If a Touareg can tow a 747, a Tundra can tow the shuttle

[Buckeye(OH)]

In doing some family planning (Highlander), I happened across an interesting snippet on Toyota.com. Apparently, the Tundra is going to be towing Endeavor to its final resting place. They currently have one video up about a Tundra about to tow 307000lbs (but dont show it doing so yet).

Anyways as the kid of a Toyota engineer, I hope it doesnt flop in real life (apparently its going to be televised live). But MAN, 307000 lbs in what is claimed to be a stock Tundra with stock gears?

Discuss if you wish, or not.


The first primer video is on youtubehttp://www.youtube.com/user/ToyotaUS...?v=9huNSUY6s_4

[Saintor]

It proves definitely that the diesels are SO limited. j/k.

[03GTI4Me]

In doing some family planning (Highlander), I happened across an interesting snippet on Toyota.com. Apparently, the Tundra is going to be towing Endeavor to its final resting place. They currently have one video up about a Tundra about to tow 307000lbs (but dont show it doing so yet).

Anyways as the kid of a Toyota engineer, I hope it doesnt flop in real life (apparently its going to be televised live). But MAN, 307000 lbs in what is claimed to be a stock Tundra with stock gears?

Discuss if you wish, or not.


The first primer video is on youtubehttp://www.youtube.com/user/ToyotaUS...?v=9huNSUY6s_4

747-100 Weights 358,000lbs.

VW 4 LIFEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!

[joe97]

http://forums.thecarlounge.com/showt...ttle-to-museum

[Buckeye(OH)]

747-100 Weights 358,000lbs.

VW 4 LIFEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah but come on, give the Tundra some credit. A V10 diesel vs a V8 gasser thats a bit long in the tooth?

And honestly, that probably wasnt a 747-100 they towed. Those ****ers are few and far between these days. Id have to rewatch the video but, I just gave you some more ammo.

[Saintor]

747-100 Weights 358,000lbs.

VW 4 LIFEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!

That was a mock-up for movies with no engines. Much less than 300000lbs I'll bet.

[Buckeye(OH)]

http://forums.thecarlounge.com/showt...ttle-to-museum

FML

[mikegilbert]

But what if the frame rusts and breaks while towing?

[Shomegrown]

That was a mock-up for movies with no engines. Much less than 300000lbs I'll bet.

How much do you want to bet?

[71DubBugBug]

How much do you want to bet?

you by any chance work for vw or audi?

[leaftye]

http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question...s/q0051b.shtml

[RATHERSMART]

you by any chance work for vw or audi?

BTW, the 747 that lugs the shuttle around is hollowed out to allow it to take off with more weight. Even empty it still weighs more than the shuttle...

[nm+]

But what if the frame rusts and breaks while towing?

Came to post this. Leaving amused but bitter.

[Iroczgirl]

It would be cooler if they pulled it with a 1952 International pickup.

[path0s]

But the question is... the shuttle is with or without boosters? =P

Either way I believe the toaureg could tow more seeing how it towed the 747. But props to Toyota.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[Nourdmrolnmt]

This is such a crap 'advertising' way, but the public eats it up.

As long as you can break the initial friction it is an easy job, trucks don't get their tow rating from pulling and object at 3 mph.

Sent from my Droid Razr using Tapatalk 2

[koko12]

meh the Touareg nor the Tundra hold a candle to this

[tiexgrr]

^ Probably the only form of penis stretching that would actually work

[vasillalov]

Its all about gearing. I can tow the an aircraft carrier with a 1/2 hp single cylinder engine out of a leaf blower if I have the right gearing. It'll be slow, but it'll work.

[Benkennedy11]

Whatever, i'm sure some Belgian can tow a 747 with his nipples, it's not going to make me buy a belgian dude to haul my car trailer around.

EDIT: Or the hairy dude using his balls. That video is validating exactly what I just said.

[Cubster]

Call me crazy......but shouldn't a truck made by one of the big 3 doing this job?

[03GTI4Me]

Yeah but come on, give the Tundra some credit. A V10 diesel vs a V8 gasser thats a bit long in the tooth?

And honestly, that probably wasnt a 747-100 they towed. Those ****ers are few and far between these days. Id have to rewatch the video but, I just gave you some more ammo.

If I recall correctly, It was a 747-100 (or -200) that is stored at the Top Gear test track. I think its used as a mockup for one of the BBC shows. It does have engines, but I think that they are engines from a different aircraft (VC-10 style).

For the record, I am a Toyota (truck) fan. I loved my Tacoma.

[leaftye]

[czykvw]

Call me crazy......but shouldn't a truck made by one of the big 3 doing this job?

Its southern california, not middle america. It was designed and its built here = American

Plus Toyota has its HQ in LA county so im guessing they got first dibs?

[1Point8TDan]

Call me crazy......but shouldn't a truck made by one of the big 3 doing this job?

Clearly you have to leave the RAM out of towing capabilities.

It would be pretty bad if it fails so I'm assuming Toyota just planned it right...

[Buckeye(OH)]

Its southern california, not middle america. It was designed and its built here = American

Plus Toyota has its HQ in LA county so im guessing they got first dibs?

That's not entirely true. Manufacturing HQ is in Erlanger, KY right outside of Cincinnati.

Go Reds?!

[Aonarch]

meh the Touareg nor the Tundra hold a candle to this

[Mazda 3s]

http://yfrog.us/cblcwjewsypfskogvtonvzalz

[Shomegrown]

Cool.

But the Touareg still did about 35,000 lbs more AND pulled it in the wet.

*edit* below it says the shuttle+trailer weighed 292,000 lbs, so the T-reg towed about 50,000 lbs more.

[emmettlodge]

4:55AM EDT October 13. 2012 - A Toyota Tundra pickup towed the retired space shuttle Endeavour across the freeway bridge in Inglewood, Calif., last night, a publicity coup that helped underscore Toyota's American connections.

The shuttle is winding its way from Los Angeles International Airport to a museum near downtown Los Angeles. Most of the way, it is being towed by a tractor atop of high-tech rig. But for about 100 yards, the crews needed to lighten the load to get it across Manchester Avnue overpass to cross the San Diego Freeway.

That's where the Toyota Tundra came in.

As we've told you, Toyota has been practicing for months for the move. We learned last night that execs actually gave the operation an internal code name, Blue Ox, and that training began several months ago -- all for a move of about 100 yards.

Indeed, the wait of few hours before the pull was mostly to get crews and equipment in place for the television commercial that Toyota is shooting. A director urged workers to pretend to inspect the rig carrying the shuttle at one point. "Give me a couple of guys in front of the tow hitch, please," he said.

The pickup truck that did the pull was silver with two-foot-tall Tundra letters written across the side. On the front end was written "Born in America," making it clear that Toyota, a Japanese automaker, wants to use the shuttle pull to once again try to get Americans to think of it as an American maker. The Tundra is made in San Antonio.

Even though it practiced for months, pulling the 292,000-pound trailer turned out to be no big deal. The engine never even revved hard. When the truck started effortlessly pulling the shuttle -- in four-wheel-drive low, naturally -- the crowd of several hundred broke into a "USA, USA" chant.

[RennbahnPolizei]

Japanese thing towing America's Pride!

[Mazda 3s]

Japanese thing towing America's Pride!

It's a publicity stunt, just like the Touareg "pull".

And Toyota took the risk. Could you imagine if the Big Three did this stunt and failed a 1/4 mile down the road? They'd never get over the embarrassment.

[Shomegrown]

It's a publicity stunt, just like the Touareg "pull".

And Toyota took the risk. Could you imagine if the Big Three did this stunt and failed a 1/4 mile down the road? They'd never get over the embarrassment.

Not really the same IMO. VW just rented a plane and airstrip and tugged it around. The retirement of something as significant as the space shuttle is something completely different.

Personally I think an American truck should have done the pull, and I don't consider the Tundra an American truck.

[vwpiloto]

It's wrong, like the made in China Olympic uniforms.

[Mazda 3s]

Personally I think an American truck should have done the pull, and I don't consider the Tundra an American truck.

As I said, it was likely a calculated move. The GM/Ford/Chrysler PR departments probably all passed on the opportunity because the risk/reward probably wasn't in their favor.

I personally think that one of the Big Three should have done it too, but the damage to their reputation with thousands of people lining the streets and being televised by a national audience towing an American icon would be huge IMHO.