Looking for TT to fit our needs. Newb.
Hello learned sages! Taking the family on a tour of the US and Canada this summer. National Parks, etc. I think we have basically decided to get a travel trailer, and tow it with my vehicle. It's m...
Forum Discussion
BarleyCrusher wrote:
Help me understand why. Yes, I'd prefer to tow something large and comfortable, but I don't want to break my vehicle or compromise our safety.
Let me start over.
My TV GVWR is 6150lbs. Vehicle with full tank of gas, me and my family, and our camping stuff weighs about 5580lbs. Owners manual says it can tow 6500lbs, but the hitch is only rated to 5000lbs. What other numbers make a difference?
What weight range should I be looking for? What kind of length is ideal, how long is too long?
How much different is towing a 4000lb TT vs towing a 4000lb pop-up? Maybe that's what I'm not understanding.
EDIT: Factory tow package comes with a transmission cooler, which I just verified is installed in my TV.
With a load of people, the axle weight limits and/or gross vehicle weight limit will generally be the limiting factor for the weight you can tow with an SUV. The maximum tow rating generally only coincides with a quite lightly loaded tow vehicle (for SUVs, somewhat less so for some other vehicles such as many full sized vans). A weight distributing hitch can, within reason, shift some of the tongue weight from the rear axle to the front axle, but that doesn't do anything to help the GVWR.
The difference between towing a travel trailer and a popup of similar weight is the frontal area and hence wind resistance of the trailer. A travel trailer acts something like a drag chute behind your vehicle and puts a considerably greater strain on the drivetrain. (The side area of a travel trailer also makes it more affected by side winds, and that can make the handling of the setup rather more dicey, particularly when you're close to the limits of what the vehicle can handle.)
