Re: Towing capacity question??????
 

That, I can appreciate! :D :D :D

Re: Towing capacity question??????
 

Every time i read this board i'm amazed at how many people here have more money than brains. And it's not that they're necessarily stupid.

Sorry, i can't afford a freightliner. I can't afford a dually. And if i could afford one, i wouldn't buy it. I don't have the room or the money right now to have two vehicles, and i don't want to try to park a long wheelbase beast every day.

Honestly, if you have to tow 5 miles twice a year, strap that 8000 lb boat to the back of an S10 and call it a day. Going down the road at 30 or 40 mph in an under-rated truck is not the end of the world.

On the loaded guns comment, it depends on the age of the kid and you're definition of "play". If i have kids, once they're old enough to shoot, they're going to learn how to shoot, and how to do it safely. But some people would argue that that's reckless and wonton disregard for public safety because i'm equipping them to become violent killers.

Your average half-ton nowadays is more truck than your average 1 ton was 15 years ago. 15 years ago it was perfectly acceptable to hook that big ol' boat up and tow it with your 1 ton.

Me towing last year down the highway, as i was equipped, is safer for the general public than your average 16 year old driving a kia.

Really, knowing what the hell you're doing goes a lot further than having the right equipment. You can have a first class shop and turn out crappy work, or you can turn out a masterpiece in a garage with hardly any tools. I'd rather drive down the highway with a skilled driver in an overloaded truck than a crappy driver with every safety device known to man.

Maybe if you knew how the hell to drive you wouldn't have lost it with your properly equipped truck.

Re: Towing capacity question??????
 

Sorry but towing 8,000 lbs w/ an s-10,,, is DUMB !! for you and everybody else on the road w/ you..

Re: Towing capacity question??????
 

No ****. But if the truck can get it out of the water, it can pull it 5 miles down the road at 25 mph without a problem.

You'd be surprised what works.

By y'alls definition of what you need to be "safe", no trucks in Iraq would have armor right now. It's too heavy.

Re: Towing capacity question??????
 

Of course I have. We all have- except maybe my wife who refuses to drive any faster than 5mph under the posted limit.

I don't travel 85 in 55 zones though. And, I strap my boat to the trailer and I make sure the brakes are in operating order and that the tires are up for the task. I'd like to think there's a difference- I believe most reasonable people do as well as the majority of statutes reflect this logic.

Are you suggesting that the behavior some are posting on here is acceptable to you?

Re: Towing capacity question??????
 

You, sir, are a menace.

I pray you don't live and drive anywhere near me.

Re: Towing capacity question??????
 

People deal with less than optimum equipment and facilities every day. Sometimes it can pose a safety hazard.

The key is to recognize the issue and take steps to mitigate risk.

Not everyone can afford to throw money at the problem. And not everyone has time to throw at the problem.

Re: Towing capacity question??????
 

Same here. Having some driver who can't handle towing with an F450 driving a freightliner anywhere near me is downright scary.

Re: Towing capacity question??????
 

8,000 lbs with an S-10?
With your towing practices, it could be the end of someone's world



No straps, no trailer brakes, rotten tires. You're delusional.

In my case, a driver fell asleep, crossed the median and hit my trailer broadside.

Re: Towing capacity question??????
 

At 25 mph, i doubt it. On the highway it's a different story. You act like weight is the killer... it's not. Inertia is the killer. Also known as kinetic energy. 1/2 mv^2. Double the mass and halve the velocity, and you've actually got a lot less force to deal with when stopping. If a truck is rated to tow 5000 lbs, and do it on the highway (like an S10), as long as the tongue weight doesn't rip the bumper off (or hitch, if you're only half crazy), you're not really doing anything too dangerous driving 25 mph with twice the rated capacity back there. You've got less side loads, less trailer sway, less inertia keeping you from stopping and turning.

It may not be entirely legal, but it's not like all our laws are intelligent.

:drink:

Once i got into it and really inspected it, i stopped towing on the highway and replaced the tires. The trailer had brakes, but the actuator was under-rated (it did not have a rating stamped on it, so this was not readily apparent). The drum brakes worked fine, but were worn badly.

And what did you do? What were the results? Were there injuries?

Just because it's not your fault doesn't mean your actions didn't contribute to the damage.

Towing is like riding a motorcycle. You need to know what everyone else is going to do before they do it. On a motorcycle, you do this so you don't die, when towing, you do this so you don't kill anyone. Extra following distance, lower speeds, generally less agressive behavior. And you have to know how to read people. And you have to know how to remain calm and deal with the situation when it arises.

Sometimes you can't see it coming, like this kind of situation. Then, it's about 1/3 equipment, 1/3 driving skill, 1/3 luck.