YOU NEED TO SEE THIS PIC

4X4Dodger wrote:
One thing has puzzled me since I started reading this forum. There is a huge gap between what RV'ers (in general I am speaking) in the US think they can tow with a given type of truck and what the folks in Europe and Australia and South Africa feel they need to tow a trailer of the same size.

I have mentioned this before on this forum: our parents and in some cases grandparents towed long HEAVY trailers clear across this country with the average American Sedan.

If you look at the advertisements from the immediate post WWII era travel trailers they all are being shown pulled by family sedans...and that is what people used. These trailers were LONG, HEAVY (by todays standards) and their axles were much farther rearward with higher tongue weights. (with the exception of the Airstreams)

Is it possible the American RV'ing public has been sold a bill of goods by the Auto Manufacturers leading us to believe we NEED ever Larger, Heavier Duty, Trucks with ever increasing huge engines to pull the average 30 ft travel trailer?

As I posted before my Grandmother towed a 28ft travel trailer from Michigan to California with a '32 ford coupe. By all accounts she had a few flats on the trailer (not unusual for those days) but otherwise no problems. My parents towed their trailer to calif the same way. (I dont remember the car)We took vacations to the Mountains in Southern Calif with it.

All over the world people are towing much heavier loads with much "less" vehicle than we do. Any of our manufacturers could make their SUV's and "1/2 ton" pickups perfectly acceptable for towing our loads with a few spec changes.

But I think it's in their financial interest to continue to sell the big 3/4 ton $50 thousand dollar pickups instead. And so we are propagandized via all sorts of sources that this is what is REQUIRED.

I also think there is just a wee bit of "mine is bigger than yours" psychology in this whole thing on the part of a lot of men. They want the biggest, loudest, "toughest" truck out there. Just look at the Truck advertising where this is played on constantly.

Maybe the RV Mfg's have this right maybe you can do just fine with that "1/2" tonner.

I agree with your comments, except to add that you may be looking to lay blame in the wrong industry. If you want to know why the manufacturers put such small limits on their vehicles you should think about the term LIABILITY. If they do not use the uber-safe side of the 'written' capacity they will be LIABLE when Franky two-shoes loads 3 cords of wood instead of one and ends up flying over the edge of the grand canyon. Mrs. TwoShoes will retire pretty happy when the lawyers are done with the manufacturer and their 'written' limits.

My point is the U.S. system is built on who can sue whom for the most... Stop the "sue thy neighbour" mentality and a whole bunch of things will change. Unfortunately not all for the better. I think it's called being responsible for YOUR OWN actions.

I agree 100% with comments regarding it being the 'operator'. A good operator will arrive safe/sound no matter what... A bad operator can have all the best equipment in the world and still wreak havoc everywhere they go.

You put that motorbike hauling trailer load of sticks on your smooth paved, wide azz local interstate and I'll guarantee you he could go for miles. Except for all of the BAD operators out there who will be ramming into the back of him because they are trying to cover each mile in 0.5 seconds while texting, smoking, eating, drinking and whatever other distractions you want to throw in their hands. It'll be his fault for being too slow/safe and around and around we go.

Safety starts upstairs and I'm not talking the trailer steps.

Be Safe everyone.