[VAC] Re: An adequate tow vehicle

[Kevin D Allen <overlander64@xxxxxxxxx>]

Kevin D. Allen
Greetings Joel!

Really, the only one that has to be satisfied with the choice of a tow
vehicle is the person who must pilot the vehicle - - assuming that the
tow vehcile is properly rated by the manufacturer for the towing
situation.  I tried towing my smaller brand X (4,000 pound)trailer with
a GMC 2500 Vandura, and was disappointed in its performance even though
it was rated to tow 5,000 pounds with its 307 c.i. V8 and 3.73
differential gears.  The family that finally purchased the van towed
their 4,000 pound Prowler with it for many years and were well pleased.

I readily admit that my primary goal is to have a tow vehicle that can
easily power out of any situation that I might encounter.  My current
primary tow vehicle for the Overlander has the 7400 Vortec with 4.11
gearing which nets a tow rating of 10,000 pounds  which is just shy of
twice the loaded weight of my Overlander.  Would I ever suggest that
this degree of overkill is necessary for everyone - - no, absolutely
not.  The primary concern is that the tow vehicle has the necessary
capacity and is satisfactory to the driver who must pilot the rig.

I readily agree with your statement that the higher seating position of
a van or sport untility vehicle increases the confidence level in a
towinv vehicle - - especially in heavy metropolitan traffic.  Not only
that, it is also nice to be able to leave the front and rear drapes open
and be able to see approaching traffic to the rear of the Airstream
through the tow vehicle's interior rear view mirror - - something that
never occurred to me until I purchased my first pickup as a tow vehicle.



1964 Overlander International/1999 GMC K2500 Suburban
1978 Argosy Minuet
1975 Cadillac Convertible (towcar in-training)
WBCCI/VAC #6359