trailer off the lot is going to tell him anything at all about how it will really handle later on, fully loaded and ready to camp, with a battery on the tongue, gas in the tanks, and water in the tanks? :h

FWIW, I was that fool ... once, when I didn't know any better. Found out the hard way just how useless that so-called "test tow" was. :o

Maybe you aren't ready to use that "was" quite yet. Reading comprehension. The OP initially asked if a dealer would allow such a thing. In that post he didn't ask for opinions to the validity of such a test. I answered his original question and stand by my statement. Oh by the way, there's a lot more to towing than just hauling weight.

I agree with NinerBiker statement "Do the math, do the deal, do the camping. It's gonna drive how it drives, you either change to a better TT suitable to your vehicle, or you change your vehicle to match your new TT." I will add one more thing, load your TT accordingly to stable the load (sway), 10 - 15% of trailer weight.

Taking a test drive? Agree with most here, a worthless test due to many of the comments on the thread, if the numbers work out you can stable the load by correctly loading the TT, if they are to close you are buying the wrong TT to start with. Also do you know many people scrape their first tow and since your asking for a test drive means you are new, or you are at the limits of your TV or skill level for that trailer. Turning corners or backing up correctly... I would never allow it, personal or if I was a dealer.

Bobbyg2013 wrote:
my tow vehicle, a 2014 Ram 1500 5.7L hemi with tow package, has a max towing capacity of 10,650 and a payload max of 1,900. the TT I am looking at has a dry weight of 4,800 (6800 GVW) and is 25 1/2 feet, front hitch to rear bumper. Am I OK ?

I'm betting you're OK. Our Expedition has a hair under 1,500 lbs payload, a longer TT, and about the same GVW for our TT.

You'll have a max tongue weight of 1,000-1,100 lbs, which leaves you with 800-900 lbs for passengers and cargo in the truck. Of course anything less than that gives you more comfort/margin.

Bobbyg2013 wrote:
Before I purchase a TT I want to hook it up to my truck and take it on a short drive on a freeway to see how it handles, etc. Do you think a dealer would allow me to do this?

My dealer did allow this. (Cold Springs in NH.) I was mostly concerned about truck power and visibility, so did not use a weight displacing hitch - just the ball.

At the time I was new to towing anything this big and was afraid my truck would be too weak or I wouldn't like towing something that long. The dealer's willingness to let me test drive was a big factor in my decision to buy from him. (And I did have them install the proper weight displacing hitch with the sale.)

SoundGuy wrote:

proxim2020 wrote:
To answer the original question, if you're a serious buyer then getting a test hookup shouldn't be a problem at all. After you've come to a consensus on the price ask for a test hookup. They'd be fools to say no.

Ummm, who's the fool here? ... a dealer who says no or a prospective buyer who insists on it, thinking that towing an empty trailer off the lot is going to tell him anything at all about how it will really handle later on, fully loaded and ready to camp, with a battery on the tongue, gas in the tanks, and water in the tanks? :h

FWIW, I was that fool ... once, when I didn't know any better. Found out the hard way just how useless that so-called "test tow" was. :o

Do the math, do the deal, do the camping. It's gonna drive how it drives, you either change to a better TT suitable to your vehicle, or you change your vehicle to match your new TT.

RVing is expensive, if it's coming down to money, seems silly to even start down that road. Kind of like buying a Class A and being worried about fuel mileage and fuel costs.

proxim2020 wrote:
To answer the original question, if you're a serious buyer then getting a test hookup shouldn't be a problem at all. After you've come to a consensus on the price ask for a test hookup. They'd be fools to say no.

Ummm, who's the fool here? ... a dealer who says no or a prospective buyer who insists on it, thinking that towing an empty trailer off the lot is going to tell him anything at all about how it will really handle later on, fully loaded and ready to camp, with a battery on the tongue, gas in the tanks, and water in the tanks? :h

FWIW, I was that fool ... once, when I didn't know any better. Found out the hard way just how useless that so-called "test tow" was. :o