LeftyDale wrote:I would like to second the comment regarding towing speeds. A lower tongue weight can be safe at lower speeds, but unstable at the speeds we tow in the US.
cwegga wrote:QueticoBill wrote:Also found this sage post:
"The rated towing capacity has everything to do with liability and is dictated by the insurance folks. The Same exact Element is rated to tow 3236lbs in Australia when using trailer brakes."
I'd certainly not go over the US limits in US because of liability.
I would like to point out here that liability is not the only difference between towing in Australia or Europe, etc. and the US. If you look at trailer designs they vary across the world and many places have trailers with more centered axles and correspondingly lower tongue weights per trailer weight. Also going along with that different places have different laws about towing speeds. (Those low tongue weight trailers would be unstable at high US towing speeds) Last time I towed my camp trailer the speed limit at the highest was 85mph (135kph) and I towed at that. Places with different weight ratings, and different trailer designs often have different legal towing speeds also.
Guys, I call bullshit on your perceptions of Australia. We have speed limits of up to 130km/hr. (Northern Territory). Most of the open road is 110km/hr (68mph).
We also mandate minimum 10% of the loaded weight of the trailer must be on the tow ball. That has less to do with axle placement and more to do with where you place your load in relation to that axle.
Only one state has a lower limit for trailer towing. WA - 100km/hr or 62mph. It's not the state that has the 130 km/hr limit. I guarantee you, if the trailer is stable at our speeds, it will be stable at yours.