hbillsmith wrote:
Towing Dutchmen Kodiak 27ft 5,500# with 2010 Mercedes GL450 gas V8. Tow mostly Texas, Okla, Arkansas. Mileage is usually 9.8mpg. SUV rated to tow 7,500# but hitch weight is only 600#. Using Anderson WDH (it weighs only 33#) and all works great. Non-towing mileage is 13 to 18mpg.
the mileage was very similar with my old 04 armada LE 4x4.
the issue with stopping we are talking about is more about controlling the trailer in a mountain downhill where you don't really want to depend on brakes but on the engine of the TV to help keep you slow. if the TV is too light and the engine is not strong enough to hold the trailer back even when down shifted into low gears/high rpms then you need to use your brakes more than you might want to. I have been in this situation and even with the quick stab and let off of the brakes, by the end of a long twisty 7% downgrade I had heated my brakes up. it is a scary situation to be in and you will be encountering bigger grades than the one I hit in va. oh and to give you an idea, I hit that same downgrade with my F250 diesel (same trailer) and only had to touch my brakes 1-2 times total the whole way down because I had enough TV to hold the TT back with just my engine instead of having to supplement brakes for an out matched TV/engine. Just some food for thought from someone who has been in that kind of hairy situation and Swore to never be there again.
