PLEASE HELP Big Family, Big Trailer, Large SUV Tow
I am looking for a TT for my young family of 5 kids (under 8). Perfect situation would be a trailer with 4 bunks and couch and table beds. My wife and I are both tall, I'm 6'6", so trailer needs to be above 80" or I feel like I'm in a kid's playhouse. :) We have been looking and looking and I get more and more confused.
My towing vehicle is a Lincoln Navigator L 2009. Towing Capacity is 8500 lbs, Payload of 1440 lbs. With 5 small kids a truck just isn't an option. I thought that the towing capacity would be what would limit me at first, but I am starting to see that the payload on the vehicle will be my limiting factor here. Currently 550 lbs of passengers (increasing every day), only gives me 900 lbs for the tongue weight and any other little thing in the car. Throw into the equation a little blurb I saw in my owner's manual that I lose 2-3% for every 1000 feet in elevation!? I live in Utah, at elevation of 4500! Am I screwed? Can I even pull a trailer big enough for my family? What are my options?
The lightest trailers I can find, that can fit my family and have a high enough ceiling, are the Shadow Cruisers. Specifically the SC 280 QBS with a dry weight of 5450 lbs. and GVWR of 7690 lbs. I don't think we would hit the GVWR but you never know until you are packed up I guess? 10-15% for tongue weight gives me a number between 690lbs (dealer provided) and whatever it is after packing.
Are people really expected to do all these calculations on their own? Is there an expert that I can trust? Every dealer says I will be fine. The more I read, the more scared I get of even towing a trailer at all! There are so many factors going into this...please help!
My towing vehicle is a Lincoln Navigator L 2009. Towing Capacity is 8500 lbs, Payload of 1440 lbs. With 5 small kids a truck just isn't an option. I thought that the towing capacity would be what would limit me at first, but I am starting to see that the payload on the vehicle will be my limiting factor here. Currently 550 lbs of passengers (increasing every day), only gives me 900 lbs for the tongue weight and any other little thing in the car. Throw into the equation a little blurb I saw in my owner's manual that I lose 2-3% for every 1000 feet in elevation!? I live in Utah, at elevation of 4500! Am I screwed? Can I even pull a trailer big enough for my family? What are my options?
The lightest trailers I can find, that can fit my family and have a high enough ceiling, are the Shadow Cruisers. Specifically the SC 280 QBS with a dry weight of 5450 lbs. and GVWR of 7690 lbs. I don't think we would hit the GVWR but you never know until you are packed up I guess? 10-15% for tongue weight gives me a number between 690lbs (dealer provided) and whatever it is after packing.
Are people really expected to do all these calculations on their own? Is there an expert that I can trust? Every dealer says I will be fine. The more I read, the more scared I get of even towing a trailer at all! There are so many factors going into this...please help!
