Ideal vehicle for a newbie?
Ok, I already realize now I made my first big RV mistake. Without understanding the towing capacity considerations I purchased a travel trailer that is just under 3000lbs (dry), for a 2003 Ford Escape...
Forum Discussion
Jim-Linda wrote:
1 ton dually.
Jim
:S
Ignore this kind of non-sense. There are those who think you need a one dually to tow a pop-up because they made some bad towing mistake at one time and overcompensated out of fear.
You have to ask yourself what kind of vehicle do you want? How big are you looking to go? Most of the mid-size SUVs will tow that trailer just fine. What I'm talking about are vehicles like the Chevy Traverse/GMC Acadia, Ford Explorer, and others in this class. Most in that range have 4500# - 5000# capacities. Which should give you plenty of margin.
You could also look at mid size PUs or even full size half ton trucks, either in a crew cab configuration. Having a bed to haul stuff is great. We towed with nothing but large SUVs for years, this is our first PU and I wish we had done it years ago.
Watch the payload, found on a sticker in the driver door. Your passengers, your dog, and anything you carry inside count against the payload. So does the weight of your trailer's tongue. So if your passengers and stuff weigh 400#, your trailer tongue weighs 400#, and your payload is 900#, you are still in good shape because you have 100# of margin. Hope that make some sense.
