Good/bad experiences with Tow Vehicle Syndicates?
On the contrary - well maintained modern small cars with sophisticated
suspension make excellent towing vehicles.
For some reason (presumably liability and driving style) manufacturers
lower the tow rating of their vehicles in the USA. The POH where the OP
lives specifies that the vehicle is good for the weight. There is a
relatively low speed limit for these trailers. Not sure which one
applies here - but either 0km/h or 110km/h are the european open road
towing limits. Under these conditions the combination is safe,
convenient, economical and normal practice. It is also a lot less work
to drive.
The massive - un aerodynamic trailer for my 19m single piece wing
Kestrel is a beast. I definitely want to be towing it with my all wheel
drive looong wheelbase Volvo with an "authoritative" 2tons on the
wheels. This has more to do with lousy trailer dynamics than general
towing. This combination has the mass, power and stability to tow the
said trailer at 140km/h if I were insane enough to do so - our freeway
limit is 120km/h and I generally stick to 100-110 - it keeps the
excitement level down.
Towing a decent European trailer with my 15m inside things were much
better with a much smaller car. Easier to drive, more controlled ride,
better aerodynamics on the tow vehicle.
The big heavy car is comparatively clumsy and has its own dynamics that
make it a little less controlled in the suspension area. The absolutely
worst towing experience I ever had was retrieving the 15m with a Jeep
Cherokee. Same combo that was stable and safe at 110km/h behind a
1200kg, 1600cc hatchback became unruly and twitchy. Why? High roll
centre, short wheelbase, off road tyres with lots of lateral distortion
- coupled with a lot of mass = unruly tow vehicle that was yanking the
trailer all over the place.
Never been able to understand the obsession with bigger is better.
Lots of folk tow long distances, very happily and safely with something
like a DSG Jetta - try it - it might be a revelation.
(and yes - I have driven a fair amount in the USA - East coast ,
Colorado mountains, California...)
--
Bruce Greeff
T59D #1771
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