RE: [A/S] Airstream or less-expensive others?

["David & Bret" <dtbw_1999@xxxxxxxxx>]

Bill,
The 80% guideline is just that.  It is not a hard fast rule.  What is
does do is ensure that you have some reserve.  The max ratings on any
tow vehicle are exactly that, MAX, beyond which you are exceeding the
frame, suspension, drivetrain, cooling system or braking system in
singular or plural.  Those maximum ratings are also determined at 70
degrees, sea-level and on flat terrain.  As you go up in elevation you
loose horsepower due to the lower concentrations of oxygen, plus cooling
efficiency is lowered due to the thinner air and if you add hills or
mountains, the load on the vehicle systems actually increases, so all
the more need to have a reserve. 

As for whether or not any vehicle can tow a trailer can be done thru
trial and hopefully without incident (as was common in the earlier
times), or you can adhere to the manufacturers specs and then subtract a
bit to give yourself a reserve that you may or may not ever need, but if
you get in a situation where you have the tow vehicle at or beyond its
designed limits, you are in a situation where the risk for problems goes
up rapidly.  If you consistently push a tow vehicle to it max capability
it will also prove a less reliable commodity and breakdowns on the road
are not an enjoyable situation.  

On the recommended wheelbase, those are again guidelines and they are
considered minimum.  If you would be comfortable towing a 4500# GVWR,
19', $37,000 Bambi on a 105" wheelbase, unibody vehicle, then, that is
your choice, but IMO, I value my "assets" too highly to push the
envelope that hard.  Maybe my attitude is due to my education as an
engineer, but it is also tempered with the fact that I have been towing
Airstreams since I was in my late teens (my parent's, relative's, later
the in-law's and now my own), so I have a few miles under my belt (I
will leave my age as being eligible for AARP but too young to retire).

As for Wally towing the GlobeTrotter across Europe the article also
stated that the going was very slow as the jeep, without the trailer,
had a max speed of 60.  They probably did good to make 45-50MPH but the
roads were also a major obstacle to any significant forward speed as
Europe was just barely out of WWII and infrastructure such as roads were
still suffering from the years of war.  So at the speeds and conditions
they encountered, there was a much lower chance for problems and longer
allowable reaction times due to the slow speeds. 

But to each his own
david