Tow Vehicle Woes

The discussion on tow vehicles hits home. I have to replace the
trusty Accord with something that has a beefier hitch attachment
point.

I've managed to rip the hitch off from the bottom of the trunk twice
now.

Car: 2000 Honda Accord V6 sedan, 201,000 miles.

Trailer: 2006 Swan, with fiberglass top. Tongue weight: 170 lbs.
Total weight: Not yet weighed, but empty trailer is, according to the
manufacturer, 500 kg and the glider (LS1-d)weighs around 550 lbs, I
think. I would imagine the total trailer weighs about 1,700 lbs. I
hope to weigh it soon.

The first hitch attached with three bolts to the bottom of the Honda
trunk. The sheet metal measures "Oh Too Thin" I found out the hard
way. I think the trunk started tearing when the trailer hitch
wouldn't release from the knob as I was cranking the trailer hitch up
off of the knob and I was lifting the rear end of the car. Why was
the knob sticking? Because, unknown to me at the time, the Al-Ko
hitch has a little rubber cover that provides a cushion for the
trailer tongue when you back your car's bumper into it. It prevents
the trailer tongue from scratching your bumper. Well, a bit of the
rubber would get caught on the knob when hooking up the trailer and
when I tried to release, I would end up jacking up the rear of the car
a bit and stomp on the trailer hitch to release it. I thought it was
just a tight connection. Turns out the car wasn't made for this
abuse. Duh.

A body shop welded up the trunk and I found another hitch design.
This one bolted to the "frame" in two points and also to the "tie
down" or "tow" loop that is right over the center of the hitch. The
first hitch bolted here, too.

But I've managed to tear that out too. I think I did that when I
bottomed out recently. That is, when I drove the car out of a gravel
driveway onto a road and the trailer hitch hit the ground. I suppose
that's when the bottom of the trunk cracked around the central hitch
attachment point.

Damn.

So now, I need a vehicle that I can afford to buy, and afford to
commute 80 miles per day to work. Oil just hit US$88 per barrel.

I try to ride a bus to work as often as I can, but sometimes, I still
drive.

So, no, I'm not buying a Ford F-150 or Chevy pickup truck. I'm not
getting an Avalanche or Ford Excursion. In fact, I'm not getting a
Ford of anything. I've had two and they both lived up to the name of
"Found on the Road Dead."

I wish Honda had their turbo diesel here in America in the CR-V.
Sigh.

So, I think I've narrowed my search to the current Toyota RAV4 with V6
and the current Hyundai Santa Fe with V6. Both seem to have good
reviews in media that I have found. The plus for the RAV4 is that it
is a Toyota. It also gets about the same mileage as my Accord, even
with all wheel drive and 69 more horsepower! The Hyundai gets
excellent reviews on safety, but mileage isn't as good as the RAV4.
Both are rated to tow 2,000 lbs without the trailer towing package.
And both can tow 3,500 lbs with the tow package.

Which shall it be? I don't know, the story isn't over yet. But if
anyone wants a good hitch for a 2000 Accord (probably fit any sixth
generation Accord), send me a note. Should be great for a bicycle
rack.

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA
Have trailer and glider, but no tow vehicle