wrote in message
...
On Tue, 3 Jun 2008 11:46:44 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


wrote in message
. ..
On Tue, 3 Jun 2008 10:18:41 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:


"John H." wrote in message
m...
On Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:52:30 -0400, JG2U wrote:

On Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:16:09 -0400, John H.
wrote:



Then I made the second big mistake. To show my wife how nice trailers
could
be, I took her to an Airstream dealer. I should have taken her to a
pop
up
place first!


Yep, they can be nice. The downside is that you have to have
something larger than your 4runner to tow a decent trailer with.

With a class A motor home, you have the grunt you need to move it down
the road, only when you need it. You can tow a small, gas efficient
vehicle behind that can otherwise be used for everyday transport.
While driving down the road, your wife can use the bathroom, dry her
hair, make you a sandwich and drink, and relax while you drive her to
the destination.

With a trailer, you have to drive, or park, a big tow vehicle on a
daily basis while you're not using the camper. Big cost and burden
even when not camping. Your 4runner is not going to cut it. The
smallest Airstream is sneaking up on your 4runner's max towing
capacity.

Serious "campers" do the motor-home deal. If you're going to do short
distances a couple of time a year, try the trailer. If you are
serious about camping, the motor-home is the answer. On the plus
side, RV's are selling for cheap right now. Have fun.

The Airstreams we're considering are in the 4500lbs or less category.
The
4Runner has a 7000lb max capacity, so I'm in the safe zone for the
4Runner.
I would definitely stay below 5000 lbs.

A small cooler in the 4Runner would cover drinks and sandwiches on the
road
(I don't eat lunch), and rest stops would suffice for bathrooms. We
are
not
serious 'campers' but want to see the country. She's not seen very
much
of
the USA.
--
John *H*

4500# is too much for the 4 runner. I towed my 4500# boat and trailer
with
a 96 S-10 Blazer. About the same size rig. Broke a differential,
bearing
failure, and going over the Sierras to Tahoe, was at about 45 mph, and
the
braking could add to grey hairs.


There is a world of difference between a Chevy s-10 Blazer and a
Toyota 4-Runner. The 4-Runner will handle 5000 pounds easily with a
very large margin for safety.



Why? 5000 pounds is more than the truck weighs. Why is it so much safer
than an S-10? I now tow with a crewcab 2004 Chevy diesel. That is
safety.
When the idiot pulls in front of you and stops, the huge brakes on the
truck
stop the rig.


The average tractor of a tractor trailer doesn't weigh nearly as much
as what is being towed either. Please explain yourself.

The 4-Runner is rated to tow more weight than a Chevy S-10 because it
is built to handle more. It's not an arbitrary rating. Bigger brakes,
better suspension... and then there's that whole pesky "quality
thingy"



The average Semi Tractor also hooks up the air brakes to the trailer. Plus
it is built as a towing vehicle. The 4 runner is a nice quality vehicle,
but is still a lightweight rig. I can tell a big difference in the towing
when I drive my SIL's Tundra (couple year old one) and my full size truck.
Get a big side wind gust with that 4 runner towing, and you may not be able
to control the trailer. Especially a tall travel trailer. The S-10 is
rated at I think 6k towing. It towed it, but not really well if there were
any mountains in the way.