TV question with a twist maybe...

[slowmover]

The cars our family used to pull 7k vintage kin all over US, Canada and Mexico each lasted past 100k. Closer to 200 with several.

A few weeks of towing annually is no real burden.

What throws off too many people is that "working" the vehicle per design hastens a premature demise. What's necessary by the driver is some kind of special burden itself. It's a machine. Expect to learn to use it.

Todays vehicles -- cars or vans or pickups -- are each better than their 1960s ancestor.

If the majority of miles are in solo use, then that is the specifying criteria.

The single legitimate reason to move from half to one is TV cargo weight.

[PKI]

Originally Posted by slowmover

-- snip -- What throws off too many people is that "working" the vehicle per design hastens a premature demise. What's necessary by the driver is some kind of special burden itself. -- snip --

SM, I agree with all of the statements in this post except the info above. Guess I'm being thrown off.

Working the vehicle to design should not "hasten a premature demise" and the last sentence is confusing. Light duty might extend life, but using the vehicle for it's design purpose should not degrade performance unless the design is flawed.

Please expand your thought a bit to clarify. Pat

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by PKI

SM, I agree with all of the statements in this post except the info above. Guess I'm being thrown off.

Working the vehicle to design should not "hasten a premature demise" and the last sentence is confusing. Light duty might extend life, but using the vehicle for it's design purpose should not degrade performance unless the design is flawed.

Please expand your thought a bit to clarify. Pat

Learning how to use throttle, brakes and gears. In steering, it's degree, duration and timing. Garnering experience enough to gauge the road ahead to make the proper decisions at the proper times.

The "superiority" of the one ton is that they're driven as cars. No thought as to how to gauge or time inputs. Not with these itty bitty trailers. $$$ substituted for brains.

In other words, if one is at wide-open throttle for extended periods in grade ascents, what gear? At what speed is there a sweet spot of throttle opening, gear and speed?

The clueless think that climbing a grade is stressful.

Same for the descent. What gear best allows easy brake operation to maintain a target speed?

Most either don't understand this or don't test to find it.

A large part of the pleasure of travel by car (now with trailer in tow) is doing these things well.

It doesn't degrade the vehicle. I'd much rather buy a higher mileage truck with an engine that has been worked. My experience is that they last longer than softball Daddy pickemups.

Climbing Raton Pass on IH25 in my Dads V8-500 Cadillac was wide open throttle for miles. Could watch the gas gauge waver and fall. But that motor still hadn't required internal work at 240k miles under the second owner.

The really smooth driver can make it look effortless. It isn't about the vehicle.

The alternative of the less-capable driver in an even less capable TV isn't an answer. It's compounding the problems.

Look in the mirror and realize that lesser men than yourselves have learned. So that not only "you", but all who share the road benefit by "your" skill enhancement.

.

[PKI]

SM - you made your point, at least from my perspective. Thanks. Pat