Why all the hate on 1/2 ton tvs

spoon059 wrote:

LVJJJ wrote:
For some reason 1/2 ton truck owners want to use them to tow heavy 30' TT's. Why is that? Get a 3/4 ton for safety's sake or keep the TT around 24'. Makes no sense to me, is dangerous. I don't think its a good idea to tow a trailer that weighs a lot more than the TV. And as others have noted, you also have to account for all of the weight in the truck itself, a lot more junk in there than you realize.

I've towed with a 1/2 ton, 1965 Chevy Van with s 292 inline 6 since 1988. Except for a couple of bad choices, I always make sure the TT & TV weigh about the same. The van weighs 3700 lbs loaded and it has no vehicle weight ratings like the newer trucks have.

I've towed TT's that weigh more than 4,000 lbs, the old van has no trouble towing them power and suspension wise, but it's uncomfortable having that heavy TT controlling the TV. This old Chevy's frame and suspension components are built stronger than today's trucks so weight ratings haven't meant much to me. There's about 250,000 miles on the van itself and 90,000 on the 292. Never broken down or been stranded. I keep it well maintained and stay within the limits of the vehicle.

mich800 wrote:
But based on these rules how would anyone tow a 8k+ rv?

Nvr2loud wrote:
So just a thought.... a 2015 Crew Cab GMC Sierra 3500 dually has a curb weight of approx 7200 lbs, so should my trailer weigh less then 7200 lbs or does that just apply to 1/2 ton towing?

Can't wait to read his reply. Comments like these are just another example of "class war" on Rv.net. People like me that drive a half ton are reckless and unsafe. They want us to believe that our half ton ratings are 33% over stated and we can only carry 75% of the weight that the manufacturers state. They want us to believe that 3/4 and 1 ton trucks are safe BEYOND the rated capacities though.

Rules that apply to a half ton (must weigh less than the truck) are thrown out when you have a 3/4 ton or more.

Comments are made that half tons won't be able to stop a trailer if the trailer brakes go out (speaking of which... NEVER heard of someone losing their trailer brakes. Never read it on here or anywhere else. For all the comments about how unreliable they are, never seen or heard of a problem with them...) but a 3/4 ton can safely stop a trailer that weighs THREE TIMES more than the half ton.

Then we get into comments about "frontal area" of trailers as if that was a SAFETY issue concerning braking (hint... its NOT). Your brakes have ZERO idea where the weight is or how much wind resistance you have. They are designed to slow the rig to a stop. Whether that weight is in front of, on top of, behind or under the truck... the brakes react the same.

Then you get people who had a light enough trailer that they should have been able to safely tow it that report they drove WHITE KNUCKLED the entire trip then went out and dropped $50K on a 3/4 ton and it tows like a dream. These are the people that REALLY scare me. They are the ones that are most likely driving their half ton without a WDH or a really improperly set up WDH or tongue weight. Rather than FIX THE PROBLEM they buy a heavier truck that simply masks the problems under normal driving conditions. If the hitch isn't set up right or the tongue weight it still too low, those problems will become very obvious very quickly in an emergency situation. Simply buying a heavier truck where you don't feel the issue doesn't solve it when you are incorrectly set up and need to make an emergency maneuver.

But you can't reason with people who don't accept reason. If towing with a half ton was so unsafe don't you think our over reaching government agencies would do something about it? Don't you think you would hear HORROR stories about all the wrecks people had with their half tons trucks? Don't you think my insurance company would charge me excessive rates for towing with my unsafe half ton?

These are obviously the same people that use a sledgehammer to drive in a finishing nail... after all, the bigger the hammer is the better it is... right? There is no such thing as the right tool for the job, you need to have the biggest possible tool for the task at hand...