Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[Renze]

One thing many people that don't live here is the dramatic differences in the various parts of the country. Some of the roads around here are very similar to yours, houses and barns built on both sides of a horse trail which has grown into a road. It's hard to find a straight road in the Township that I live in.

I know, the same applies here, when moving from the old land into the "new" land.

The difference between Holland and North America is that American reclaimed prairie is above sea level

 

[WinterDeere]

I know, the same applies here, when moving from the old land into the "new" land.

The difference between Holland and North America is that American reclaimed prairie is above sea level

True. But much of urban Louisiana is below sea level.

The biggest difference is that we have individual states larger than any three European countries combined, and with geography more varied than the entire European continent. We have 9.8 million square kilometers, with France and Spain being among the largest in Europe both hovering around 0.5 million. The entirety of Holland is smaller than some of our individual urban areas, at 0.04 million square kilometers.

The difference in scale is so extreme, so vast... it's hardly worth even making comparisons. The thing I appreciate most about Europe is the history, very cool old roads and buildings, that we will just never have over here. But as to the land, America has Europe beat by every possible measure, there.

<-- has lived in both USA and Europe

 

[orezok]

I know, the same applies here, when moving from the old land into the "new" land.

The difference between Holland and North America is that American reclaimed prairie is above sea level

Once, a long time ago, the mid west was a large ocean.

During the Cretaceous there was a seaway that extended all the way from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean.

During earlier times, much of the midwest was sea bottom. This image shows the Central US during the Pennsylvanian at about 310 million years ago. It is based on the types of sediments of that age that geologists have found and described.

 

[bcp]

There was a story about a European family visiting the US. They were in New Orleans and planned to rent a car for the weekend to see the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone.

Bruce

 

[WinterDeere]

There was a story about a European family visiting the US. They were in New Orleans and planned to rent a car for the weekend to see the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone.

Bruce

This has been posted here before, but always worth repeating:

 

[Too many Kubotas]

....and when i see people buying an SUV, i always tell them they malinvested into a pointless vehicle, when it comes with 4x4 but doesnt have a trailer hitch.

Different worlds indeed. Here most people know better than to tow with a little SUV. What I've seen being towed in Europe, and especially in England, by small vehicles scared me.

Then again, I'm one of those who refuse to tow with a 1/2-ton pickup, feeling that they're too light and short, and also because the mechanical bits underneath are generally on the tiny side. Including the brakes.

Recently bought a used Dodge Durango, and whoever checked things off on the option list had included a receiver and brake control. It's hidden by a cover so it doesn't bother me, and could help if getting rear ended, but I wouldn't tow even an empty Harbor Freight trailer with it.

If something happens to my Ram 3500 (14,000 lb. GVWR) I'll most likely order a 4500, or maybe a 5500. And probably with the 204" wheelbase.

 

[WinterDeere]

Then again, I'm one of those who refuse to tow with a 1/2-ton pickup, feeling that they're too light and short, and also because the mechanical bits underneath are generally on the tiny side. Including the brakes.

I'll buck that trend. I'm not towing 10k dump trailers, but I do routinely tow a 7k lb. trailer with my 1/2 ton RAM. It was factory configured with proportional trailer brake controller, heavier rear springs, a high-ratio (3.93?) posi rear, and pretty stout hitch receiver. It also wears 10-ply rated LT tires, not the usual P-rated crap that most have on their 1/2 ton trucks.

I'm not pretending it's a replacement for a 3/4 ton, especially on brakes, but I'm not relying on the truck to stop the trailer anyway. My trailer has brakes on all axles (PA law), not just one axle like most factory trailers, and I maintain the brakes and wiring in good working order. I also test and adjust the gain on the trailer brakes every time I start a tow. For any one-time emergency stop, tire traction becomes the bigger limiting factor than brakes anyway, the 1500-series brakes will lock them up just as well as the HD brakes on the larger trucks for any one-time emergency stop.

Semi tractors pull trailers 3x their own weight at highway speeds, all day every day. I'm not one of these guys who believes he needs a truck heavier than his trailer, especially when I only do real heavy loads over local roads.

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Semi tractors pull trailers 3x their own weight at highway speeds, all day every day. I'm not one of these guys who believes he needs a truck heavier than his trailer, especially when I only do real heavy loads over local roads.

You're overlooking an important part in the tractor trailer scenario.

Driving an OTR tractor bobtail can be a less than pleasant experience from a stopping standpoint, but once there's a trailer on the back things change for the better.

Roughly half of the trailer weight is now on the drive tires, and a little of it added to the steer tires, so a 15K to 20K tractor effectively becomes a 35K to 40K vehicle pulling the remaining 20 or so thousand. If the trailer is loaded.

 

[KennyG]

I can understand not wanting to regularly pull a 10K fully loaded trailer with a 1/2 ton pickup, but a 7K trailer with brakes - no problem. My F150 is rated around 11K and when pulling a 7K trailer with brakes on both axles, you hardly notice it's there until you look in the mirror.

 

[ptsg]

A 4x4 Ford Ranger here in Europe gets 7700 lbs tow rating which max tow rating we can get for a light duty vehicle. A light duty is any vehicle up to 7700 lbs gross weight. Above that is heavy duty and requires the equivalent of a CDL.

For instance a 4x4 dual cab Ranger weights about 5500 lbs.

Does a F150 weight less than this Ranger that makes it less comfortable handling a 10k trailer?