Thread: tow vehicles?
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Old May 12th 20, 02:35 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Steve Koerner
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Default tow vehicles?

There's three considerations that are important. 1) ability to stop well. 2) stability at highway speed 3) frame strength. All of these factors drive you away from a small car. Get a midsize car for towing a glider. My current tow vehicle is a Toyota Highlander which is perfect. Having gone through a few smallish tow vehicles over the years, I've learned the hard way.

In particular, you should understand that tow ratings are not valid for glider trailers. Pound for pound, glider trailers are much tougher on vehicle frames than a utility trailer or boat trailer. The length of the glider trailer causes a great deal of inertial loading -- both vertical and horizontal. Think in terms of 100% derating or more. After a few thousand miles towing with a Mazda CX5 that was nominally rated for trailer weight, I ended up with a broken frame to be repaired.