HUNDREDS OF LISTINGS! - Trailer Life

1 HUNDREDS OF LISTINGS! Tow-Vehicle SelectionHitching BasicsTrailer-Brake ControlsTowing TipsTL1102 TG Cover Guide 12/8/10 1:47 PM Page 1 UserGuideContentsGoTo:.comTL1102 TG Ford Ad-Cov 2-Page 3 Guide 12/8/10 3:42 PM Page 2 THE NEW 2011 F-150 FIND OUT MORE AT *EPA - estimated 17 cit y/23 highway/19 combined mp g, V6 4x 2. Class is Full - Size Pickups under 8,500 lbs. GVWR, non-hybrid. **Available early fuel economy.*23 highway mpg. More go. More Motor Company, go to TG Ford Ad-Cov 2-Page 3 Guide 12/8/10 3:42 PM Page 3 UserGuideContentsGoTo:.com4| 2011 Trailer LIFET owing GuideEDITORIALPUBLISHERBOBLIVINGSTONEDIT ORKRISTOPHERKKBUNKERSENIORMANAGINGEDITOR MARLEENMMCANNIFFCCASSOCIATEEDITORMEAGHAN MMALFIERCREATIVEARTDIRECTORMIRANTEMMALMA ZANEDITORIAL/BUSINESS OFFICE2575 VISTAVVDELMARMMDRIVE, VEEENTURAVV, CA 93001 A TEL(805) 667-4100 FAX(805) 667-4484 ADVERTISINGV entura, BOX8510, VENTURAVV, CA 93002 AA TEL(805) 667-4100 FAX(805) 667-4379 Elkhart, IndianaMIDWESTSALESDIRECTORCHUCKCCLASLEY LLNATIONALADVERTISINGSALESTACYTTHENDERSH OTHHNATIONALADVERTISINGSALESLOUCICIRELLI CC2901 E BRISTOLSTREET, STTUITED, ELKHARTEE, IN 46514TT TEL(574) 262-4728 FAX(574) 262-4798 Seattle, WashingtonNATIONALADVERTISINGSALESSCOTTO AKESOO, JSSOHNMARCIANOMM1818 WESTLAKEWWAVENUEN, #420 SEATTLESS, WA 98109EE TEL(206) 283-9545 FAX(206)

2 283-9571 Detroit, MichiganCROMPTONHOLDINGSSCOTTCROMPTONCC2 031 FERNWAYFFDRIVEMONTGOMERY, AL 36111YY TEL(334) 613-2040 FAX(334) 356-7740 TRAILERLIFEIS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OFAFFINITYGROUPINCII. CCCOPYRIGHTCC2011 BYAFFINITYGROUPINCII. ACCLL RIGHTSRESERVED. TRAILERTTLIFE( usps #454-970)ISPUBLISHED MONTHLY BYAFFINITYGROUPINCII. SCCUBSCRIPTION PRICE, POSSESSIONS:SS1 YEAR, $ ; 2 RRYEARS, $ ASSLLOTHERCOUNTRIES, SSADD$12 PER YEAR. FOR MORE INFORMATIONFF, NNVISIT OUR WEBSITE Guide toTowing SponsorsFord Motor Company(800) LP(800) thanks to: Lake Casitas Recreation Area, (805) 649-2233, 6 Choosing the Correct Tow VehicleSelecting the tow vehicle that works best foryour needs requires careful consideration anda bit of research10 Towing 2011 Many popular tow vehicles get an upgrade including a major overhaul on the Ford F-150powertrain14 How to Use This Guide162011 Tow Ratings Guide28 Hitching BasicsAn examination of hitch types, their uses andtried-and-true maintenance techniques33 Trailer -Brake ControlLatest technology improves safety, reliabilityand stopping power36 Towing PackagesThere s much more to it than a hitch ball andelectrical umbilical cord40 Towing TipsPlenty of patience, practice and defensive driving will benefit you while on the roadTL1102 TG Table of Contents Guide 12/7/10 3:26 PM Page 4 UserGuideContentsGoTo.

3 ComK-Z Inc., go to TG Table of Contents Guide 12/7/10 3:26 PM Page 5 UserGuideContentsGoTo:.com6| 2011 Trailer LIFET owing GuideCHOOSINGTHE CORRECT TOW VEHICLEK eeping within manufacturer-assigned tow ratings iscritical in making the appropriate model and option choicesBYDUNCANO NEALSo, you want to tow a Trailer ? Thereare many variables to considerwhen selecting the proper tow ve-hicle for your application including budget,brand and towing capacity and it s impor-tant to examine them all carefully before mak-ing a purchase. Going through the effort tobetter understand each variable and to ac-count for all of them up front will lead to amore pleasant trailering tow-ratings guide in this section lists themaximum tow ratings for vehicles with specificequipment, but many buyers interpret themaximum vehicles tow ratings with far toomuch optimism.

4 Always check the manufac-turer s figures before making a purchase. Thefollowing is an explanation of the terms youneed to know which, when combined withreadings from a public scale and from yourown calculator, should help you determinethe correct tow rating for the tow vehicle youplan to Combination Weight Rating(gcwr):The total allowable weight of the towvehicle, the Trailer , the cargo in each, fluidsand Vehicle Weight Rating (gvwr):The total allowable weight for the vehicle, in-cludingoccupants, fluids, options, hitch hard-ware, cargo and Trailer -hitch Axle Weight Rating (gawr): Thetotal allowable weight on an individual includes the weight of the tires, wheels,brakes and the axle Tow Rating:The manufac-turer s weight limit for towed loads. Forconventional trailers, this normally includesa hitch-weight limit as well; for fifth-wheels,the pin weight is applied to the truck s gvwrand its rear-axle TG Selecting a Tow Vehicle Guide 12/7/10 3:26 PM Page 6 UserGuideContentsGoTo.

5 Com2011 Trailer LIFET owing Guide| 7 Matching up the Tow Vehicle and TrailerThe gvwr and gawr for all motor vehicles arelisted on the data plate, typically affixed to thedriver s door frame, fuel door, glove box, endof the dashboard or other easy-to-access loca-tion. Brochures and window stickers may beinaccurate; always look for the data plate. Alltrailers should have a weight sticker on the leftfront side wall. There should also be a stickerin an interior cabinet that lists the Trailer s un-loaded vehicle weight (uvw), gvwr, weightadded by freshwater and LP-gas and the re-sulting cargo carrying capacity (ccc).In many cases, especially on older trailers,optional equipment such as air-conditioningunits and AC-generators sneaks onboardafter weighing, and may not be reflected onthe sticker. (And don t forget the fuel-filltanks that some SURVs offer for campsiterefueling of motorcycles and ATVs.)

6 Recreational Vehicle Industry Association(RVIA) weight label requirements are more in-clusive of dealer-added options and make itmuch easier for buyers to have access to moreaccurate weight gvwr figures are neither guidelinesnor estimates; they are limits, and there arenumerous valid reasons the manufacturer ar-rived at these figures. If you think the figuresare close enough or have a fudge-factorpercentage built in, think again. Your warrantycoverage, and your safety, may be at only surefire way to find out what yourtrailer weighs is to load it as usual for a tripand weigh it at a public scale. There you canget the hitch weight, axle weight and totalweight. Assuming that the axle weight islower than the gawr, the total is within thegvwr and the hitch weight is lower than themaximum given for your tow vehicle, you canthen move on to tow-vehicle purchasing a Trailer , consult theweight sticker on the unit of your choice on adealer s lot and refer to the uvw and how much cargo you will add,being mindful of the gvwr, and use thatnumber while selecting a tow a lesser extent, tow-vehicle weight isvariable as well.

7 Brochures and tow guides fre-quently list how much a tow vehicle weighs,but this number generally applies to the mostbasic model in that configuration, without anyoptions. In some cases, distinctions are madeby engine, transmission, drive system (2WD or4WD/AWD) and, in other cases, by cab or bedstyles. If the dealer does not have a vehicleequipped as you want that is available toweigh, or cannot provide option weights, youcan form rough estimates but exact figuresare the only way to be engines add weight, diesels more sobecause they come with additional accessories(up to 700 pounds more than the standardgas engine is common). Add up to 175pounds for an optional transmission, about400 pounds for 4WD and a bit less than 300pounds for longer beds. Then add other op-tions like luxury-trim levels, as all those electricmotors add up.

8 The towing package and hitchcould add another 100 pounds, and largerwheels and tires can also have an is how to calculate the realistictowing capacity of a vehicle. For example,consider a fictional one-ton longbed, diesel,extended-cab, 2WD, single-rear-wheel pickupTL1102 TG Selecting a Tow Vehicle Guide 12/8/10 12:25 PM Page 7 UserGuideContentsGoTo:.com8|2011 Trailer LIFET owing Guideset up for towing. We ll arbitrarily assign it agvwr of 9,900 pounds, a front gawr of 5,000pounds, a rear gawr of 6,824 pounds, a gcwrof 23,000 pounds and a quoted maximum towrating of 17,000 is often the case in single-rear-wheeltrucks, the rear axle s gawr on this truck is de-rived from each tire s maximum load of 3,412pounds. Pickups such as this normally start atmore than 6,000 pounds, and with a diesel,automatic and nice trim, figure that with a fulltank of fuel and hitch, this unit weighs at least7,000 pounds.

9 If we add two standard-size people (154 pounds each), a few tools andsome cargo, it weighs 7,500 pounds. That issplit to 4,000 pounds on the front axle, and3,500 pounds on the rear first thing you should have noticed isthat the maximum tow rating cannot applywith the truck fully loaded because gcwr(23,000) minus gvwr (9,900) leaves 13,100pounds about 4,000 pounds less thanquoted towing ability. After adding optionsand people to the example truck, and sub-tracting that value (7,500) from gcwr(23,000), the effective working tow rating ofthe truck becomes 15,500 pounds, about1,500 pounds less than the truck s quotedmaximum towing , you have yet to check all thenumbers and verify that a 15,500-pound trailerwill work. If that Trailer is a fifth-wheel andhas 20 percent of its weight on the pin, thatadds 3,100 pounds to the back of the would make the truck overweight its7,500-pound ready-to-roll weight plus the3,100 pounds on the pin equals 10,600pounds 700 pounds more than the truck sgvwr, and just 224 pounds shy of the rear-axlelimit of 6,824 and other non-pickup tow rigs can-not escape scrutiny.

10 The vehicle s loadedweight, with the anticipated load of passen-gers aboard, must be subtracted from thegcwr to determine the realistic tow FactorsThe tow-ratings chart lists vehicle-towingmaximums segregated by engine, cab style,drive and single- or dual-rear wheels as appro-priate. In general, assume the maximum towrating always requires a towing package and special towing equipment (see TowingPackages, beginning on page 36) and thehighest numerical axle ratio offered, and asthe example shows, maximums can be con-fusing. You can do your own estimates bystarting with the information given andkeeping the following generalizations in :For the majority of vehi-cles, automatic transmissions offer the highertow ratings when they vary by heavy-duty (HD) models, the differencemay be 1,000 pounds or less, and on lighter-duty vehicles, a manual tranny might rate a2,000-pound lower tow rating.