[a/s] Reply from Michael Steele

[owner-airstream@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Frank, I use a 3/4 ton Suburban with a 7.4l (~454cid) to tow my 1974 
31' Airstream; the manual says it weighs about 5,000lbs empty. It's a 
dream to tow, unlike my 30' Starcraft...

I saw a thread on this list a few weeks ago about someone who was 
using a Jeep Cherokee "SUV" to tow a travel trailer: The side blast 
and rear vacuum from a tractor-trailer blew her out of control. She 
ended up rolling the whole mess all over the highway, totaling both 
jeep and trailer, and several people were hurt.

You can tow an Airstream with almost anything that can handle the 
tongue weight, but SAFE towing depends on a lot of factors. Some cars 
are actually better tow vehicles than trucks because of their stance: 
A low center-of-gravity combined with a wide distance between the 
suspension points on the axle. See, it's not just distance between 
tires (axle length) that affects stability: If it's sprung close to 
center, the vehicle is going to rock more than if it were sprung 
nearer the tires. Same goes for the higher center-of-gravity that you 
find with most SUV's: Bigger is only bigger, not better. (I say this 
with confidence, being only 5'6" myself! <grin>)

Look for these not-so-obvious things: Stance, tire contact area, 
brake pad/shoe/drum/rotor size (larger brakes handle heat better and 
generate less heat, stop more weight better), vehicle height, vehicle 
weight, ratio between wheelbase and rear axle-to-hitchball distance. 
If the vehicle has an automatic transmission, it's a real good idea 
to have an auxiliary transmission cooler installed; some people also 
put lower-temperature thermostats in their engines to help keep the 
transmission cooler (most AT vehicles already have a transmission 
cooler built into the radiator).

Remember, if your vehicle is light, the trailer will have more 
authority. (Make darn sure the trailer brakes are properly 
connected!) I think a Suburban is nearly ideal (for larger 
Airstreams, anyway) because it is about the same weight, has a long 
enough wheelbase that your front wheels don't get snatched around 
when the trailer wiggles, and is high enough to provide some wind 
drafting without being so high that it rocks like a ship at sea. 
Minivans and compact trucks typically have short wheelbases (turn 
fast, but are less stable) and narrow tracks/stances (easy to park, 
but blow about in crosswinds). Toyotas are fine, spunky vehicles; I 
generally buy Japanese cars because they're better designed than 
almost anything American-- especially in ergonomics and efficiency-- 
but they're not as good at being authoritative. I commute in a Honda 
Civic: I tow with a Chevy.

There's more to this, but I've said enough: It's somebody else's turn! :)

Michael