Our present Ranger has the 4.0 V6 giving it a tow capacity of about 5500
lbs. Knowing this we looked at quite a few popups and travel trailers over
the last few years. Some were VERY nice We were tempted when we pictured us
set up at the camp site but but the idea of having to tow the thing to and
from made my teeth itch.
I have had several occasions to tow various trailers. Some were simple
U-Hauls on a temporary ball hitch but a couple were work trailers towed by
F250s and proper weight distributing hitches. While there was a vast
difference in the drivability of each of these setups the only difference in
my attitude toward them was the intensity of my dislike. Even the best of
them necessitstes having to make constant allowance for that damn thing in
turning, parking and such. I just dont like towing
There is also the paranoia towing would inspire. Several years ago we were
traveling on an interstate highway. It was a nice day, the scenery was
pretty, the traffic light and we were about a half mile behind a guy in a
Bronco towing a small travel trailer. He had been ahead of us for quite a
while during which time nothing remarkable was noted. Suddenly that trailer
went nuts. "Wagging" from shoulder to the right lane swinging the rear of
the Bronco around so that the Bronco wildly pointed first to the right, then
to the left, then right, left again, right, left, right, then off the road,
over the shoulder and onto the median when he finally stopped. By the Grace
of God there was light traffic and a wide, flat, treeless median. No one was
hurt but it is not hard to imagine the carnage had that game of
crack-the-whip happened under different conditions.
The trailer went crazy because some stuff the guy had in the trailer came
loose and shifted to the back, thus "lifting" the rear of the Bronco and
reducing rear wheel traction. While pulling off the road to fix it he
oversteered a bit too much and BOOM, he was off to the races.
Both the wife an I are fully aware that the incident was caused by an
avoidable error the guy made loading the trailer. We both know that properly
loaded and hitched trailers are safe and predictable and any feelings of
paranoia are unreasonable. We also know that a bit of nervousness is a GOOD
thing because it keeps everyone on thier toes. Still, that picture lurks in
the back of the mind and there is no amount of checking and rechecking we
could do that would silence the nagging doubt that there was "something" we
overlooked.
The many folks out there who tow and enjoy it have my admiration and
applause but for us towing sucks.
""Ted Wiegandt"" <twiegandt@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:NDBBLLBBMOMCAGAFMCAEGEIDFHAA.twiegandt@comcast.net...
>
> Why not look at a pop up trailer? This way when you get to the camp site
> you unhook and still have a vehicle. Plus, the towing limit is much more
> than the payload so you can get more features. One bad thing about the
bed
> campers is that your truck becomes part of base camp and it is a PITA to
> drive anywhere.
>
> Ted
>
>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sun Feb 01 2004 - 16:29:48 EST