Bryan Watts

As someone who has been forced into the grassy median by a transfer truck/trailer while under load with 2 cars on a stacker trailer at 75 mph, no, I don't consider it a rant at all. Crap happens...I'd rather be in a truck with a LOT of margin when it does.

Bull

Not at all for you Larry.

jrgordonsenior

Yes and justifiably so. We've go through this every 6 months or so and I'm always amazed at the lack of education related to towing. You are risking your property and lives, and the property and lives of innocents who just happen to be sharing the same stretch of highway with you when you pull with an undersized, underrated tow vehicle. There is simply no substitue for a heavy vehicle with a long wheel base and stiff suspension when you need to brake quickly, change lanes quickly, encounter strong cross winds, etc. It's like driving drunk. You can get away with it occasionally, but eventually the odds are going to catch up to you and you're going to have an incident.

When I was young I lost it towing 2 horses behind an El Camino. I was going downhill over a very tall, narrow bridge when the trailer began to fishtail. With just surge brakes the trailer bounced off the guard rail and across 2 lanes before I could get it under control by accelerating. Luckily there wasn't any oncoming traffic but I learned a huge lesson which I 've never forgotten....

Professor Helmüt Tester

I really miss my old E350 SuperCargo 7.3 Powerstroke. Not quite the creature-comforts of my current F350 7.3 crew dually but the utility, access (except for engine maintenance) economy and power of the White Whale have yet to be matched by anything in the fleet (PanZilla debuts next season...it may be close). 200k, mostly towing, when I sold it...(sniff).....


Full size vans are totally unappreciated by the car racer community. Motorcycle racers 'get it'....car guys don't.

RamVA

There's a lot of criticism of using an under-sized, under-rated vehicle to tow, when the EuroVan is neither. It's also interesting that all those criticizing have no experience with the vehicle, and all those with that experience endorse it. I say if you like the vehicle (I don't) go for it. Of course, I will stick with my V10 pickup...

Veloce Raptor

Unless LARGE amounts of weed, tequila, acid, and multicolored pharmaceuticals are involved.

jrgordonsenior

This Eurovan is rated to tow 4400lbs. with 200 HP. Just fine for a jet ski or small skiff, but not for a 3000lb car + trailer. Do you not believe the criticizm is righteous?

cooleyjb

So what about the guy with the F250, the 28ft enclosed trailer with the 3000 lb car, the golf cart, and the tool chest, generator and compressor. That gets you up pretty close to 90% of the capacity of the truck. There are lots of those in the paddock and noone talks to them about how they are dangerous but the eurovan pulling the same percentage of it's towing capacity is a danger to everyone on the road.

I'm not condoning one thing or another but looking at towing from a different perspective.

RamVA

I think the criticism is not supported by any data, nor by the testimonials presented here.

Accidents happen, but towing isn't some sort of black art. So long as the trailer is set up properly, tongue weight is right, and transmission and brakes are up to snuff, the worst you should expect is that it'll be slow. 3700lbs just isn't that much to tow.

A.Wayne

Hmmm, Like driving drunk Huh....

jrgordonsenior

No it's not under optimal conditions. But as Larry previously stated, it's about controlling that trailer when things head South....

BTW, there's overwhelming "DATA" on the accidents of undersized tow rigs. That's an extremely naive statement to make. Stop by your local highway patrol office and ask them....

RamVA

My point is that the EuroVan is NOT under-sized, and there's no data to suggest that it is. It can pull the weight, it can support the tongue, and it has a substantial wheelbase for stability's sake - one inch shorter than an '06 Tahoe, a fine tow vehicle. With a brake controller I don't see a safety issue, just a horsepower gap.

When things "head south" it seems to me you need three things - long wheelbase, appropriate tongue weight, and good brakes. I would add to that the transmission needs to be up to the task, but that's not about preventing accidents. I'm not endorsing the use of a Legacy, and I don't pull with my SWB Wrangler, but from what I can tell the EuroVan is a fine tow vehicle. Have you done any research on it, or is your concern based solely on conjecture? One man's "extremely naive" is another man's "willfully ignorant".

amaist

I just came back from a Euro vacation.
I haven't seen a single pickup towing anything but I have seen plenty of towing going on.
I didn't see car trailers but I saw plenty of caravans being towed.
The main difference is that in places where there could be strong gusts of wind they put signs specifically limiting cars trailering to 70 km/h. At that speed you will not get much trouble. Also they do go pretty slow in general. No more than 100 km/h.
A big diesel pickup with a long wheel base would let you be safe going 120 km/h in all conditions but if you use your head you'd be ok with a less mighty vehicle.
The problem is expecting people in North America to use their head when doing anything on the road is absurd.

Mark Dreyer

I love the diesel Excursion. Seating for 8 and can tow my 2000lb steel trailer and 3000 lb car and STILL get 14mpg! I've towed to three track events including a 600 mile event to and from Atlanta. I've not experienced one incident of fishtailing or other instability.

Nader Fotouhi

+1

I just got back from the track with my less than optimal tow vehicle (not a 3/4T TD pick up) and I see planty of people blowing by me at 80+ MPH in one of those pulling a 24' or larger trailer or camper. I wonder if they have any more margin of safety than me. Not ranting, of course.