Trailering 101
My Kingdom for a Straight Answer.
What Can My Vehicle Tow? Revisited.
DISCLAIMER: Always read all operating manuals, for tow
vehicle, trailer, hitch and related components for towing suitability and compatibility
before operating.
A few months ago we wrote an article called "What
can my vehicle tow", the idea behind the article, among other things, was to give
folks ideas on how to find out what their vehicle could tow. One of our suggestions
was to call the "manufacturer" of the vehicle, as opposed to just relying on the
"it can tow anything" comment from a salesperson. Much to our horror and
dismay, in some instances folks who have called the manufacturer are
getting information just as incorrect and off base. It is rather mind boggling to us that
education concerning towing capabilities of products, among manufacturers/dealerships who
sell "towing vehicles" is so poor.
So what are "we" the consumer suppose to do. Obviously
someone at the manufacturing plant knows what the vehicle can do, but unfortunately they
are usually not the person trying to sell you the vehicle. The only suggestion we
have for you is to see it in writing. Usually
manuals, and sometimes promotional brochures, will state how much a vehicle can tow.
If it doesn't, make them find something from the manufacturer stating explicitly*
the vehicles towing capabilities. If they give you the run around, keep pushing.
It has to be in writing somewhere, and we don't mean stamped on the hitch.
Remember, hitches and their ratings are independent of the ability of the tow vehicle.
After all, its your money that's being spent and you want to do it right the first
time.
Now to be fair, we have come
across some folks in the auto industry that know their stuff. And will also give you
a straight answer about the capabilities of their vehicles. We hear alot of times
that folks will tell the salesperson that "I need to tow a horse trailer" and
the salesperson replies "no problem", but we're betting the salesperson didn't
even ask "how much does it weigh?". To help yourself along, be a bit more
specific, do your homework into the type of trailer you hope to tow and have a good idea
of what kind of towing weights you are expecting. So instead of just
indicating that you want to tow a horse trailer, you can say " I want to tow a horse
trailer that is going to weigh in about XXX lbs", in other words be specific!
*NOTE: We emphasized
explicitly because some manufacturers refer in their manuals to the Gross Combined Vehicle
Weight (GCVW), somewhere buried in this number is the recommending towing capacity. The
number by itself usually represents the combined weight of the vehicle, occupants, fuel
and the trailer.
Happy Trailering... See you Next Month.
If you have any comments, suggestions or topics for a
"Trailering 101" article we'd be happy to take them. Trailering education
is our goal.
|
