First Travel Trailer, help us out!
Hey guys and gals, My wife and I have been looking for a little over a year now for our first travel trailer. We have a towing capacity of 7200lbs with our jeep grand Cherokee Trailhawk. I thin...
Forum Discussion
Short answer: look at trailers around 4500 to 5000 pounds dry weight, less is better.
Long answer: My TV is a 2008 Ford Explorer V6 with factory tow package, tow rating 5225 pounds. My TT UWR was 3097, hitch 377, 3877 GTWR.
Weighed at the CAT scales on the way to camp, 3680 on the trailer axle, didn’t get the hitch weight. Not bad, you’d think. It tows it but it is a load. Problem is, my Explorer rear axle is maxed out, almost overloaded, 3320 weighed on a 3340 rated rear axle. That’s with a WDH, 3460 without. The trailer specs assume a solid 10-13 percent of the trailer weight is on the hitch as part of the GTWR! My single trailer axle is 3500 pound rated. Note the above 3680 on the trailer axle! That was with one battery, one 20# propane tank, and stuff for a 4 day stay.
Oh, & my WDH weighs 75#. That’s added “hitch weight”.
Long answer: My TV is a 2008 Ford Explorer V6 with factory tow package, tow rating 5225 pounds. My TT UWR was 3097, hitch 377, 3877 GTWR.
Weighed at the CAT scales on the way to camp, 3680 on the trailer axle, didn’t get the hitch weight. Not bad, you’d think. It tows it but it is a load. Problem is, my Explorer rear axle is maxed out, almost overloaded, 3320 weighed on a 3340 rated rear axle. That’s with a WDH, 3460 without. The trailer specs assume a solid 10-13 percent of the trailer weight is on the hitch as part of the GTWR! My single trailer axle is 3500 pound rated. Note the above 3680 on the trailer axle! That was with one battery, one 20# propane tank, and stuff for a 4 day stay.
Oh, & my WDH weighs 75#. That’s added “hitch weight”.
