Towing calculations

This months MotorHome magazine came with their comprehensive Dingy Towing Guide, I would suggest all get thier hands on this valuable resource that lists all cars and which ones can and can not be towed and what special instrcutions apply to tow them.  IMO Jeep is the clear winner in the dingy catagory since they are easy to tow with no special needs and the odometer does not record the towed miles. Keeping that tow bar no more than 3"  (level is ideal) out of being level is crtical to good towing.  best of luck

John, Ron, and others,

Thanks for all of your advice and research on this issue. It saves me a lot of time and headache in muddling through making an informed decision about towing a sight seeing vehicle.

The V10 motors in our rigs, with their multitude of computers and mystery black boxes, don't easily lend themselves to DIY projects unless you have a degree in auto repair and thousands of dollars worth of tools. Gone are the days of the shade tree mechanic where a Saturday afternoon could be spent with a buddy and a six pack of beer, changing the oil, and pulling the distributor cap to check the points, while listening to Bob Seiger, or ' The Boss' on your cassette deck.

I do still change my own oil and check fluids as this is about all one can do these days. I was happy to see while crawling around underneath the Midnight Rambler, the the oil drain plug and filter are easily accessible!

So John, because of your time consuming research, and the fact that you know how to use a tire gauge and put air in the tires, I vote that your man card NOT be pulled!

Best to All,

Bill

Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! "Man card"??? You are seriously going to get yourself in trouble with the women on this forum. We use a mechanic now but I know how to put air in the tires, change the tire, change the oil, flush the radiator, gap the points and more. I've also changed batteries, distributor caps and wiring. I am the one that does most of the troubleshooting on the rig (though John does most of the repairs that don't require a mechanic). 

I was once a poor person with a finicky car so I traveled with the matching repair manual and used it on many occasions. This skill cost me a boyfriend way back when. He was driving and my car died roadside. He got out to fiddle with this, that and the other thing under the hood. I sat in the car and pulled out the trusty repair manual. I figured out the problem, swapped a fuse from something we didn't need to something we did and called him back in to get on down the road. He was seriously upset that I had undermined his "manliness" by resolving the car issue myself. No amount of fiddling with the engine was going to fix it and nobody was nearby to see that I was the one that found the solution but his ego couldn't handle the situation and he was in the wind. His loss, my gain. I hereby revoke HIS "man card" because that guy was seriously lacking.

sorry for hijacking of the string - back to the regularly scheduled towing calculation discussion

Hope I didn't step on anyone's toes!

I hope John realizes what a lucky man he is.

Safe Travels