Why Do Towing Capacities Matter?
Ignoring capacities is one of the worst towing mistakes you can make.
When you don’t go by what the manufacturer recommends when towing cargo or choosing a tow vehicle in the first place, you can end up overloading the truck or SUV and seeing major expensive damage as a result.
Towing capacities are set for a reason: to preserve the main components of your vehicle and keep you, your passengers and your cargo safe. Why should you strictly adhere to towing capacities and manufacturer guidelines? Here are four incentives:
Keeps Engine in Good Working Order
The engine specifications determine how much your tow vehicle is capable of. Towing capacities are set according to how much horsepower and torque your truck or SUV’s engine produces. If you overload your tow vehicle, you’re placing undue pressure on engine components, and your car could break down and require repair much sooner than expected.
On the other hand, don’t spend money on a tow vehicle with an engine that has much higher towing capacities than you need. Since larger, more powerful engines use more fuel, you’ll just waste money over time.
Reduce Transmission Wear
Different benefits are associated with both manual and automatic transmissions. Manual transmissions give you more control, but automatic transmissions are more efficient. Either way, exceeding a vehicle’s towing capacity spells trouble for your transmission, wearing down the clutch and damaging the gears. Stay under the limit and keep your vehicle’s transmission safe.
Maintain Brake Effectiveness
Even a vehicle’s brake pad size and depth are taken into account when towing capacity is set. Going overboard with weight can cause brake pads to suffer from excessive friction, wearing them down quickly and potentially warping the rotors. That is a major issue and quite expensive to fix.
Make an Accurate Hitch Choice
Towing capacity isn’t only to help you figure out how much you can tow, it helps you understand how to tow. You need to select a hitch that can handle the weight you plan on towing, and the first piece of information you’ll need is the vehicle’s overall towing capacity.
Assess your current setup: Are you over the limit when you factor in the weight of the trailer, the cargo in the trailer and the cargo in the tow vehicle itself? If so, you must make changes before you run into problems.
It’s critical to adhere to your vehicles’ towing capacities, but if anything should ever go wrong, you can trust Stauffer’s Towing to help you find solutions and respond to any roadside emergency, any time of day or night.
