Downsizing Our Trailer & Tow Vehicle

Thank you everyone for the replies - you've given us a lot to think about. In answer to a couple of questions about why we were looking to go from a V8 to a V6, first, our truck is getting up in age & gas mileage is really declining. Second, we're looking to downsize our TT, so we thought maybe a smaller vehicle would also work. Doesn't sound promising, though. We live in the Denver area, so traveling through the mountains is a consideration for us. Sounds like we're probably going to stick with a V8 even if we downsize the TT. Thanks again for all the info.

genick wrote:
We're looking to downsize our trailer to something in the 20' to 22' range, & also to downsize from our V8 truck to a V6, preferably a SUV. The trailers we've been looking at have a GVWR of 5000 lbs or less. Can we safely haul a trailer of this weight with a V6? Does anyone have suggestions on SUVs that have decent gas mileage that could tow 5000 lbs or less?
Thanks for any help.

The Nissan Pathfinder has been getting good reviews, it's rated at 6,000# and is a V6 with good mileage and decent hauling. There are a couple of others too, but that would be best matched to downsizing and a 21 foot I'd guess. If you are in the mountains much the V6 may be pushed at altitude.
I did a fairly extensive look recently at this mid sized SUV market, for a slightly larger trailer. For me the best is the BMW X5 With the deisel, but I'm pulling 6,000# so need more torque than you do. They are expensive new, but they are very reliable and the price drops rapidly on the used ones, at least around here. They get great mileage and handle very well.

shadows4 wrote:
What about an Expedition? 17's are aluminum and have the 3.5L V6 Eco-boost. Awesome!!!!

That would be the best by far.

JRP, what is rear wheel frame? I said Explorer was front wheel drive. Yes, there is an all wheel option. Per Car and Driver..."It’s standard with front-wheel drive and a 290-hp V-6; all-wheel drive is optional"

The new Expeditions will tow that with ease. Highway fuel economy is pretty decent when you aren't towing, and with its monster torque (for an SUV) you'll never strain pulling that size trailer.

jerem0621 wrote:
Just have to watch the payload on these smaller rigs.

Ha! You've gotta watch LACK OF PAYLOAD CAPACITY with even 1/2 ton trucks and SUVs! :E Towing a 19' couple's travel trailer that weighs a mere ~ 4600 lbs loaded & ready to camp uses up pretty well all of my 1/2 ton Chevy Avalanche's payload capacity of ~ 1250 lbs. The reason? - like all SUVs it has a coil rear suspension, unlike most trucks which have a rear leaf suspension, so it's GVWR was downgraded to 6800 lbs from my previous '06 Silverado which had a GVWR of 7000 lbs. Doesn't sound like much but in combination with the Av being heavier than the Silvy the only thing that could result was LESS PAYLOAD CAPACITY. :M I typically run 600 - 625 lbs of gross tongue weight with our current trailer, add another 600 lbs for 2 adults, big dog, and some cargo in the back of the truck and I'm pretty well tapped out on payload. :E Punch these numbers into a tow calculator and it's confirmed - there's really no more capacity to drag along anything else without exceeding payload capacity and most likely the vehicle's GRAWR. :M

I'm about to replace the Av with either another Silverado or a Ram ... love the Hemi but it's payload capacity isn't any better than the Av's and although weighs about the same as the Silvy it's GVWR is also MUCH less, just 6600 lbs, because it has a coil rear suspension like the Av. What a shame - it goes like stink with a Hemi under the hood and would have no difficulty towing our trailer EXCEPT I'd be hard pressed to not chew up all the available payload capacity, even with just the two of us and our dog in the cab. :M

The Silverado has a conventional leaf spring rear suspension so with a GVWR of 7000 lbs and a curb weight somewhere in the 5400 to 5500 lb range it will give me 1500 to 1600 lbs of real world payload capacity to work with. :B 400 lbs more may not sound like much, but it is - it's the difference between really being cautious about what I toss into the back of the truck and not caring at all. :B

The point? - these are 1/2 tons, go to a smaller V6 powered SUV with a coil rear suspension and you can bet lack of payload capacity will be your Number 1 issue. :E

jrp26789 wrote:

Lwiddis wrote:
Like Lawrosa I'm partial to Tahoes and pull the TT below at 4,500-4,700 lb. loaded - I take a bunch of stuff. The next level smaller, Traverse, like the Explorer, is front wheel drive. MAX is 5k and you must be careful to keep weight on the front end. I don't think you are making the right TV choice.

The explorer is rear wheel frame based SUV, the edge is front wheel

Unfortunately, the explorer is no longer body on frame construction. They are uni-body now. I think the Jeep with the v6 or diesel or the new Chevy Colorado small pickups are great suggestions. I test drove a 15 Colorado. Very very nice, but at the time the Silverado was more truck for less money with the rebates so i bought the Silverado. They have come a long way since the S-10. Good luck in your decision

If I were to buy a SUV for towing right now I would take a serious look at the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The V6 Pentastar is Fantastic and has about a 6,500 lb tow rating. There are many people towing with these Jeeps. I am seeing more and more of them on the road. If you can get a EcoDiesel model I think the tow rating goes up to over 7,000 lbs.

Just have to watch the payload on these smaller rigs.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

genick wrote:
We're looking to downsize our trailer to something in the 20' to 22' range, & also to downsize from our V8 truck to a V6, preferably a SUV. The trailers we've been looking at have a GVWR of 5000 lbs or less. Can we safely haul a trailer of this weight with a V6? Does anyone have suggestions on SUVs that have decent gas mileage that could tow 5000 lbs or less?
Thanks for any help.

First off, realize that towing a given TT with either V6 or V8 will probably yield about the same mpg. The gain comes when you aren't towing. The exception being when you go from gasser to turbo-diesel engine.

Engines and transmissions are usually matched in capability to a great degree. A V6 will have a lighter duty tranny than a V8, usually.

I towed extensively with a 2008 Toyota Highlander for both work and play. Towing a 17' Burro, a rounded-shape, molded fiberglass TT of 2200 lbs, was pretty easy through the Rockies. Towing a boxy 16'L x 7'W x 100"H TT of 2700 lbs made the HL work noticeably harder, but it still did ok. The HL had 270 HP and 240 ft-lbs torque. I could see a person towing perhaps 3500 lbs with a similar vehicle, and perhaps 4000 lbs if the towing was all in the flatlands or at low elevation. 5000 lbs would likely be a strain.

You also should be aware that a 5000 lb TT is likely to have a tongue weight, loaded for camping (LP, battery, water, gear) in the 650 lb to 750 lb range. An Explorer Sport with 3.5L Ecoboost would have the power, but you'd be overloading the hitch and the rear suspension. A Jeep Grand Cherokee or Dodge Durango with 5.7L V8 would be much better... but you're back to a V8. If Jeep is still offering its 3L diesel in the GC, that will give you the fuel economy boost you're looking for.

Another issue is the wheelbase and handling. Most SUVs have a short wheelbase... well, shorter than a pickup at least. The longer the TT, the more wheelbase you want for safe handling, although you can compensate to some degree by using an anti-sway hitch. For anything over 20' with an SUV, I'd say you definitely want the anti-sway hitch. My HL was stable with the 16'-17' trailers, but not sure how it would have felt with anything longer.

One last thing. Downsizing to save fuel only makes good economic sense if the old tug really needs to be replaced anyway. Otherwise, you're robbing Peter of thousands to pay Paul a few hundred bucks.

I hope that helps.

What about an Expedition? 17's are aluminum and have the 3.5L V6 Eco-boost. Awesome!!!!