First travel trailer
Hi all! Just joined up and I already have a question. Now that my wife and I are retired, we would like to do some travelling. Unfortunately, as with so many others these days, finances will be a bit ...
Forum Discussion
westend wrote:
Small SUV's don't make great tow vehicles. The payload capacity of that vehicle is around 1000 lbs. The hitch weight of a 3000 lb travel trailer will be in the neighborhood of 600 lbs., ...
I think you've confused the Pathfinder with something else. If you note in my post, the Pathfinder with the automatic tranny (Which I have) has a rated towing capacity of 5,000 lbs and a max tongue weight of 500 lbs. Going with a trailer that has a factory weight of 3,500 lbs or less should leave me with a reasonable "safety margin" once it's loaded up.
Andy
What he's getting at is that you need to check your payload rating (door jamb sticker). Most smaller vehicles will max out on payload before coming anywhere near its tow rating.
If you have a loaded trailer weight of 3500lbs you can figure on approximately 500lbs for tongue weight and the weight of the hitch itself. That counts directly towards you available payload. If your payload is 1000lbs you would have 500lbs left for passengers and stuff in the vehicle. If that's enough, then you should be good to go. If you plan to carry 4 heavy adults, a couple of dogs, and a trunk full of beer, then it won't be good.
