European vs. U.S. tow ratings on same vehicles

TRob

I found this to be a fascinating analysis of why the same vehicle can be rated to tow far more in Europe than in the states. Basically, it mostly comes down to putting a smaller percentage of trailer weight on the the hitch but limiting the tow speed. They are generally between 4 and 7% on the hitch but speed is strictly limited to about 60 mph. A Jeep Wrangler in Europe is rated at over 5000 lbs in some cases. It's 3500 in the states. Not sure if there are any differences in the hitch itself, but it's the same vehicle basically. 

One takeaway for me is if you are going to tow close to your stated vehicle capabilities in the states then you need to slow it down if you want some margin of safety. 

I know this can be a hot topic and I don't want to stir things up but slower speed is one way to get some margin of safety and still tow near stated vehicle capacity. That assumes that your vehicle is built to handle that load on components and engine of course.

Personally, if I am going to tow near limits I would want sway control and possibly weight distribution as added safety measures. And then keep it slow and easy. Not in a hurry to get anywhere anyway.

YMMV - I put this out for information only. I found it very interesting. I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything and don't intend to debate it.

https://oppositelock.kinja.com/tow-me-down-1609112611

N7SHG_Ham

Convincing Americans to drive leisurely is the issue. It seems as fast as you can from point a to b, full speed ahead, damn anyone that gets in way is pretty much normal driving, trailer or not.

It is very rare to not be the slowest person in the road at the limit and usually 10 over.

I moblized to an out of state work project this past Sunday, two lane road with posted limit up to 65, whitnesed several very close near miss head ons because of unsafe passing. I think driving slow with or without a trailer invites stupid unsafe driving by others. Too much NASCAR mentality in the USA...

mona

No matter how you look at it, you’re still towing illegally, if you are exceeding US tow capacity for your vehicle. 

Verna

Always check with your insurance company. If you knowingly tow out of limits, they can pay for the other property damaged, but refuse to pay your claim. They will go to any lengths to investigate you, including any social media posts you have made. 

Kr@cken

Just curious. I tow at about 55% of my max tow capacity. Do insurance companies usually cover if someone is towing at their maximum tow capacity or do they have a “safe percentage” limit?

VictoriaP

I do think manufacturers are conservative with weight limits in the US. We are a highly litigious society. We are also speed demons. And we have plenty of mountain passes we expect to bullet through at 70 mph, trailer or no trailer. 🙄

Having towed a Tab with about an 7-8% tongue weight in order to stay below the hitch limit for my previous car, I will unequivocally state it was a spectacularly bad idea, and I cannot imagine how much worse it would have been at 4-6%. The handling was not great, and it could not be pulled at (low) freeway speeds without a sway bar, which should not be needed for a properly loaded trailer of this size.

While driving slower does help, it is not always safe (or in some cases, legal!) to do so. You can in fact be ticketed for failing to keep up with traffic in some states. So while it is a good idea anyway to slow down while towing, it’s not a practical solution to getting around towing weight limits.

And, of course, as @Verna said, you’re opening yourself up to being held personally liable in an accident. Your US insurer doesn’t care about European weight limits. Good luck trying to defend yourself with that argument in a lawsuit.

Kr@cken said:

Just curious. I tow at about 55% of my max tow capacity. Do insurance companies usually cover if someone is towing at their maximum tow capacity or do they have a “safe percentage” limit?

I haven’t heard of such. I was in a non-Tab accident many years ago while towing pretty close to, but not OVER, my vehicle limit. No argument from the insurer, everything was covered.

But simply put, you’re way less likely to end up in an accident in the first place at that percentage. 

atlasb

Got passed on the interstate the other day with a big ford and big 5th wheel doing 75mph! Guess he is not planning on any tire blow outs or other issues.

Denny16

Victoria, I agree, we tend to drive too fast in this country.  Back in the 70 s during the first oil panic, the US set a 60 or 65 mph National max highway speed to reduce fuel use.  In Calif, they set a 55 mph max speed.  I think, given the current highway useage, we should return to a max National speed limit of 60 mph, which would reduce fuel use, reduce emissions and save lives, by reducing or eliminating many accidents thst are the result of driving too fast.

Vehicles towing a trailer should be limited to 55-60 mph on highways and. 45-50mph on non highway/freeway type roads, like country back roads.  As a nation, we need to slow down — and take time to smell the roses.
cheers

VictoriaP

Denny16 said:

Victoria, I agree, we tend to drive too fast in this country.  Back in the 70 s during the first oil panic, the US set a 60 or 65 mph National max highway speed to reduce fuel use.  In Calif, they set a 55 mph max speed.  I think, given the current highway useage, we should return to a max National speed limit of 60 mph, which would reduce fuel use, reduce emissions and save lives, by reducing or eliminating many accidents thst are the result of driving too fast.

Vehicles towing a trailer should be limited to 55-60 mph on highways and. 45-50mph on non highway/freeway type roads, like country back roads.  As a nation, we need to slow down — and take time to smell the roses.
cheers

There’s a reason I don’t buy red cars. I fly low, and red makes that more obvious. 😁 I love speed...not recklessly so, I’m not one of those darting in and out of six lanes cutting people off, but give me an open road and I have to consciously remember to take my foot off the gas. The only thing that keeps me from going crazy speed-wise is that I don’t want to break my 20+ year streak of no speeding tickets. LOL Plus, gas mileage. Gas isn’t cheap in my neck of the woods.

But that said, I was surprised to find I had no trouble making myself hang out in the slow lane with the semis at 55-60 mph when pulling the Tab.  (Trailers in WA are limited to truck speeds, generally 60 on freeways outside of cities.) Driving slower while towing is absolutely a smart thing to do, it’s just not the way to get around a manufacturer’s towing limits.

TRob

Just to be extra clear - Nobody is suggesting that anyone use this info to tow over stated limits. It does give more perspective on how close to your stated limits you are willing to go partially based on how you drive.

TRob

Verna said:

Always check with your insurance company. If you knowingly tow out of limits, they can pay for the other property damaged, but refuse to pay your claim. They will go to any lengths to investigate you, including any social media posts you have made. 

Nowhere did I suggest towing over stated limits. 

Verna

And, @TRob, nowhere did I say you did. 

This conversation comes up so frequently that a few years ago I asked my insurance agent what would happen if someone knowingly towed out of their limits. Their answer is above. 

Many times my simple statement has stopped some from making a comment that can’t be erased on social media. I have also been ignored many times. 

Take my insurance agent’s advice, to all owners. 

Denny16

Driving a vehicle that is overloaded...
Pulling a trailer that is larger/Heath an the vehicle is rated for
Pulling a large trailer too fast, or driving too fast for conditions...
Are all accidents waiting to happen...
cheers

pthomas745

I've posted this article on this Forum once or twice, and I put it on the FB page the other day.  A few times, people have searched for "can my vehicle tow this TAB" and wound up on a European web site, and decided that yes, my small SUV can certainly tow this trailer, "It Says So Right Here."

So, the article is a good review of how different the safety standards are between the two continents. 

Denny16

Yes it does, and all based on different towing regulations and practices.  In Australia, they have road side inspections points with scales for vehicles towing 
trailers, and not just commercial but RV trailers especially.  If they find the GVRW over the limit, you get parked, until you bring the load under the gross weight rating.  Same for axle loads, and The Aussies are very strict on this, more so than we are.
cheers

N7SHG_Ham

Insurance companies indeed do investigations, not related to towing or a Tab, but I do have 1st hand experience. My folks were involved in a bad accident in 1994, my Father was killed, my Mother recovered and went on to live many years, passing in 2019.

My Father pulled out from a side street and was t boned. He was at fault, right? Not entirely, after the engineering analysis and crash reconstruction was done by the insurance companies, it was a 40-60 fault due to other driver being at least 15 over limit (posted 35 and they figured at least 50). What appears to be pretty obvious turns out to be the insurance companies fighting it out in court to reduce their cost.

I have no doubt if you overload, over speed, etc. With your Tab and injury someone the insurance companies will figure that out.

4ncar

@N7SHG_Ham: sorry for your tragic loss.

N7SHG_Ham

@4ncar, thanks!

AirBoss

I'm in the midst of a 13 state, 7-8 week adventure across the South, west to east and back again. In several states posted speeds for vehicles with three or more axles is 55mph. Makes good sense. I'm in...

To the points made by others, I never exceed 65mph, when its not restricted to lower, and 80% of the time is 60mph. Very comfortable there...and were are not supposed to be in a rush while doing this, right?! 

@Denny16, interesting take on reducing speed as it relates to emissions. On one hand, it would seem slower speeds would mean longer time on the road, thus more emissions. Is there data indicating higher speeds produce higher emissions even if the trip is shorter in time overall? Curiosity got the better of me!