RE: [VACList] do ladies prefer different tow vehicles?

["goldens510@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <goldens510@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jon and Jennifer,

What an interesting question. I would think women and men would like the
same features in a tow vehicle, but I'll be fascinated with what this
unscientific sociological survey turns up. 

As a woman with her own truck and Airstream, though not with multiple years
of towing experience, I'll take a stab at answering your question. I tow my
22' Safari with a 1971 Chevy longbed 3/4 ton pickup, manual transmission.
Though I wouldn't trade it for anything (except maybe the same truck with
air conditioning!), I also wouldn't say it's the easiest thing in the world
to tow with. For those fine movements needed to line up the ball when
hitching, an automatic transmission might make the job easier. I do prefer
the manual transmission otherwise, but that may just be because I've never
driven an automatic except for rental cars and such. I do have power
steering and power brakes, which I'd call essential. I wouldn't mind having
power windows, either - with how wide my truck is, once I get going down
the road, I can't make any adjustments on the passenger side. There's a
reason they put cupholders and other handy stuff like that in modern
vehicles, too. I think my Equal-i-zer hitch works well - I don't notice any
sway at all. I agree with Jennifer that manually jacking the trailer up and
down can be extremely tiresome, especially when the weather's hot.
Honestly, I think if you choose a vehicle she finds comfortable to drive
under ordinary circumstances and that has plenty of power, strong brakes,
and sufficient weight to counterbalance the trailer, add a sway-reducing
hitch, and make sure you can see well with your mirrors, she won't have any
trouble with the en route part. (One question I have is whether anybody has
a mirror setup that lets you see tailgaters. The way my mirrors are,
there's a blind spot immediately behind the trailer.) Anyway, it's the
backing and tight turns that I find tough, and I don't think anything
except practice will help with that. I also personally doubt I'll ever be
able to hitch up without a second set of eyeballs, but if your kids are old
enough, maybe they can help her with that. 

Have fun!

Amanda