This thread is going to be moved to Talk.

But, I have some comments here. First of all, the towing activities of PLowe and Motors4Fun and JoeD were most likely beyond the ratings of the vehicle and at the least, dangerous. If you think I am admonishing you, I am. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" /> You decided to put yourself, your passengers and other drivers in danger.

PLowe, a 26ft trailer, 4 passengers and gear are WAY beyond any rated capacity for your vehicle. Both the GVR and the GVCR. The former is the max of how much the rig should ever weigh and I am also pretty sure you were over on both front and rear axle ratings. By adding the trailer, you most likely grossly bypassed the combined weight rating for your rig. I know that some people consider going over the ratings by x% because it is assumed engineers build in a certain amount of margin of error, what you described is pretty much beyond that margin also.

I know, it worked, but it was dangerous. You had almost no chance of successfully executing any serious panic braking or evasive maneuver. In the end, it is always your choice but please consider the consequences and the your responsibility. I am pretty sure if you were found at fault in an accident, loaded as you were, your Insurance company would have seen you as negligent and not even considered covering you.

Motors4Fun, 70mph with a short wheelbase vehicle, the rodeo, and a tow dolly with a heavy vehicle on it is plain stupid. Again, you did it and you survived, but you were also on the edge of safety. That load had the possibility to shove around the rear end of your rig and you could have swapped ends very very fast. As the weight of the towed object approaches the weight of the two vehicle, things get hairy. Just ask Dallas and Steve what happens when towing a heavy Amigo, on a dolly with a short wheelbase rig. In addition to that, you also did not have any braking assistance from the towed vehicle AND you lied to Uhaul. Again, if you were found to be the cause of an accident, you would most likely have been found negligent and your insurance company and Uhaul would have laughed at you.

As for negligence, sounds like it is a simple thing that should not even be considered, right? Well, anyone needs to ask themselves if they are willing to risk their rig, their financial security or even their life (or the life of others) to tow something.

Now, we are not all perfect. Last week I was forced to make a tow that broke almost all of the rules above. I had a horse colic that needed to get to the vet hospital. My tow rig(F350) was in the shop and I had some other people come down with their Toyota T100. By the time we rolled out of the barn, we had to hook up a different trailer (the horse would not get in the straight load and I don't blame her). While trailer #2 was heavy, it was still within the limits of the rig, even with the horse loaded. The problem was that the truck wiring was suspect, at the least. I had one tail light and the opposite brake light that worked. And, of course, no brakes on the trailer. Fortunately, I had a chase vehicle behind me to provide some safety in the vision department.

I took it slow (50mph max, on the flats, 45mph or less on the hills) and anticipated things waaaaaaay in advance. We made it. The Toyota was marginal at best. The back end is soft to start with and the lack of brakes made it a white knuckle experience. But, I did it because I HAD to. The life of the horse was in danger and we only had 10 mi to go. Ironically, the lights and brakes worked after we hit a bump towards the end of the trip. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" /> I did offer to help them wire/rewire their truck, properly.

For those out there who are wondering what their rig can tow. Please research it first before making the decision. At the least, an informed decision to tow overweight is at least an informed decision. The sticker on the door frame will outline the various weight ratings for the vehicle. Also remember that modifications to the suspension should be considered as reducing those numbers and there is no way to safely increase the ratings. It is a combination of frame strength, axle strength, brake capacity and the engine/tranny. To really know what you have, you should weigh your rig and the trailer and do the math. Include things like passengers and gear.

Brakes on any trailer is highly suggested. Not only does it save the vehicles brakes, it also provides some help if it starts to sway. Electric brakes are the best, (IMHO), but hydraulics work too. There are also things like sway control and weight distributing hitches that will help with the control side of things and airbags and helper springs can help keep the tow rig level. All of those add to tow well a rig will tow something. Trust me, it is much nicer to be in a rig that is meant to tow, than one that is not. It is just a much more relaxing experience.

There are several resources on the Internet for towing. There is a towing board at www.thedieselstop.com that is pretty good and there are also several RV sites out there. At the very least, just read.

Good Luck,
Michael (Headed out to hook up my trailer right now <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" /> )