View Single Post
  #833  
Old September 16th 18, 05:09 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Frank Krygowski[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,538
Default AG: pickup trucks

On 9/16/2018 7:53 AM, Stephen Harding wrote:
On 09/15/2018 10:12 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:

Once upon a time I happened to mention somewhere on Usenet that
getting rid of one of our two internal-combustion vehicles would
increase our carbon footprint, because we can do car things with the
pickup truck, but we couldn't do truck things with the car.

An anti-truck fanatic told me, with a perfectly-straight face and
absolute sincerity, that adding a trailer to my car would render it
capable of towing trailers.


Pickup trucks are amazingly useful vehicles.

I've heard the same argument concerning needing only a trailer to match
pickup truck capabilities but they will never match.

You can indeed pull a ton or two in your little Prius via a trailer,
just as you could in a pickup truck, but your suspension won't hold up
like a truck's will and you won't be able to stop as well as a truck
can.Â* You'll also need some additional skills maneuving the trailer
around that aren't quite similar to skill levels required for a truck.


I disagree about the car's suspension. If the trailer is properly
designed and loaded, the car carries maybe 100 pounds hitch load. The
suspension effect is about the same as one extra passenger. Almost all
the trailer's load is borne by the trailer's suspension, not the car's.

You're correct that the car+trailer won't stop quite as well. If that's
a real worry, one can get a trailer with its own brakes. But I've driven
tens of thousands of miles in small cars pulling brakeless trailers with
no braking problems. Reasonable caution is all that's required.

I agree that more skills are required, but that's almost entirely when
backing up. It's easy to remember not to cut corners too sharply.

The two modes of transport aren't equivalent.


I agree. The car+trailer option is less expensive, gets better gas
mileage, emits less pollution, doesn't produce big blind spots for other
drivers, doesn't have headlights at a blinding height, etc. etc.


--
- Frank Krygowski
Ads
 

Home - Home - Home - Home - Home