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04-02-2016, 02:19 PM
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#41
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Site Team
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,602
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rockfordroo
From post #1: "Hello TT, I purchased an 05 flaggstaff forest river 23 foot trailer and I'm planning on towing it with my ford explorer."
Some else threw in the Escape for some reason; confusing the issue.
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Yea, I know, it did confuse the issue.
I can only guess that the RV dealer told the Escape owner, "Sure you can tow that trailer with your Escape!"
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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04-02-2016, 02:26 PM
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#42
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 43
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One thing that I do not see being considered is what about the question of insurance? Insurance is a contract and it specifies risks that are covered and all risks not covered by the policy/contract are -- you guessed it -- not covered. As in no insurance coverage. You pay a set amount to insure against loss for certain specified risks that the company agrees to cover -- not all risks or every risk that overly daring people choose to indulge in.
I do not claim to have read every insurance contract or even the latest insurance contracts but back when I represented Safeco, The Travelers and a couple others, it was my job to disallow claims when the insured had done something not covered by the contract. We had a panel of experts, including engineers that qualified as experts to testify about what was beyond the limits of the coverage and they were pretty good. When we chose to disallow a claim, we were almost always successful.
Whenever we found a blatant risk not covered by the contract, we disallowed the claim -- and, invariably, the insured squalled like a mashed cat. I have not litigated cases in over 13 years now and it all may have changed. But, I always try to make sure that the risks I am taking are covered by my insurance, especially when towing. Not a lot of sympathy from juries in my experience for people with enough money to afford an RV.
I think rather obviously that exceeding the manufacturers limits on a vehicle is a risk that would be excluded from any and all insurance contracts. I know that insurance is a dull and dry topic -- until you need it. If you did not pay to insure that risk, then the company has no obligation to pay your claim. Of course, there is always Lloyds of London and similar all risk carriers who will insure any situation if you pay a large enough premium. Something to consider if you are going to tow and exceed the vehicle manufacturers maximum limits. Or, you can "go bare" and not buy insurance -- but that has a whole another set of consequences in most states where motor vehicles are concerned.
Yes, I like larger vehicles and more capacity than the bare minimum necessary. I put self through undergraduate school partially driving long haul and I was shocked by what I saw in just over a hundred thousand miles of experience.
Something that people often do not consider is that while you may be prudent in all your decisions, not everyone else does the same. I once returned to the yard with a '59 Chevy convertible wind hsield frame twisted around the dolly on my flatbed trailer. Crazy fool thought she could drive right under my semi trailer carrying about 65,000 pounds of precast, pre-stressed concrete and get away with it. She did, but left me the frame of her car's windshield. And, that was not the craziest thing I saw while driving.
Since my life and possibly that of my grandkids may be at stake, I just think that is a good idea to be safe, and over-engineer a bit.
But, I also know from experience that people do not all think as I do and some just like to take risks, or choose not to spend the money to avoid the risk. Further, a great many of them get away with it, even some for quite a period of time. I am happy for them, but choose not to be one of them.
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04-02-2016, 02:33 PM
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#43
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Site Team
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Goodyear, Arizona
Posts: 33,602
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Towing over the vehicle's specs is a hot topic and constantly debated.
ESPECIALLY the legal aspects and lawsuits.
There are many threads here about and they often walk the line of getting closed down.
__________________
Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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04-03-2016, 07:10 PM
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#44
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Junior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 13
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Thought I might offer a couple thoughts....
So far, everything I have weighed has been much more than I expected. I have no faith in the factory sticker, so I always load up the rig and find a scale and weigh it as it would be towed. Trailer has about 400 lbs left, (much less than I thought it would have) so for me, it is at max weight since I like a margin of safety. Weighed my truck by itself as it would be loaded for towing, and found out that loaded, it was WAY more than I thought it was going to be. (but not overloaded)
Maybe find a friend with a vehicle that can safely tow your rig and have them take it to a scale and find out for sure what it weighs?
As far as WDH, I had a similar sized trailer and used a Curt WDH and friction sway brake. Worked very well for a 23 foot at about 5800 lbs.
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04-03-2016, 07:55 PM
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#45
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 4,223
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Undercover Poe
Uh oh! My sticker indicates 3650. That's more than I thought. The seller showed me the manual and when I followed the model number over it's said 3380,he told me assume 3500 lbs. Both are incorrect. I never knew the sticker was there till today. So GCVW=8000lbs minus 3700 gives me 4300 for my explorer. I think the explorer weights 4500. I'm already 200 lbs over. I'll be 1000lbs over with people and another couple hundred with gear. I think I chewed up my factor of safety and then some. I'm going shopping for a diesel pickup so I don't have to deal with being at capacity
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New pickup = great idea. Previous posts mentioned opinions and advice, and your new opinion (based on helpful advice) is to go shopping for a diesel pickup.
Here's some more advice: Whenever most folks get a new trailer, boat, airplane, motorcycle, computer, and on and on and on, one of the first things they discover is "I should have gotten the bigger/better model". Based on the info given it appears this is your first real travel trailer. I bet that once you start really using it, and getting out and seeing all the other rigs, you're going to start thinking about bigger (even about fifth wheel).
So, when you start looking for your new truck think about your "dream" RV and get something that will handle that 3,500 pound pin weight pulling 15-16k, or more. The difference between comparably equipped ½ ton and 1 ton diesel trucks is about $12-15,000. Could save you more than that if you decide to go with a really heavy trailer (and, you will).
__________________
BIRDS AREN’T REAL
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03-07-2018, 04:26 PM
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#46
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 62
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this is currently doing the job. I still use the WD hitch with my f250 and my little camper.
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