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Old 11-21-2013, 11:30 PM   #55 (permalink)
redpoint5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elhigh View Post
That's a valid point. You can hitch up your F-350 and drag away a 9-ton load on a bumper hitch, or 12 tons on a fifth wheel. No special license required if I recall rightly.
I'm not up on the latest rules regarding new drivers, but being older, or an experienced driver does not guarantee that someone knows how to safely trailer heavy loads.

My dad had at least 20,000 lbs on a rear 2" ball hitch on my 2500 diesel, and it started swaying badly while on the highway doing 55 mph. When he started to brake, the fishtailing became much worse, and he was talking up all 3 lanes of the highway.

Probably nobody has any business pulling that kind of weight on a 2" ball hitch, and my dad, despite his incredible driving ability, had the wrong instincts when it came to pulling a trailer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr View Post
Altough the Iveco Daily is not available in the U.S., the Fiat Ducato is gonna be available there soon as the Ram ProMaster. That would probably be my choice for an efficient truck back there...
Very interesting. A 3L I4 diesel engine sounds appealing, but only if they offer a turbo charged version. I don't know why anyone would offer a non-turbo diesel these days.

...and FWD seems a bad idea for pulling a trailer. You want the traction on the axle with all the weight. Putting a load on the rear of a vehicle while simultaneously asking it to power and steer from the front seems a bad idea.
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