Date:         Fri, 3 Jun 2005 20:39:50 -0500
Reply-To:     Joel Walker <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Joel Walker <jwalker17@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject:      Fyrdaye's Frantic Facts: Believe it or Don't - '88 Westy: Towing
              Capacity?
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On 6/3/05, Joy Hecht <jhecht@alum.mit.edu> wrote:
> What does "tongue weight" refer to in these figures?

"tongue weight" is an index number proportional to the degree of
fatigue in dogs and cats and horses and cows, and loosely based on the
weight of the animal in question.

it works this way:
the more you run a dog (cat,horse, whatever), the more fatigured it
becomes.
the more fatigured it becomes, the more its tongue hangs out.
the more tongue hangs out, the more 'tongue weight' for that animal.

ok, fine. but what has that to do with towing capacity??

simple.

dogs pull sleds in alaska, right?
horse pull wagons round the world, and even sleds and a troika or two
in russia and like-climated regions.
cows pull wagons in some parts of the world.
cats. ok, now cats aren't used in toooooo many places to pull things,
but they could be if they weren't so damned independent and snooty and
felt like helping out around the house once in a while!!

so ...

you can judge the towing ability (capacity) of the animal by the
'tongue weight' ... the more its tongue hangs out, the more it's
pulling. excessive 'tongue weight' can be a clear indication of
'overload' .. and the weight in the sled/trailer/troika should be
reduced immediately if the 'tongue weight' exceeds the weight of the
animal. this is most noticeable in dogs and cats and husbands. failure
to reduce the load can result in legal action by the ASPCA, AARP, DOT,
and WDHAOWJLTHA (we don't have an organization - we just like to hang
around). substantial penalties may be assessed in cases of critical
overload.

so if you see a trailer out there with a stamped notice on the towbar
saying "Tongue Weight 100 lbs" that's a clear indication that you need
a horse or cow or really big dog or husband to pull that trailer.
basically, it boils down to this: the pulling animal needs to be at
least five (5) times the 'tongue weight'.
so the most that dumb little chihuahua is gonna pull (before it
croaks) is maybe a gallon jug of hootch on wheels.

and now you know the wrest of the storie. :)
unca joel
(only one margarita tonight!)