Quote:
Originally Posted by JFScheck
The 25 Classic tongue weight for a 2009 model is 780 lbs.... over 60 lbs lighter than the Flying Cloud or International models in their tongue weights. 
I will be doing some "crazy" things ... |
hey jf'
congrats on the new trailer.
having seen your posts about the purchase, your excitement is obvious...
and we ALL hope it goes well.
___________
it's posted repeatedly but worth repeating...
a/s company tongue weights are ESTIMATES only.
until recently the spare tire wasn't included and OPTIONs still aren't.
pay attention to what others are posting as VERIFIED tongue weights...
those are the REAL numbers, bro.
you will also find the OCCASIONAL post from some1 suggesting they tow a HOUSE with their t'rex and all is wonderful...
but those posts almost NEVER have any long term follow up and often come from threads where the poster is LONG gone...
and no longer has a vw OR 'stream...hummmm wonder why?
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no one is diss'n the dub' and some of us are huge fans of the vehicle and company how makes 'em.
the 'rated capacity' for towing is ~7700 lbs, impressive for a mid size suv...
even more impressive is that these german magicians provide that rating WITHOUT reductions for tv payload...
that's right the STUFF in the dub' doesn't reduce the towing capacity...
this platform is unique in that regard and i would love to know how they managed that.
1. the real towing capacity is MUCH higher than 7700 lbs
2. the slide rule had mustard on it that day and the engineer had too much beer for lunch.
regardless the gvwr is 7000+ lbs with a TC of 7700 lbs and a gCwr of ~15,000 lb...
so the dub's got guts (seen those videos of it towing a 747?)
___________
but here in the ISSUE imo and i see no obvious solution...
the factory OR aftermarket receiver AND how it is attached to the shell/rails AND how w/d stresses that arrangement.
i have posted these pics before but lets RErun them for the sake of currency...
__________
lets start with a schematic of the receiver and mounting hardware.
the ISSUE right away is how this thing is attached...
it's basically held on to the END of the unibody/rail area by 4 bolts per side...
MOST receivers attach along the LENGHT of the frame rails or unibody.
and MOST receivers above the class 3 and at class 4 rating use more nuts/bolts.
more on this later.
next lets look at how vw PACKAGES this thing...
this 3 part photo shows the receiver, how COSMETICALLY it's tucked behind the bumper facade, and the UNDER pinnings...
now on CLOSER inspection here is the receiver again...
there are NO longitudinally FORWARD S P R E A D E R S of the load/stress/forces...
basically it's a BOTTLE CAP held in place with bolts through flat/folded SHEET metal.
focusing more closely on how this looks UNDER the bumper (ZOOM the pics in another window)...
we can now see this as it ACTUALLY is attached.
lets assume those nuts/bolts get properly torqued during install.
with a w/d hitch the UPPER bolts will be UNloaded as the receiver is COMPRESSED into the body work...
while the LOWER bolts are S T R E T C H E D rearward by the w/d forces....
in other words, w/d bars will be PRYING at the attachment point like a BOTTLE OPENER.
this arrangement and these mechanical forces might be OK with lighter w/d setting...
but there is NO WAY to easily inspect the receiver/attachment/bolts once the bumper cover is back on...
so with USE, one cannot CHECK on this critical area.
how tight are those bolts again?
____________
now lets add the HITCH of choice to the mix...
a PP may totally eliminate sway or the SENSATION of sway for the driver...
but while the PP is doing this it places MAJOR lateral/rotational stresses at the receiver box...
IN ADDITION to the w/d torque there which GREATLY exceeds the tongue weight...
(((think 1000-1500 lbs of torque for a 800 lb tongue)))
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even those crazy canadians who regularly MODIFY receivers and how they attach to unibody or suvs frame rails...
haven't solved THIS ONE...
because the GOAL of the modifications is to SPREAD the stress/forces over a greater area (like an 8 legged spider)
and that is NO EASY task with the receiver and space shown above for the vw/audi/porsche...
typically the forces/attachments are spread FORWARD (longitudinally) along the under side of the unibody/rails..
but that arrangement isn't possible with THIS setup on the t'rex.
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devoman tows his 25 with a 'rex but using VERY little w/d tension
and mostly for shorter trips within the FLAT, STRAIGHT regions of florida.
i think YOU are gonna have to approach YOUR rig, carefully, slowly, with some understanding of the limitations and risks...
big time.
____________
one could REMOVE the lp bottles, cover and batteries to lighten the tongue...
that's wouldn't make travel much fun and there would be NO BACK UP JUICE for the brakes...
but towing without LPGAS is sorta silly too,
because there will be NO fridge function, NO hot water or heat or cooking while EN-ROUTE...
((ok, here's a crazy solution for that issue, carry and use a few DISPOSABLE cooking bottles (1 lb each))
one could REMOVE some interior bits (like the stuff up front) but again is that really how ya wanna travel?
carrying WATER might lower the tongue weight some (depending on tank/axle arrangement) but will require SCALE readings to confirm...
and so on.
also keep in mind the TOWING STABILITY of these things requires 10-15% of the TOTAL TRAILER WEIGHT be ON the tongue...
7000-8000 lb trailer = 700-1000 lb tongue.
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many of us do the occasional "crazy things" u mention.
some call those calculated risks or personalized tweaks...
but with a tongue mass that may EXCEED 800 lbs based on REAL measures the other 25'ers are providing...
AND the mass of a PP (another 200 lbs)...
i would NOT be comfortable with that receiver placement, attachment or the inability to INSPECT it regularly...
again congrats on the new trailer, have a memorably FUN trip fetchin' it and keep us posted via photoz and words...
cheers
2air'
Notice that you have an 8000lb GVWR on a 7600lb axle rating.
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