Yesterday i was going southbound on the NJ turnpike and i noticed on the north bound side a jeep Liberty pulling a tandam axle travel trailer, and yes the jeep had a squat to it, the size trailer he was pulling had to be about 25-30 feet long a 3/4 or 1ton should have been pulling that size trailer. My question to the guys that pull travel trailers does'nt the salesman have a responsibilty to the costomer that the pull vehicle is not epuiped right to pull a large of a trailer like the one i saw yesterday?

You used "salesman" and "responsibility" in the same sentence. I don't think I've ever seen that before.

You can't really push this on the salesman - who knows how long this guy has owned the trailer and what tow vehicles he may have used. Or, it could have been a used trailer purchased from a private party. I would expect that most new trailer sales have specs so you can determine what tow vehicle is needed. I also suspect that there are many trailer salesman out there who are knowledgable enough to recommend (or unrecommend) a tow vehicle.

Other than allowing a new trailer purchase to leave their lot via a too small tow vehicle, I doubt if the trailer sales place has much of the responsibility. As the owner / driver of the rig, it should be up to them to determine the tow capacity of the tow vehicle as compared to the trailer weight, not the other way around.

x2 I agree completely.

There are too many variables there.

The first question that the sales guys ask where I have bought all my travel trailers is, what are you planning to tow it with
And I have heard them tell prospective customers that they wouldnt be able to safely tow with their current vehicle.

Well it could have been a diesel liberty. We all know that any diesel is capable of pulling any amount of weight. Heck look at all the people on here that tow 40' fivers and GN's with 2500's. If its a deisel it'll do it! LOL!

Unfortunately vehichle manufacturers tend to over extend smaller vehichle tow ratings to bolster sales. Jeep advertises the Liberty to have a 5000 lb tow capacity. A 25 foot travel trailer could easily be in that range, but would you catch me behind the wheel of a Liberty with 5K on the bumper... Nope. Yes it may drag it, but safely?

I work with a guy who has a Toyota Landcruiser. Toyota rates it with an 8K tow capacity, so he's currently seraching for a ~ 27ft cabin cruiser that he believes will be perfectly fine behind it! :eek: :eek: :eek:

saw a guy in a Jeep Liberty pulling a small TT-about an 18 footer on I-25 Mon morning, did a double take when I saw the front set of wheels on the trailer tilted like the axle was way overloaded---got away from him as fast as I could..

saw a guy in a Jeep Liberty pulling a small TT-about an 18 footer on I-25 Mon morning, did a double take when I saw the front set of wheels on the trailer tilted like the axle was way overloaded---got away from him as fast as I could..
WOW :eek:i thought i was the olny one.:lol:
You would think D.O.T. are state trooper would do something about things like that.....

I draw the line at the Liberty towing that stuff and come on guys I believe you are the exceptions if you shop where they correctly guide you on vehicle tow capacities. Can't say I often heard of that.

Take a look at Heartland's web site and them adverstising 1/2 ton Towable 5th wheels. Every single 1/2 ton is over GVWR with 1000 lbs of pin weight then lets talk about those wonderful brakes on 1/2 ton trucks and that super reliable 60 series 1/2 tons trans in the GM trucks! No way man!

I saw a ford explorer towing a 25-30ft TT this weekend going down the cajon pass in CA. It seemed to be able to maintain speed well but any time it went past a big rig it would sway like mad. I have never seen anything like it, we are talking 2-3ft of deflection. I thought for sure he was going to loose it a few times. Never did but damn that must have been a white knuckle ride.

WOW :eek:i thought i was the olny one.:lol:
You would think D.O.T. are state trooper would do something about things like that.....

I've never seen an RV trailer wheel tilted in like that before, he was either way overloaded in that little TT or bent the %$#@ out of that axle....:eek:

Seen a ford exploder pulling a TT on the highway last sunday. Two good dips in the highway in a row and his front tires wood have came off the pavement for sure.

Kinda scary when you're getting passed at 75mph by people like that when you're on a motorcycle

not long ago i was pulling 14/16k tag trailers thousands upon thousands of miles with my 2500hd now that was a humbling experience. now springs and shocks need to be replaced and bags are coming out to be inspected for bulges as well. while diff is out bearings and axle tube trueness will be checked as well as springs perches, hitch mounting bolts, and frame front to back for cracks and or bends...

oh yeah they will move the loads, but at what cost?? these trucks were designed for a job, when you work then harder they will wear out faster, much faster.

and above all if you are in an accident while driving overloaded and somebody gets hurt you are automatically at fault and it all goes downhill from there... i guess i've "grown" a little and my eyes have opened. if you want a big fancy trailer get a big fancy truck and do it right, don't go balls out on one end and cheap out on the end that really matters.....

JMO

I draw the line at the Liberty towing that stuff and come on guys I believe you are the exceptions if you shop where they correctly guide you on vehicle tow capacities. Can't say I often heard of that.

Take a look at Heartland's web site and them adverstising 1/2 ton Towable 5th wheels. Every single 1/2 ton is over GVWR with 1000 lbs of pin weight then lets talk about those wonderful brakes on 1/2 ton trucks and that super reliable 60 series 1/2 tons trans in the GM trucks! No way man!
Is it legal for me to mention names of places around here that do it?
when I bought my first trailer from this one place (the same place I bought my current trailer) he wouldnt sell it to me at first.
it was a 12/24 starcraft popup. I drove up in my wifes corrolla when I bought it, he asked what I would be towing it with, I pointed at the corrolla and said, that.
He put the paper away and told me that there was nothing on his lot that I could tow.
He honestly was not going to sell me the camper if I didnt have something that would pull it.

he did the same when I bought the 35ft TT. What are you pulling it with? I told him the 3500 dually, no problems this time.

so if its legal to mention their names I will, any dealer that is willing to lose a sale because you wont be safe is well worth doing business with.