Propane Tank Issue

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Originally posted by pedwards2932

I thank you for your input on the Escape as you have real world experience.  It sounds like the conditions you were towing in with your Escape would have been a challenge with any TV.  I guess what a lot of folks don't take into account is looking into another TV was going to cost me about $10,000 and then I would have a vehicle that would get significantly worse mileage when not trailering.  I get about 27 mpg on highway and 21-22 around town.  Would a WDH provide any measure of stability assist?

There are certainly conditions that would challenge any rig, but the more marginal the setup the more likely that is to occur. In many cases we can avoid those situations by choosing to wait until conditions improve, but often surprises happen. 

The other consideration with a marginal rig is lack of flexibility in the form or reserve capacity if the mission changes and say one wants to do a little boon docking or carry a couple extra passengers. 

I too have towed for many years and originally thought that I might tow an rPod with a 3500 lb rated vehicle. I would have been overweight. Being a Toyota guy, I was looking at a Rav4 and got the Highlander instead.  Cost is certainly an major consideration for me and most of us on this forum. If it wasn't we would probably be driving around in much more elaborate dedicated RV's. I couldn't handle a $10K cost difference either, so I buy used vehicles so the cost difference is not much. The Highlander gets a couple less highway mpg than the Rav with the same drive train not towing, there's wouldn't be any measurable difference towing because towing fuel consumption is dominated by the trailer air friction.

For sure a wdh will help improve rig stability, including sway stability. When you hang a trailer on the back of a TV it unloads the front axle. That is especially true for a compact vehicle with a short wheelbase.  Resistance to sliding is proportional to weight and the front axle is your steering control and has the best brakes on the rig, so taking load off it reduces its ability to control the rig. The wdh puts the weight back where its supposed to be. The problem with a wdh is that that load redistribution is not constant, it depends on the road being flat. If you say drive over a high spot the wdh loses tension and load shifts back to the rear TV axle from the front. That's why wdh's generally don't increase tow capacity. But they do help ride, handling, and braking.  