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Re:How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania by rootusrootus on Sunday July 16, 2023 @08:13PM (#36752703)
Software, just like so many others on HN. The trailer is an RV we take out every couple weeks during the nice weather season. It takes over 1300 pounds of payload capacity just for the trailer itself, which doesn't leave much for anything else (hitch, cargo, humans, canine). That's how I ended up trading the F150 we had for an F250. And yes, the F250 is pretty big. It's actually not a lot bigger dimensionally than an F150 (same cab, even), but it's usually taller, and it has a very stiff suspension and a live axle in the front, so it feels a lot bigger. Thus why mine rarely goes anywhere it doesn't need to go. My Model 3 is far more comfortable as a daily.
Re:How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania by steele on Sunday July 16, 2023 @09:29PM (#36753103)
So your F250 is an accessory for your recreational vehicle.
Re:How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania by cure on Sunday July 16, 2023 @10:31PM (#36753429)
I'm confused - are you missing a zero?

The F150's towing capacity appears to be 5,000 to 14,000 pounds (random source: https://veteransfordtampa.com/ford-f-150-towing-capacity). You could tow a 1,300 pounds trailer with a regular car, e.g. the 2023 Ioniq 5 has 2,300 pounds of towing capacity.

Re:How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania by dragonwriter on Sunday July 16, 2023 @10:38PM (#36753469)
No, he's not towing 1,300 pounds, he's towing something that reduces carried cargo capacity by 1,300 pounds. (The impact is, IIRC, typically a bit over 10% of loaded trailer weight.)
Re:How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania by coryrc on Sunday July 16, 2023 @10:37PM (#36753462)
1300 lbs tongue weight.

Which is a big fucking trailer at 10% tongue weight.

Re:How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania by oblio on Monday July 17, 2023 @02:58AM (#36754972)
I'm slightly confused.

In Europe Volkswagen Passat, which is a regular sedan, can tow up to 2000kg braked (I think that's 4400 pounds) and 750 kg unbraked (1600 pounds):

https://www.carsguide.com.au/volkswagen/passat/towing-capaci...

Unless these sites use different measurement systems for towing (could be, I have no idea about these things), wouldn't a much smaller but more powerful car do?

In Europe people regularly tow RV trailers with Volvo V60 wagons...

Re:How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania by thevinmeister on Monday July 17, 2023 @07:16AM (#36756582)
Having looked into RV trailers in both the US and EU, I can say that the US trailers are by and large MUCH bigger than in the EU. A quick Google search showed a trailer[0] on sale in the UK, weighing in at 3289 lb. This is a typical size that I would see being towed around where I live in southern Germany. In the US, a typical trailer[1] size could come in at ~4500 lbs. Mind you, this weight is what we call dry, not counting the weight of a filled fresh water tank, important living items (i.e. food, dishes, clothing, etc), and any other items you might want to take camping.

Although this is (slightly) on the more extreme side, "fifth-wheels"[2] are also common to see on the road. These certainly require larger vehicles to pull.

[0]https://autoline24.uk/-/auction/caravan-trailers/Bailey/Pega... [1]https://rv.campingworld.com/rvdetails/used-travel-trailer-rv... [2]https://rv.campingworld.com/rvdetails/used-fifth-wheel-rvs/2...

Re:How to register a Kei truck in Pennsylvania by oblio on Monday July 17, 2023 @07:41AM (#36756864)
> Having looked into RV trailers in both the US and EU, I can say that the US trailers are by and large MUCH bigger than in the EU.

Hmmm... interesting.

It does make sense, though. Everything is bigger in the US: cars, roads, parking lots, nature reserves, people :-p