Re: SUV Protest
- From: The Wogster <wogsterca@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2005 14:15:18 -0400
Stephen Harding wrote:
The Wogster wrote:
mark wrote:
"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote ...
In my experience the phrase "station wagons are unavailable these days" is semantically equivalent to "station wagons returning under 20mpg are unavailable these days", the statement is every bit as much a pretext as the "reasons" advanced by many non-cyclists for driving improbably short distances.
[Sorry. Can't quite figure out who to attribute this to.]
Not necessarily.
A big selling point of the stationwagon used to be towing capacity. They could all haul at least 3000 pounds. That's virtually not possible with any unibody construction car of today. You have no choice but go to an SUV/light truck. (I might add that "towing power" includes braking considerations; not just the ability to move 3000+ pounds, which virtually any car can do for at least a short distance.) An awful lot of people tow things. Mostly boats but also snowmobiles, ATVs, motorcycles, campers/trailers and such.
The issue is that most cars are front wheel drive, and that means that a heavy trailer can cause a loss of traction. If you really want to tow something, the Dodge RAM 3500 with diesel engine (4x2) can easily tow 11,300 lbs and up to 16,300lbs with the proper equipment installed (5th wheel?). True it would not go into deep bush, but the 4wd version can (at a loss of 1000lbs towing capacity). However even at that, do you really need to drive a big truck around town all year, to tow your trailer for a week once a year?
There are other solutions, like renting, simply rent the big truck for a week or two, drive it (with your trailer) to your campsite, then drive it home at the end of the time, then drive a small car the rest of the year. If there were a call for this, car/truck rental companies -- or trailer dealers -- could do a good business at it. Simple, you rent the truck in the city, say here in Toronto, drive your trailer up to say Algonquin, park the trailer, take the truck to the local rental place, turn it in, and pickup a small car, drive the car around for a week or two, of course bikes (both human powered and motorized ) are also an option, at the end of your trip, you go back to the rental place, turn the car in, pickup a truck, then haul your trailer home. They could easily do it as a package deal.....
Of course another option, tents are nice and portable, and fit into most cars, heck there are tents that fit into panniers on a bike! Tent trailers are another option, there is one made in BC Canada that is under 250lbs and runs behind a motorcycle!
W .
- References:
- Re: SUV Protest
- From: Just zis Guy, you know?
- Re: SUV Protest
- From: mark
- Re: SUV Protest
- From: Just zis Guy, you know?
- Re: SUV Protest
- From: mark
- Re: SUV Protest
- From: The Wogster
- Re: SUV Protest
- From: Stephen Harding
- Re: SUV Protest
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