powder coating

["Thomas J. Harais" <tharais@domain.elided>]

February 19, 1998

First, let me say that I am at home playing hookey from work and finally
catching up on digests. I've noted a few interesting things:

TOWING

From personal experience, a gentle reminder. As Bill T. said, the Scout
II was rated to tow only 5,000 lbs. Any more, and you are taking
chances. It's not that the drivetrain isn't up to more, it's that the
trailer mass will exceed the Scout's and be the controlling "interest".

I have towed small trailers, other vehicles and a four horse trailer
behind my Terra (with only two horses < 5,000 lbs). The Terra was
outfitted to two with heavier rear suspension, battery and radiator
compared to a "regular" Scout II. 

As I once relayed to this digest, that horse trailer, due to it's sheer
size and leverage over the Terra, almost killed me on a downhill grade
in Eastern WA.(On that same trip, I saw a Scout II pulling a 25' house
trailer {equalizer hitch still attached} on it's side at the bottom of a
long grade on I5 in Oregon, with the people's personal effects spread
all over the highway for about 300 yards!)

The very reason the 2nd owner sold me the Terra in the first place, was
because he was using it to pull a 5th wheel house trailer. Said he never
had any problems with it. He had even added a 50 gallon homemade fuel
tank in the front of the bed, behind the cab. But, he was finally
stopped by the CHP and given a ticket for exceeding the wheight rating
of the Terra.

The moral of the story is that it isn't smart to pull long or heavy
trailers with a Scout. In either case, the trailer is going to win via
the laws of physics - excessive mass or levarage. So, be carefull! If
you want to haul a large trailer, buy a Travelall or an IH pickup.

Tom Harais
'76 Terra, 304/727/20