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. (Or whenever
we feel like something needs to be said.)
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.
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