Do I NEED sway control??

[slowmover]

The rear of your trailer will be pulled towards an 18-wheeler passing too closely. Whether or not it is "felt" at the wheel is another matter. Anti sway is cheap enough insurance.

And I can run rings around your rig with my far longer and heavier one with its VPP hitch. With a less sophisticated trailer suspension.

The Hensley designed hitches are dirt cheap for what they offer.

As they are one third the price of new when sold used, you are cheating yourself.

[wbrisett]

Originally Posted by slowmover

The Hensley designed hitches are dirt cheap for what they offer.

As they are one third the price of new when sold used, you are cheating yourself.

Granted we have insurance, but really with as much money as most of us spent on our Airstream trailers, why wouldn't you spend a few dollars more (and really in relation to the camper, it is a few dollars) and get one of the new designs. They don't have to cost you an arm and a leg, but will provide you with an extra level of comfort... at least it does in my case.

[m.hony]

If I had been fully aware and educated on ProPride at the time I purchased my Airstream I would have tried to get a ProPride.
As it is, my Equal-i-zer is effective as was the EazLift before it.
If I ever have $2,300...

[boondockdad]

A bit off topic, but it's in-line (NPI) with where this topic has gone...

Even with properly equipped and rated HD trucks, you'll still experience significantly higher service and maintenance costs...
What do these folks do with their little passenger cars after pulling a +8,000lb trailer around?
Are they replacing engine, trans, brakes, tires, etc.. every month? Or do they pawn them off on unsuspecting buyers like Katrina trailers?

[slowmover]

No, they sell them off at about 200k miles. Just as our family did from the mid 1960s forward. Same engine and trans, with one rebuild in the latter. Dad ran into the guy he sold his last one to about five years later. Man was pulling an closed box race car trailer with it. At 240k miles, still no change in oil consumption.

[Andrew T]

It takes just about as much energy to push a large truck solo as a sedan & Airstream combined. We have a variety of tow vehicles and by far the least expensive to own and operate are the sedans and front drive vans.


Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

[boondockdad]

30' International Serenity unit base weight: 6,400 lbs

Chrysler 300 maximum towing weight:

Weight for it...

1,000 lbs

But, this car will be around for 200,000 miles, because it's all "highway miles"....



Seriously, tho. How do these owners deal with warranty repairs? Maybe they pay out of pocket? Torque converter replacement while-you-wait like a QuickLube? I remember a Jeep dealer hassling me about warranty repair on a sheared transaxle shaft because it happened when I was rock-crawling-- an activity the vehicle was designed for.

[rostam]

Here is my observation based on posts by forum members who use such vehicles: It seems the majority of the folks towing with under-rated sedans/minivans tow infrequently, mostly locally, on a relatively flat terrain, which does not get too hot in the summer. As you can see these restrictions are too prohibitive for most, hence the very very low number of such vehicles. Even with these restrictions, it seems most users switch to a properly rated tow vehicle after a while. Though I have read a lot about sedan/minivan tow vehicles on this forum, I have never seen one in the wild.

Call me a cynic, but I don't believe sedans/minivans are rated tow much if anything more than the manufacturer recommends. Thanks to the Fast Lane Truck, you can see how most trucks/SUVs perform in Colorado grades. I would love to see how a minivan/sedan performs on a similar grade towing a similar load (or even better a J2807 test showing they are actually more capable than what the manufacturer says).

[MrUKToad]

Originally Posted by boondockdad

30' International Serenity unit base weight: 6,400 lbs

Chrysler 300 maximum towing weight:

Weight for it...

1,000 lbs

But, this car will be around for 200,000 miles, because it's all "highway miles"....



Seriously, tho. How do these owners deal with warranty repairs? Maybe they pay out of pocket? Torque converter replacement while-you-wait like a QuickLube? I remember a Jeep dealer hassling me about warranty repair on a sheared transaxle shaft because it happened when I was rock-crawling-- an activity the vehicle was designed for.

I never had to make a warranty claim with my Toyota Sienna so I couldn't say, with any certainty, what would happen. I would imagine, though, that the manufacturer has some responsibility to prove that any damage under a claim was as a direct result of what they saw as mis-use - towing over their specifications in this case. I realise, of course, that the world of auto warranties isn't about fairness or customer service, it's about how much loss the insurer (or manufacturer) can avoid. It's profit and loss, plain and simple.

[MrUKToad]

Originally Posted by rostam

Here is my observation based on posts by forum members who use such vehicles: It seems the majority of the folks towing with under-rated sedans/minivans tow infrequently, mostly locally, on a relatively flat terrain, which does not get too hot in the summer. As you can see these restrictions are too prohibitive for most, hence the very very low number of such vehicles. Even with these restrictions, it seems most users switch to a properly rated tow vehicle after a while. Though I have read a lot about sedan/minivan tow vehicles on this forum, I have never seen one in the wild.

Call me a cynic, but I don't believe sedans/minivans are rated tow much if anything more than the manufacturer recommends. Thanks to the Fast Lane Truck, you can see how most trucks/SUVs perform in Colorado grades. I would love to see how a minivan/sedan performs on a similar grade towing a similar load (or even better a J2807 test showing they are actually more capable than what the manufacturer says).

These are some pretty awful generalizations, but fairly typical of many of the ill-informed comments that crop up regularly here.

You buy your tow vehicle to suit your needs; it's that simple. Minivans and sedans have been towing Airstreams of all sizes for decades, without fuss and without the dire consequences some people like to imagine. Personally, most of my towing has taken place in benign conditions but to occasionally tow in challenging conditions isn't an issue for me; if I thought it was going to be then I'd choose my TV differently.

If you don't like the thought of towing with a sedan or minivan, or they don't suit your needs, then don't tow with one; it's not rocket science. For those that are content with sedans and minivans, they can carry on doing what they do, wherever it is they do it.

As for running a sedan or minivan through the rigours of a J2807 test, you'd best speak to the manufacturers. They are the ones that use it to market their products, that they choose not to test sedans or minivans is up to them.

[slowmover]

Our extended family's cars went all over the US , Canada and deep into Mexico. Vacationers and full timers. Trailers heavier than Airstreams -- Streamline and Silver Streak -- and not quite as easy to pull (after 1963).

Focusing on weight misses the problems to be solved. It isn't central. It's a hinge for several others.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, Even Nicky [Ricky] secretly switched from a 1953 Mercury to a 1953 Lincoln when things got tough. [255 cubic in flathead Mercury to a 317 cubic inch OHV Lincoln]

[Ultradog]

Getting back to the original question;
If you tow an AS you MUST have an eq hitch with sway conrol.
If you are one of the millions of people who pull utility, equipment, construction and box type moving trailers you just need a ball.

[boondockdad]

I don't think anyone disputes that the question "do I need sway control?" correlates with vehicle (and trailer) ratings. But, which ones?

Some would believe weight isn’t a factor.

So, I ask:
What could you expect to happen if you exceeded the weight rating on your Goodyear Marathon tires?



That is some rig, Bob.

Here’s another one for ya
https://youtu.be/AyXgMal3C1U?t=13s