smokeywren

And that guy is a writer for a national magazine? Somebody should be fired.


If the truck was 640 pounds over its GVWR, then the payload capacity of the truck was overloaded by 640 pounds. And the braking capacity of the truck was overloaded. So to say that nothing was overloaded sounds like stupidity, because something was definitely overloaded.


As to the Honda Odyssey, I've owned two of them, a 2005 and 2009. Both had EX-L trim with the engines that ran on either 6 or fewer cylinders, depending on power demands from the driver. I didn't try to tow with either of them - they were simply not good tow vehicles. But they were great family cars for long-distance traveling to visit family in Tennessee, Colorado, Idaho, Washington state, Oregon, and Austin TX.

acdii

Agreed, people are not bright enough these days(no common sense) and will follow this "advice" as gospel and next thing you know someone gets killed.

eurojet

I mention the Below story because , I will eventually be towing a 5ER with my F150 and know it can be done.

Andy T has been in the business of towing longer then many of us have been alive ( I dont work for him or even know him ) I have just read up on him and what Can am Rv has been doing , which inspired me to custom build a hitch for my 2015 Jetta TDI to tow a 3500# trailer . Yes cars have hitch ratings but why are the same cars built using the same chassis rated differently in other countries?
The Vw Golf and Jetta had won the top rated to vehicle for many years in Europe . The Jetta is rated for 3500# granted the nose weights are limited over there.
I did not buy the hitch from a company over there (pfjones) because there does not seem the need for weight distribution over there, but I wanted the 2" square receiver and use a WD hitch
I ended up coping the Euro hitch but beefing up the complete setup (thicker steel and more bolts to the chassis , since the holes where already there) . I used the hitch i built (i did not do the final welds ) along with a WD system with sway control and a Prodigy Rf brake controller , and the Jetta towed it fine, if i did not feel comfortable i would not have placed my family in the car . I only towed it twice (once bringing it home from the dealer , which was a 2+ hour trip on 4 major highways and going over a very high windy bridge , and once camping , then I sold it for a larger trailer ,which is why i got a F150

I guess my point is why are the weight ratings different for NA and Europe for the same car. Can anyone really tell me why cars cant tow like Andy is setting them up to tow , it cant be HP and torque #'s
cause many 4 cylinder cars have higher HP and Torque #s then pick up from not to long ago (Im in no way saying a jetta should tow a 6000# trailer) Many SUV's are built on car chassis , Brakes a better then ever , sway controls are better then ever , I really dont know why it is like this in north america. Some cars IN N/A dont even come with a tow rating but the same car overseas has one ?????
The car/truck does not stop the trailer using its brakes only, trailers have there own brakes that are made to stop the trailer , brakes can fail regardless off what the tow vehicle is and having a 3500# trailer behind a 3500# car or my 6000# trailer behind my 5400# truck , the trucks brakes will fail just as much as the cars brakes with that type of weight and momentum behind it ( the rotor size is relative to the size of the vehicle) and no one can tell me the stock ford brakes are any better then the stock Jetta brakes , they are stock crappy brakes.

More and more people are doing it because they all realize that if it is set up correctly , it is just as safe as a pick up towing a trailer.
I love my truck and bought for the purpose of towing a heavy trailer, ( Im on my second WD hitch for my F150 and trailer , and finally like the way it tows , I have to say I found Jetta towed the trailer better then my truck .

2015 Jetta 3300# 15.25' 2015 Cherokee wolf pup 16bhs 3500# (wet ) 3096# dry 21.5'
2016 Ford 150 5400# 19.25' 2016 Keystone Springdale 260LE 5600-5700# wet 5296# dry 28.83'

in both situations it is a lighter vehicle stopping a heavier vehicle

my next move is my current truck 2016 SCREW 5.5 box and hopefully getting a 5er , many Nay sayers out there on 5.5 box and 1/2 tons towing 5er's
it all comes down to making sure its safe ( I see countless number of incorrect WD systems that are not set up at all correct , i look when others drive by and comment , which drives the wife nuts , since we see a lot )
yes the vehicle may be rated to handle it but when things are not set up correctly i would say that is even more dangerous to everyone on the road then my Jetta pulling a travel trailer just because in North America it is not rated for that weight

Here she was they day I picked her up

Nighthawk87

🤦

BarmanBean

iTrader: (1)

@eurojet. Maybe other countries have different tow ratings because they have fewer lawyers, who knows. And you built a custom hitch for a sedan so you could tow something twice? You must have more time and money than sense

No matter what you think is safe, if you are exceeding the numbers listed for the vehicle you are at risk legally if you are in an accident (caused by you or otherwise). Customizing a hitch or beefing up suspension doesn't change the certified weight limits unless you get someone to sign off on a payload / towing increase.

Aj06bolt12r

I actually enjoyed the article.

I wouldn't ever publish an article encouraging people to exceed the weight rating for their particular vehicle even if the rig is well thought out and safe.... because lawyers.

I do take exception to the part where he complains about the complexity and cost of maintenance of all 3/4 and 1 ton diesel engines but then turns around and recommends the Cummins in the Nissan Titan. All of the modern diesel engines in pickups sold in the US are terribly complex, expensive and prohibitively expensive to diagnose and repair when something goes wrong. The EPA and emissions requirements have changed diesel engines from the most reliable long term engine choice into virtual financial russian roulette if owned outside of warranty.

chimmike

This is incredibly dangerous.....one little puff of wind that the WDH/anti-sway transfers to the car, it's out of control, and you're done for.

The frame of that car is not meant to support the additional weight from the WDH either...the braking is insufficient, and I guarantee the power is insufficient.

When you endanger your life, that's one thing. When you endanger the lives of thousands of others on the roads for your own selfish reasons...shame on you.

acdii

^^What he said^^

Tell you what, go drive a semi for a living for a few years. Your attitude will change dramatically when it comes to tow vehicles. When you see the carnage of what happens after doing dumb things like this, you will understand. Until then.....

Back in the 60's, 70's and early 80's, cars were built in such a way that they could easily tow a trailer like the above one, but when they went to unibody, smaller engines, lighter materials, they pulled towing ability from the specs because cars are no longer meant to tow, regardless if other countries do it or not. Most other countries do not have highway systems like ours, only Germany with the Autoban would be an exception. Trucks are much smaller across the pond than here too. You get the right semi go past that rig pictured that pushes hard against the rear corner, you are done for, not to mention if the semi pushes your nose into his lane, you just took out someone else besides yourself.

It does not matter if you have the BEST sway control hitch in place, simple physics will guarantee that a hard enough push on the rear of the trailer WILL push that light car the opposite direction.

Car brakes and pickup brakes are not the same thing. Compare the pads alone between a Jetta and an F150, and the F150 pads will be twice the size, and use a different compound meant to stop heavy loads. If the trailer brakes fail while behind an F150, it will be able to stop it, but if the brakes fail with the Jetta, it will take 3-4 times at much effort to stop than with the truck, and by that point, kiss them goodbye.

If you are going to do it, do it right, or just dont do it.

ewdavis

Jetta guy should watch the Expedition flip video.

European trailers max out at about what that Wolf Pup weights. They also don't sit as high as the Pup.

I think needing a 3/4 ton for everything bigger than a pop-up is BS, but if I saw the Pup/Jetta on the road, I couldn't get far enough away from it. Definitely not safe.

acdii

That Expy flip had a heavy long trailer too. 9250 GVWR and 33 feet long being pulled by a 114" WB SUV. man did the RV salesguy sucker that poor fellow.