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Old 10-29-2017, 09:51 AM   #101
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Originally Posted by Countryboy59 View Post
By the way, it's legal to be "on a cell phone" while driving in most places (some require hands free device) and unless you have a sit-down, 8 hours-and-go-home job most people need to be available while driving. If you crash taking a phone call with today's technology you shouldn't be driving.

Anyway, my dash cams (front and rear) are always rolling.
In Kentucky it's illegal for anyone under 18 to be on a cell while driving, hands-free or not, any reason. 18 and over can talk, hands-free not required, but you can't text or email. Admittedly, difficult to enforce.
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Old 10-29-2017, 10:10 AM   #102
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Hi



...snip...
More to the point of this thread, if you are texting or chatting on the phone when there is an accident, that's going to come up. "Distracted driving" as a contributor to the accident will get tossed back and forth. Exactly how that all works out through the twists and turns of insurance and / or a court case - who knows.



Weight limits aren't the only thing that *might* get you tangled up in the event something goes wrong. The list is pretty long ....



Bob

Yes. One opinion is that in the US, civil lawsuits are practically unbounded even if there's no criminal case to be made for overweighting your rig. You can be sure no matter the cause of an accident, no matter who's at fault, no matter the circumstances, a plaintiff's attorney worth his or her salt will assuredly look for every opportunity to influence a jury in a civil case to extract as much money from the deepest pockets possible. If you have an Airstream in tow, you're going to be perceived as having a lot of money (whether or not that's true).

The question is - what would you like to do to make that attorney's argument to the jury tough to buy? That's what I'd recommend to the OP - both for comfortable, peace of mind traveling and as a strategy against civil suit pocket picking. Overloading an RV rig may not be a crime, but civil vs criminal cases are two different worlds.

Personally, I try my best to stay in spec, I never ever use my phone to text or read anything while driving (I do sometimes accept hands free calls but not always), and I have an "umbrella" liability policy in the event someone sees the opportunity to win the lottery at my expense. I don't own much but what I have was earned in nearly 4 decades of hard work and a lot of BS. Not giving that up without a fight. Then I enjoy the heck out of myself camping [emoji3]
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Old 10-29-2017, 02:44 PM   #103
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A little off topic, but I now have one name in my ‘ignore’ list.
Gabby Johnson?
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Old 10-29-2017, 02:59 PM   #104
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You're offering alternative evidence?

Or just treading water, out of your depth?
Say what? I’m just drawing a comparison of your long screeds to Gabby from Blazing Saddles...except I don’t recall Gabby resorting to attacks and sarcasm.

The poor OP came here with a legitimate concern, looking for advice. This crazy thread probably scared the heck out of him and cured his itch for getting an AS. That’s unfortunate if it’s the case.
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Old 10-29-2017, 03:35 PM   #105
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New member, researching market for my dream machine - an Airstream travel trailer. Have Toyota Highlander, 5000 lb tow. Best seems to be 22FB Sport. Anything heavier may meet empty weight, but GVWR goes over. How strict is tow limit - can it be safely exceeded by several hundred pounds? By 10 percent? Or, stick rigidly under the limit? I know the rules - stay under - but just asking: can small excess be safely managed by careful operation? Thanks.
If you're driving in the mountains of Colorado, you definitely do not want to be under-powered driving up a steep grade. Even in 2nd gear behind the big trucks.

When we got out 19'FC, we also traded in our Tacoma for a Tundra. Now the towing is a breeze, with no straining up the long steep slopes.
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Old 10-29-2017, 07:50 PM   #106
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Originally Posted by Len n Jeanne View Post
If you're driving in the mountains of Colorado, you definitely do not want to be under-powered driving up a steep grade. Even in 2nd gear behind the big trucks.

When we got out 19'FC, we also traded in our Tacoma for a Tundra. Now the towing is a breeze, with no straining up the long steep slopes.
Just wondering if you tried pulling the 19FC with the Tacoma?
You may have been OK. Not that I fault you for getting a Tundra😀 you probably don’t know the 19 footer is behind you.
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Old 10-30-2017, 03:17 AM   #107
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Hi

Be really careful with that up here in the north east. A number of states have laws that will not let you have a cell phone in your hand while driving (either for calls or text). Regardless of the law specifically saying you can't, a lot of people still do have the phone up to their ear rolling down the road.



Bob
I've driven out east plenty. With hands free technology there's no reason for the phone to cause a problem unless you're not a good driver anyway. You can even listen to text messages with your hands righteously at 10 and 2.

With all the emphasis on distracted driving I hope they're still looking for people who just suck at driving. Now if we could just get people to quit talking on the phone in the bathroom...
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Old 10-30-2017, 03:23 AM   #108
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In Kentucky it's illegal for anyone under 18 to be on a cell while driving, hands-free or not, any reason. 18 and over can talk, hands-free not required, but you can't text or email. Admittedly, difficult to enforce.
Not too many 18 year olds pulling Airstreams so no worries. I generally steer clear of young drivers (also beat up cars, young guys in lifted trucks, etc).
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Old 10-30-2017, 04:39 AM   #109
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The hardest thing about Airstreaming is clearing your head and accepting how others feel it’s supposed to be done…..
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Old 10-30-2017, 08:24 AM   #110
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OJ is an excellent example of winning the criminal case but loosing the civil.
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Old 10-30-2017, 09:28 AM   #111
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Say what? I’m just drawing a comparison of your long screeds to Gabby from Blazing Saddles...except I don’t recall Gabby resorting to attacks and sarcasm.

The poor OP came here with a legitimate concern, looking for advice. This crazy thread probably scared the heck out of him and cured his itch for getting an AS. That’s unfortunate if it’s the case.
Not scared away quite yet.
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Old 10-30-2017, 09:54 AM   #112
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Hi

Not all warranty claims are a disaster. The last claim I had replaced a transmission. The odd thing was, it happened at 63,000 miles on a 60,000 mile warranty. They paid for the transmission, I paid for the transmission fluid. Seemed like a more than fair deal to me. The degree to which the vehicle *might* have been overloaded from time to time .... never came up .... Indeed the transmission in question was known to have an issue up in the 100,000 mile range and both parties were aware of that.

Bob
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Old 10-30-2017, 12:13 PM   #113
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Originally Posted by KK4YZ View Post
Just wondering if you tried pulling the 19FC with the Tacoma?
You may have been OK. Not that I fault you for getting a Tundra�� you probably don’t know the 19 footer is behind you.
We traded in the Tacoma for a Tundra just prior to taking delivery on our 19' FC. We really debated keeping the Tacoma, which already had a factory-installed extra towing boost on it. But for us, it was not only too close to comfort with an extra half-ton of trailer, but we store all kinds of gear in the back of the truck, notably a heavy generator, full gas and water jerry-cans, and luggage, canoe, and paddling gear, which raises the overall weight of the rig.

Even with the 16' Bambi (3500 lbs,) we noticed some strain on the Tacoma going up steep mountain slopes. But you're right-- the Tundra tows the 19-footer like a breeze even up major mountain passes.

I noted that the OP-er is from Colorado, while many of the posters here are from relatively flat states where you could get by with a less powerful vehicle.

Going up Vale Pass with an under-powered vehicle is not ideal. Ditto over the many passes on US highway 40.

https://www.codot.gov/travel/maximum...in-passes.html
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Old 10-30-2017, 12:27 PM   #114
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Not scared away quite yet.


Whew! [emoji23]

The group is apparently not trying hard enough or you have nerves of steel - either way - glad you're hanging in there.

What questions do you have now that you've seen the show that happens any time this question gets posted?
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Old 10-30-2017, 12:44 PM   #115
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No Moss-Magnuson in Canada.

The dealer needs to bring the manufacturer's rep who's job is to deny warranty claims. All they have to say is abuse and it is denied. No appeal.

Background: Factory hitch rated for 3,500 lbs and used for towing small 1900 lb (loaded) trailer, Bolts started to pull through bumper attachment points which were just sheet metal.
Yeah. Factory hitch receivers are often not very good. Not like the custom ones we had built 40-50 years ago. Same story with the one on my Dodge; failure. And tens of thousands of cracked receivers on GMs in the oughts.

And, do you have first-hand knowledge of warranty denial? Andy indicates otherwise after 50+ years and 10,000 vehicles.

.
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Old 10-30-2017, 12:55 PM   #116
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Or you could take your Hensley, your trailer, and your F350 to Andy and get the best of both worlds!
The carrying capacity can be matched by a van. Which would then be the "better" TV. And only if one is carrying 4000-lbs in the bed before hitching the TT.

But the point is right about maximizing what one has. I'd like to eventually get there with mine. No substitute for that breadth and depth of experience.
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Old 10-30-2017, 12:58 PM   #117
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I have one of those 40 to 50 year old custom hitches still in service.
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Old 10-30-2017, 01:01 PM   #118
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Yeah. Factory hitch receivers are often not very good. Not like the custom ones we had built 40-50 years ago. Same story with the one on my Dodge; failure. And tens of thousands of cracked receivers on GMs in the oughts.

And, do you have first-hand knowledge of warranty denial? Andy indicates otherwise after 50+ years and 10,000 vehicles.

.
Yes, on this factory hitch the manufacturer's rep denied warranty repair. I have since changed to a different TV and had Can-Am do custom work to strengthen the inadequate factory (max tow package) receiver. Very happy with the Can-Am hitch work and rig setup.
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Old 10-30-2017, 01:19 PM   #119
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Without hyperbole then, my point is, I think it's foolhardy to modify a vehicle to pull a trailer well beyond a manufacturer's specifications. A lot of engineering goes into building a vehicle to make it safely tow, steer and stop a trailer. Modifying that vehicle by enhancing the receiver does nothing to improve the rest of the vehicle's structural safety margin. I certainly wouldn't do it. It's dangerous.

It's just my opinion, however.
You're making assumptions not justified.

There isn't, safely tow, steer and stop a trailer engineering applied. Were that so, pickups would be radically different. Instead, its piecemeal application of some HD components and electro-gimmickry.

As to the receiver, a custom one spreads the load. As does bracing a factory piece. (You've done no research at all, have you?). It's less "dangerous" (bad word choice as description).

I also doubt you understand how trailer testing has been done.

That you wish to have what you have is your concern (even though a 4Runner is a poor choice; "size" has nothing to do with it; I warned my son of this as he bought one a couple of years ago), but the information of what & why is available should you choose to seek it out.

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Old 10-30-2017, 01:48 PM   #120
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I have read every post and have a question. If tow limits are not to be believed why bother having them?
When I decide I was going to get the AS, I knew exactly what model I wanted. I went to the RAM dealer with a long list of requirements including and most importantly what it needed to pull.
If tow limits are meaningless than why do all the truck and car manufacturers list what the limits are?
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