Ah, good advice! I forgot about those.. While a little more involved
(compressor and expense ~$200), the ability to adjust each side individually
would come in very handy..
-Brian
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brian Garfield [mailto:bgarfield@adelphia.net]
> Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2002 6:54 PM
> To: Brian Porter; Burns, James B.
> Cc: autox@autox.team.net
> Subject: RE: Towing enclosed trailer with mid-size SUV?
>
>
> I HIGHLY recommend air bags. A co-worker has done them twice now for
> equipment weight purposes in both an Expedition and Excursion. They're
> inexpensive and work great.
>
> Brian Garfield
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-autox@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-autox@autox.team.net]On
> Behalf Of Brian Porter
> Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2002 6:31 PM
> To: Burns, James B.
> Cc: autox@autox.team.net
> Subject: RE: Towing enclosed trailer with mid-size SUV?
>
>
> James,
>
> Sounds like your getting close to max GCVW. As someone else mentioned, the
> Explorer may not be "happy" doing this. Well, I'll add: BET your Explorer
> will share all of it's pain with you, either immediately or eventually. ;)
> If you tow often and/or far enough, you may want to consider something
> larger. Of course, it'll all depend on your comfort level with your new
> setup.
>
> The Explorer is heavy enough and has ample power to pull this load. It's
> sorta narrow (in tow vehicle context) and wheelbase is a bit short so I
> wouldn't leave home without a sway-control and a weather report. Make sure
> your brakes/shocks are always in good shape, synthetic oil.. yadda yadda..
>
> I'd pay particular attention keeping ample tongue weight on the
> hitch. It's
> a fairly fixed value (based on trailer weight) so jockeying stuff around
> isn't gonna buy much (and can be *very* unsafe, or at minimum, *very*
> uncomfortable). The factory rating of my old Toyota's rear springs was
> grossly exaggerated at 5500lbs. I found that 4500lbs of
> trailer/cargo became
> very uncomfortable at highway speeds (65-75). Best fix for this was a
> Silverado. ;)
>
> If the Explorer springs cannot handle the new tongue weight, add helper
> springs. At about $75-$100 plus installation, it certainly beats buying a
> new truck. (Truckin' TV had installed a set that were progressive and
> claimed to not affect unloaded ride quality while adding 800-1000lbs
> capacity. $75 IIRC) Just never exceed total GCVW on either truck/trailer
> unless you want to get into a situation to both cause and be denied an
> insurance claim. :)
>
> A tranny cooler/temperature gauge would be a good idea if not already
> equipped. The v-nose is another good idea to reduce drag. I assume you've
> already got a brake controller. I'm not happy with inertia-based
> controllers. The three I've had so far all required some manual
> intervention
> between slow and highway speeds. This could be a safety issue (if you ever
> forget to turn-up the output at speed) so I have to mention it. I'm gonna
> trying a DSP-based? Drawtite 3 next, about $130.
>
> I'm starting to think a good rule of thumb is to maintain 20%
> under GCVW. I
> say 'starting' as I *may* drive a bit faster with a trailer than
> most. So, I
> may have slightly skewed expectations. ;)
>
> Hope this helps,
>
> -Brian
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-autox@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-autox@autox.team.net]On
> > Behalf Of Burns, James B.
> > Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2002 9:18 AM
> > To: wheeltowheel; autox
> > Subject: Towing enclosed trailer with mid-size SUV?
> >
> >
> > My tow vehicle is a V8 AWD Ford Explorer. I have used it to tow
> > an old open
> > heavy steel car hauler with a 2500# car, 8 extra wheels/tires,
> tools, some
> > spares, canopy, wife, and dogs, and it has done just fine, even
> > in the West
> > Virginia hills. I am considering getting a small aluminum
> > enclosed trailer,
> > about 18' inside length, and I was wondering if the Exploder
> could handle
> > it. I figure the extra weight would be about 800#, which I don't think
> > would be a problem. But besides weight there are other issues like wind
> > resistance and stability in cross winds and probably other things that I
> > haven't thought of. Any opinions/experience on this?
> >
> > Brad B.
> >
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