Re: [A/S] Digest Number 2541

[phil patterson <vettenut1972@xxxxxxxxx>]

In the mid 90's, I outfitted a 93 Crown Vic and went
up and picked up a 61 Tradewind I bought from my aunt
in Seattle and towed it back to East Texas. Cousins up
there said that the Snoqualmie pass was bad and
stories about blowing belts off their motorhome on it.
I was a bundle of nerves but we went up the pass
without slowing, I kept saying is that it. I kept
careful records and while towing it made between 15
and 16 mpg, solo it made about 29 hwy 21 to 24 city.
About 15% of the time it was used for towing. The only
failures were a couple of window mechanisms failed in
recent years. Other than that the only service was
routine maintenance. I sold it recently to a friend,
it had 210k miles on it. I set it up like the owners
manual said for towing with an equalizing hitch and it
towed great. With the air suspension it rode great and
I believe it was better when the trailer was hitched.
The reason I settled on the CV, besides the EPA 27 Hwy
mpg rating, was that at the time I was occasionally
going to a dealer insurance car auction with a friend.
At the auction I was seeing a very high percentage of
trucks and suv's that were rolled over. We have heard
of several trucks and suburbans on the airstream lists
that rolled. I have seen 2 Chevy trucks that rolled in
front of me. one several years ago on the interstate,
and one recently, an 04 1 ton 4 door on a 2 lane road
comming toward me. It created such a cloud of dust
that that I did not know what it was but I stopped
before the dust cloud. When it cleared it had crossed
my lane and was rolled over in a front yard. The
driver was thrown out and the truck was on top of him.
I have a Dodge diesel truck that I also tow with but I
may go back to a Crown Vic because I feel it is safer.
Another  possible later model car would be the last of
the rear rear drive Cadillac Fleetwoods. They were
rated to tow 7k trailer, they were EPA rated 25 Hwy
and were about a block long.  Phil