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Old 07-18-2015, 04:47 PM   #1
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Dear Lord, another towing thread....

Over on FGRV there is another thread (there seem to be at least two or 3 a week) along the lines of 'can I tow a Scamp/Casita/etc with my sportscar?' And, as always, it devolves into nothing but an argument about what the lawyers say, what the manufacturers say, what the laws are in certain countries, why so and so is right and everyone else is wrong, how so and so once towed with a Yugo and never had a problem, etc, etc...

Thank God there is at least one Fiberglass Forum that doesn't deal in such NONSENSE.

Ok, rant off.
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Old 07-18-2015, 05:04 PM   #2
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I think it just shows that people like to argue.

You may disagree, but I know I'm right.
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Old 07-18-2015, 05:08 PM   #3
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What I can't figure out is the motive for one small group to try to convince people to tow with less than adequate vehicles.
I quit responding myself.
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Old 07-18-2015, 05:33 PM   #4
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The dangers of doing something wrong while towing:

Car hits detached trailer, spurs I-80 closure | KSL.com

SALT LAKE CITY — A car hit a trailer on the freeway Friday afternoon after the trailer became detached from the pickup truck that was hauling it, police said.

A Taylorsville family was driving the pickup truck eastbound on I-80 near State Street just before noon when the trailer somehow became detached from the hitch, but stayed connected to the pickup by the safety chain, Utah Highway Patrol reported.

The driver, 28-year-old Amber Marchant, pulled to the right, but due to the narrow shoulder on the road, was still mostly in the travel lane.

Marchant and her husband, Brandon, 41, got out of the car to check out the trailer.

About an hour later, Salt Lake resident John Galanis, 54, was travelling eastbound from the second lane to the right when traffic slowed because of the pickup truck and trailer blocking the road.

UHP said Galanis appeared to be driving too fast and too close to the car in front of him. Galanis then hit the car in front of him, and pushed it into the second lane from the left.

Galanis' car then went into the right lane and underneath the trailer, which pushed the trailer into the Marchant's, who were then pushed into the concrete barrier on the bridge structure.

Amber Marchant and Galanis were transported to Intermountain Medical Care in poor condition after Marchant sustained chest and head injuries and Galanis sustained head and arm injuries. Brandon Marchant was not taken to the hospital and their 7-year-old and 1-year-old children were uninjured.
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Old 07-18-2015, 06:05 PM   #5
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What I can't figure out is the motive for one small group to try to convince people to tow with less than adequate vehicles.
I quit responding myself.
Thank you.
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Old 07-18-2015, 06:47 PM   #6
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Over here we are more concerned with food, as in poutine.....
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Old 07-18-2015, 07:00 PM   #7
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I don't know why they don't just put up a sticky that says to start by getting your vehicle and model GVWR and GCWR, and max trailer capacity, and towing capacity and see if the numbers work. When you get that straight, come back with questions.
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Old 07-18-2015, 07:04 PM   #8
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Over here we are more concerned with food, as in poutine.....
On my recent overnight trip to beautiful Victoria I stopped at a Dairy Queen. When I ordered a sandwich I had a choice of side order: fries or... you know. I got the fries.
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Old 07-18-2015, 07:11 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Escape While You Can View Post
The dangers of doing something wrong while towing:

Car hits detached trailer, spurs I-80 closure | KSL.com

SALT LAKE CITY — A car hit a trailer on the freeway Friday afternoon after the trailer became detached from the pickup truck that was hauling it, police said.

A Taylorsville family was driving the pickup truck eastbound on I-80 near State Street just before noon when the trailer somehow became detached from the hitch, but stayed connected to the pickup by the safety chain, Utah Highway Patrol reported.

The driver, 28-year-old Amber Marchant, pulled to the right, but due to the narrow shoulder on the road, was still mostly in the travel lane.

Marchant and her husband, Brandon, 41, got out of the car to check out the trailer.

About an hour later, Salt Lake resident John Galanis, 54, was travelling eastbound from the second lane to the right when traffic slowed because of the pickup truck and trailer blocking the road.

UHP said Galanis appeared to be driving too fast and too close to the car in front of him. Galanis then hit the car in front of him, and pushed it into the second lane from the left.

Galanis' car then went into the right lane and underneath the trailer, which pushed the trailer into the Marchant's, who were then pushed into the concrete barrier on the bridge structure.

Amber Marchant and Galanis were transported to Intermountain Medical Care in poor condition after Marchant sustained chest and head injuries and Galanis sustained head and arm injuries. Brandon Marchant was not taken to the hospital and their 7-year-old and 1-year-old children were uninjured.
This accident does not appear to be related to towing beyond the vehicles limits. I just don't see its relevance to this threads topic.
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Old 07-18-2015, 07:14 PM   #10
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Over here we are more concerned with food, as in poutine.....
Naughty Jim, very naughty. There are some folks on the forum who had hoped the P word had faded away for good. Not likely

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Old 07-18-2015, 07:27 PM   #11
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I'm with Jim, I would rather see a dozen more poutine threads then another "can I tow with" thread. Sorry rant over. Time for a liquid refreshment and go install the thermo switch bypass switch like Jim did. By the way nice job Jim.

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Old 07-18-2015, 07:30 PM   #12
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I agree that comparing notes on the delights of poutine is more interesting, but if those "wrong tow vehicle" discussions can dissuade anyone from towing with an unsafe vehicle, they're a good thing. Fortunately, participation in them is voluntary.
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Old 07-18-2015, 08:06 PM   #13
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I note that there are two extreme camps in these disussions:
  • "anything can tow anything with the right setup", and
  • "a one-ton pickup is needed to safely tow anything... and a much bigger tug is needed here than in Europe"
Both routinely make statements which are not founded in reality. Fortunately, there is a zone of intelligent evaluation in between.

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Fortunately, participation in them is voluntary.
Absolutely. The biggest problem is deciding when it is not worth calling out misinformation.
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Old 07-18-2015, 08:06 PM   #14
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It's certainly not just fiberglass trailers, it's a never ending subject on the Hybrid trailer forums too. The eternal quest for 30+ mpg towing and non towing, without sacrificing the power to climb those 10k peaks.
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Old 07-18-2015, 08:25 PM   #15
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I started following Glenn's lead a short time ago. Don't reply. If someone isn't willing to look at the numbers, and would rather go with anecdotes, I have nothing to contribute.
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Old 07-18-2015, 08:36 PM   #16
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This accident does not appear to be related to towing beyond the vehicles limits. I just don't see its relevance to this threads topic.
Well, I didn't know this thread was only about towing limits, I thought it was about towing in general and I thought it was an interesting illustration of what can happen if you're not careful. I would delete it if possible. Sorry.
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Old 07-18-2015, 08:36 PM   #17
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speaking of which, why not put this one to rest, eh?
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Old 07-18-2015, 08:41 PM   #18
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It's probably a big topic for the huge luxury fifth-wheels and toyhaulers as well: some saying a 3/4-ton pickup can handle anything if properly equipped, while others insist that anything short of a Freightliner is unsafe.
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Old 07-18-2015, 08:42 PM   #19
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Poutine.
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Old 07-19-2015, 06:53 AM   #20
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I don't know why they don't just put up a sticky that says to start by getting your vehicle and model GVWR and GCWR, and max trailer capacity, and towing capacity and see if the numbers work. When you get that straight, come back with questions.
Cathy,
I think this is a great idea. Include some links to a beginners guide as to what the numbers mean and perhaps a work sheet that the questioner could fill in with his/hers vehicle numbers. Make it easy to calculate, give them a list of what is needed, but let them find their own numbers.

Anytime some asks a tow rating question refer them to the sticky, complete the questionnaire and then come back with their questions.
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