quote:
Originally posted by TC:
Your Saab's ability to safety stop while pulling a rated-weight trailer, trailering on grades, and the need for trailer brakes (if any) were all taken into account when they included any instructions/warnings in your owner's manual. I'd go ahead and take their advice literally, whatever it is.
I wouldn't be so sure about that. In relation to braking perhaps the manual provides accurate information, but not necessarily in relation to maximum towable load. It all depends on the type of trailer. If your talking a flatbed loaded with 3,500lbs that doesn't exceed the roofline of the car you'd probably be fine. When you start talking an enclosed trailer like those used for moving or a camping trailer, the extra wind resistance from the portion of the trailer taller than the car comes into play, particularly in any kind of head wind.
I recall my parents having an 88 or 89 Blazer with the 4.3L V6. It had the tow package and was rated at about 5500lbs.
What a joke. That thing struggled with an 18ft single axel camper that weighed 1800lbs when loaded with all the camping gear. The Blazer had two under 200lbs adults in it and I at the time wieghed around 100lbs. The trailer extended approximately 2 1/2 feet above the roofline of the Blazer.
It could do 55mph just barely if there were no headwind without putting too much strain on the engine. It couldn't break 45mph without burying the pedal in as little as a 15mph headwind or crosswind. Good thing it had the tow package with the extra tranny cooler and oil cooler.
My parents kept the vehicle for all of about 3 months before trading it in on an Econoline van with the 302cid V8 to pull the camper.
My philosophy for a vehicle that will see regular use as a tow vehicle is buy something that is substantially more than you need to pull the load. The vehicle will last much longer when its only pulling half of the max load vs. a less capable vehilce towing at near max load.
It's like my idiot friend when he had his 2000 Tacoma TRD with the 2.4L 4-banger. It had a max tow rating of around 4400lbs. He kept telling me it would be capable of towing my parents 23ft camping trailer that weighs 3200lbs fully loaded.
I told him that I was certain that the truck could probably tow the load. The question is at what speed and for how long.
[ April 15, 2004, 02:01 AM: Message edited by: Forkman ]
