Towing 10k lbs?

[Mike Hohnstein]

Depends on what you need the toad for. A enclosed trailer with a small toad and
much support equipment will weigh in the vicinity of the vehicle you are
considering. A trailer is more maneuverable as you can back up, however it can
be a problem to deal with in many campgrounds. A trailer will not be as
reliable towing at the upper end of legal hwy speeds as the typical trailer tire
is rated at 65 mph. However, I personally like the security of knowing all my
"stuff" is with me.
A full size pick up with a bed cover or cap is another efficient type of
toad/stuff carrier. It seems like them little Honda CRVs are the most popular
type of toad, light, easy on fuel and generally trouble free. Them Hummers, I
gotta admit, I don't get it. Been over by the local dealer with the "designer"
building a couple of times. Kinda like a "anti-Prius" deal I guess. I can
respect that, the Wanderlodge does that in spades with no help from the toad.
MH
----- Original Message -----
From: Ryan Wright
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com ; wanderlodge@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 2:30 AM
Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] Towing 10k lbs?


On 8/22/07, Rob Robinson wrote:
>
> I don't know the weight rating of your bird for towing but my 94 is rated
> for only 10000lbs. You might check your tow rating to be sure it can handle
> the weight

I was more worried about load on the engine but actually checking the
tow rating is so obvious I didn't think of it. Thanks Rob. I need
to dig into my blue box more. Just found a whole owner's manual in
there that I didn't know existed. Took me awhile to extract the towing
information but I eventually found it: 10,000lbs.

Turns out this won't be an issue for the tow rating as I originally
thought it might be. The (multiple, unfortunately) sources that said
the vehicle was 10,300lbs? Wrong. They were quoting GVWR and calling
it "weight". Silly people. Turns out the curb weight is closer to
8,000lbs, slightly higher or lower depending on year and model. So
compatibility with my hitch won't be an issue.

Now, about driving: Does anyone with a big PT-40 tow around 8,000+
pounds regularly? Will it have a significant negative effect on my
ability to move the coach down the freeway or up the average grade?
Certainly it will have some affect, the question is, how much and will
I live to regret it?

-Ryan
'86 PT-40 8V92
Tri-Cities, WA




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]