Quote:
Originally Posted by SCBillandJane
It really always comes down to if you are lucky, drive locally, on level terrain, and are an alert conservative speed driver. You can still get into trouble. I can give you a recent example of something not forseen. We went to California where the entrance ramps for freeways are way too short to safely get up to speed which in many cases is 65MPH. You can see what I use for a tow vehicle. In 2007 it was the fastest 1/2 ton gas pickup you could buy, and I still wanted more power just to merge. Then the law there limits trailers to 55 MPH. This puts you in the right hand lane to keep the drivers of cars from giving you a certain gesture. Now you are forced to travel in the merging lane where you often have to really get on the brakes to let a car get on the freeway. Add to this that your GPS just lied to you about what lane to be in to make the correct exit. I had no idea that I would travel to California or what the situation would be like when I bought my Trailmanor in Florida in 2008.
I feel that I have a safety margin that is acceptable with a tow vehicle rated for 10,000 pounds towing a maybe 5,000 pound trailer. Some others feel good with a 5,000 or better tow rating. Just a personal preference but I have pulled a Trailmanor over 30,000 miles in the last 2 years, and I would not recommend any tow vehicle rated at less than 5,000. There are just too many surprises out there. On our most recent trip, the closest we came to a wreck was on Highway 50 in Nevada which is advertised as the loneliest highway in America. A car ran us off the road passing a car coming toward us. We were able to brake, and retain control on the shoulder of the road. There was no reason for that car to pass where they did, but it happened. I hope you decide on a Trailmanor because it has been good to us. Read other forums, and I think you will hear the same thing regardless of RV. They will say the better the safety margin the better you will feel using that RV.
|
The above is all quite accurate but it doesn't even have to be something as radical as someone running you off the road. That could happen towing or not towing.
IMO, the single most difficult
common situation is where you are traveling down the highway, keeping a safe distance and the traffic suddenly slows ahead. The bad part is, when this happens and you have a large space in front of you, 1 or 2 cars will quickly change lanes and fill that void. If your TV isn't suited for this type of situation and/or the roads are wet, you are in serious trouble.
This is the biggest benefit to a WDH. Although, if your vehicle is not rated to tow that weight trailer a WDH isn't going to stop your trailer from pushing you down the road.
Towing is 90% about stopping and maneuvering and 10% about pulling. A lot of people don't seem to understand that. Trailer brakes help (and are essential) but must not be counted on working 100% of the time. Electric trailer brakes are not 100% reliable.