Jarrod (Santa Fe, NM) – Do you think the Rascal does better with 12” or 13” tires?

Funny you ask, Jarrod…

I’m not sure if I met you in my travels or not, but I have had both sized tires.  Originally, in ’05 the Rascal had 12” tires on it.  As far I knew, it was normal, but I did notice it was a little bumpy.  In ’06 I had my Rascal overhauled and upgraded to 13” – while it looked much larger, it also towed much smoother.  I know the company dropped 12” tires right around that same time.  In a car or on a cycle, the same holds true…

Yours,

Gus

Lisa (Port Charlotte, FL) – Hi Gus, when the roads are slick, do you ride any different when you pull your teardrop vs. when you are tow-free?

Hi Lisa,

That is a great question and interesting on at that – I actually conducted experiments with respect to your question, knowing that I had tens and tens of thousands of miles ahead of me with my teardrop.  I wanted to know EVERYTHING about it and how it would handle in different circumstances.  This may or may not come as a surprise, but as with cross winds, I actually find the teardrop to be a stabilizing force.  The extra set of wheels, with a decently wide base seem to give me a little more grip in a sense.  Overall, I don’t necessarily advise riding in any inclimate weather, but my trailer definitely doesn’t make anything worse.

Yours,

Gus

Francisco (New Mexico) – Hi Gus, I had a really quick one for you – do you EVER unhook your Rascal?
Francisco….
That is a VERY good question…it may be sarcastic, yet it does expose me for who I really am – I hardly ever take off my Rascal because I never know when I may need it. Even when I make a quick run into town, I take it in case I get more than a bag or two at the grocery store. I also get the benefit of stability when I do have all of that extra cargo. So, in short, yes, but maybe once a week.

Phil (New Mexico) –
Hey there Gus, quick one for you…do you have a 12 volt package on your trailer? I like the option of power when I stop for the night, but am worried about the weight.

Hi Phil…
You are right to be concerned. While a 12 volt package is ideal in a teardrop, if you are hauling yours with a bike, you need to be aware of the overall weight – most notably your tongue weight. A deep cycle battery will add 40+ lbs to the trailer, not to mention some of the other pieces/parts that go along with it. I would suggest adding an external 120 v outlet and a couple internal recepts that will allow you to plug your trailer in and plug in whatever you need – always remember, keep your tongue weight in line with your vehicle’s limitations, if you don’t, you’ll contribute to damaging your vehicle and possibly yourself.

Gus is getting the month of November off for travelling…watch next month for YOUR question…

Hi Gus!

I am interested in purchasing a little guy since i have a Subaru Baja. I was interested in buying a pop up or an rpod, but the dealer i spoke with said i cant pull those w/my car even though the weight of the smaller ones is 1500lbs, they said if i load things into it, the weight would be greater. They said they require vehicles to tow at least 3500lbs even though the tow itself is 1500. The little guy might just be my best option – we will see! What can you tell me about my dilemma?

Thanks,

Victoria

Middlebury, Ct

Hi Mary…

We have a lot of Subaru owners that have purchased Little Guys – I have attached a few pics for your review.

There are two ways with respect to tow ratings:

1.       Your vehicle – most standard vehicles are rated to tow 1,000 lbs but any truck or SUV or ‘adventurous vehicle’ will be greater

2.       Your hitch – no matter what your hitch is rated to tow (2,000 – 3,500), you must not exceed the towing capacity of your vehicle

One thing to keep in mind, the towing capacity for any vehicle is based on that vehicle towing a trailer at all times.

You can exceed this tow rating, you just don’t want to do a tremendous amount of driving if you are significantly over the limit.

That said, you would be able to tow any of our trailers, with perhaps the only exception being a 6-Wide Sport model.

85% of our models are under 1,000 lbs – I hope this has shed some light on your dilemma.

Let me know if you have any other questions…

Gus

Hi Gus,

I have been thinking about a Rascal for some time now but a few car enthusiasts have told me that towing with a four cylinder car will destroy the transmission.  I plan to do most of my camping in mountainous areas.  Would it be better to go with a six cylinder car?

Thanks for you time

Mary

Hi Mary…

Thanks for writing .

I have hauled Rascal over 60,000 miles with much less than a 4 cylinder car – a Goldwing.

That alone should ease any fears you may have about towing a Rascal with a car.

Here are some general guidelines to abide by:

Look at your vehicle’s tow rating – that rating is the suggested limit should you be towing something 100% of the time Consider the terrain you are travelling for the majority of your towing: flat vs. hills vs. mountains (I live in Colorado) Consider the trailer you are towing: a Rascal is virtually non-existant behind 98% of all vehicles on the road today.

All of that said, a Rascal won’t do anything to your transmission unless:

You drive a Smart Car AND

You live in the mountains AND

You tow it 100% of the time AND

You drive extremely aggressively (accelerating, braking, turns, etc).

Feel free to contact me again with any questions you may have…

Take Care.

Gus