Considering an upgrade--tow ??s

[W5CI]

My advice would be to get the Largest TV that your budget can handle because you will be getting a larger TT sooner or later.

[RACarvalho]

Originally Posted by Mr Havercamp

That picture is very reminiscent of Andy Thompson.

Unfortunately we also live in the litigation age. I've educated myself to rely on the fact that if I am at fault in an accident with injuries or worse, I can rely on some "professionals" getting involved that know the difference between exceeding manufacturers recommendations or not. I am not referring to the weight police. The dynamics I am thinking of are recklessness, negligence, and a few others. The professionals I refer to are very good at attempting to obtain things for themselves, that I worked my entire life to obtain, from me. That being said I think I'll pass on towing my Airstream with an X5, or towing a Roo 183 with a Sienna.

Yes, you are right, it is from Andy's work.
I learned a lot with him and yes, we are on the litigation land...

I don't want to start a fight here but since litigation seems to be the final reasoning for many and I have several lawyers in my family I want to give a hint for the benefit of everybody:
If you are not driving a new TV still under the warranty and doing all the maintenance at the dealer according to the owner manual, from the liability stand point you are on the hook for something.
See, a lot of the maintenance details that the builder of your TV will do at the dealer you don't know and on the ultimate fire of a litigation the manufacturer will always be able to say that you didn't do the maintenance as per specified ....
So by the letter, if you really want to be covered from a litigation stand point, you should buy a brand new TV that can tow twice the weight you are towing and do all the maintenance at the dealer.

The problem with this thinking is that half (or more) of the campers on the road would not be able to afford to have a trailer if you follow that.
I see a lot of trailers and 5th wheels being towed by old 3/4 trucks, suburbans, etc. and I can guarantee you that several components and systems on those TVs are over their usable life and/or with maintenance due and that can/will be used against the driver during an eventual litigation process.

Example a braking system is not only rotors, pads and braking fluid...
It's a system and several components on that system have a finite life that you don't know but I assure you that the lawyer going after your assets will know...
Got it?

Now even this post of mine can be used against you on a court room to prove that you knew you had to do maintenance at the dealer...

Evidently there is an eternity of discussion on determining responsibility, etc but summary is:
you are not off the hook just because you have a 3/4 ton truck.

Cheers,

[ebcobra93]

For me, it has nothing to do with litigation, but about safety and keeping my family and yours safe on the road. The litigation aspect becomes an issue because there are a lot of unsafe setups out there.

The weight limits set by manufacturers have a safety margin built into them, but they are not just arbitrary numbers.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by RACarvalho

Yes, you are right, it is from Andy's work.
I learned a lot with him and yes, we are on the litigation land...

I don't want to start a fight here but since litigation seems to be the final reasoning for many and I have several lawyers in my family I want to give a hint for the benefit of everybody:
If you are not driving a new TV still under the warranty and doing all the maintenance at the dealer according to the owner manual, from the liability stand point you are on the hook for something.
See, a lot of the maintenance details that the builder of your TV will do at the dealer you don't know and on the ultimate fire of a litigation the manufacturer will always be able to say that you didn't do the maintenance as per specified ....
So by the letter, if you really want to be covered from a litigation stand point, you should buy a brand new TV that can tow twice the weight you are towing and do all the maintenance at the dealer.

The problem with this thinking is that half (or more) of the campers on the road would not be able to afford to have a trailer if you follow that.
I see a lot of trailers and 5th wheels being towed by old 3/4 trucks, suburbans, etc. and I can guarantee you that several components and systems on those TVs are over their usable life and/or with maintenance due and that can/will be used against the driver during an eventual litigation process.

Example a braking system is not only rotors, pads and braking fluid...
It's a system and several components on that system have a finite life that you don't know but I assure you that the lawyer going after your assets will know...
Got it?

Now even this post of mine can be used against you on a court room to prove that you knew you had to do maintenance at the dealer...

Evidently there is an eternity of discussion on determining responsibility, etc but summary is:
you are not off the hook just because you have a 3/4 ton truck.

Cheers,

So we should let people drive unsafe rigs because they can't afford safe ones. Got it.

[RACarvalho]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

So we should let people drive unsafe rigs because they can't afford safe ones. Got it.

Absolutely not but I think you missed my point that we are already doing it when we think (and encourage people) that a 10 year old 3/4 ton truck that has not see the dealer(not the local shop) for years is safe to tow 10k pounds per the "litigation" standard thought process

[jking46]

You can't legislate or litigate people into making good choices. Prisons are full of examples. However the OP was asking for advice from experienced campers, and he received it. He accepted the fact that a more capable tow vehicle was the way to go.

[KMP44]

Originally Posted by jking46

However the OP was asking for advice from experienced campers, and he received it. He accepted the fact that a more capable tow vehicle was the way to go.

I think the OP is actually "she" and in either case hopefully we didn't scare the OP away with a thread that probably went way beyond the original question. Nothing quite like a "can I tow this?" question for your first post...

But a hybrid is a great upgrade for a popup owner looking to move up to something with more features.

[jking46]

KMP44...I agree 100% with everything you said. Seems the thread took on a life of its own.

[Nccamper]

Originally Posted by jking46

Well spoken, mr.H.

2x

[BandJCarm]

Originally Posted by RACarvalho

Absolutely not but I think you missed my point that we are already doing it when we think (and encourage people) that a 10 year old 3/4 ton truck that has not see the dealer(not the local shop) for years is safe to tow 10k pounds per the "litigation" standard thought process

And I suppose you could litigate the Dealers for not being as competent as many local shops...............

Signed
Devil's Advocate

[bikendan]

OK, since the OP has decided to wait until they can upgrade their vehicle and the thread is digressing into a discussion of legalities and lawsuits, this thread is closed.