Help - TV - Lance 2445 & Escalade

Rear airbags? Maybe they just aired them down for easier egress?:)

Not sure what the factory tow ratings were based on. If it were me I would upgrade the tires from passerger tires to light truck tires (P to LT). The P rated tires will baloon out with any weight and will be unsafe. With a good qualty load distrubtion hitch I would give it a shot. If it does not work out then upgrade the tow vehicle. Every day you don't camp is a day you will never get back. Life is short. Just be safe.

OP, fellow Utahn here. I own a Lance 2185 and tow with an F150.

Although I love the Lance trailers (we've had 2 now), their tongue weight is usually much higher than they say (as with many other manufacturers). My 2185 comes in at 1100# tongue weight with batteries, water, etc. From what I understand your trailer will have an even higher tongue weight which will put you far over your payload.

I would check the lance owners forum, someone there is bound to have measured that trailer's tongue weight and can give you exact specs.

My gut feeling is that no, your TV is not ideal for this trailer and could be dangerous. But best to get exact specs to make an informed decision.

Good luck.

With kids and the associated stuff, you'll be closer to 7300 on that rig when it's packed and ready to camp. Even at 11% tongue weight that's 800 lbs.

The Escalade will certainly tow it but you'll be overloaded to some extent, you won't know for sure how much until you buy the trailer, load it up, and get it to a scale.

If you're happy with how it tows, then I would invest in a transmission temp gauge so you can watch the temps rather than wait for the idiot hot light light to come on. You may or may not want a larger trans cooler depending on how you see the temps behave when you are towing. Don't assume the factory "HD" cooling setup is adequate for towing that kind of weight. It may very well be fine, but don't assume that without a temp gauge.

Also look into a Mag-Hytec rear diff cover with expanded fluid capacity and cooling fins. These are the two weak spots for GM 1500/SUV drivetrains when towing heavy. Also make sure you have a good brake controller and hitch and keep the TT brakes dialed up so the TT does its share of the braking.

When you go to the scale with the trailer, you get 3 weights for the Caddy front axle, rear axle, then trailer axles. Check the max load rating on the Caddy tires and be sure that the rear axle weight is under the load rating for the rear tires. If there's enough margin there then upgrading to LT tires won't get you much.

I'd do it. Maybe make sure you load all extra stuff in the trailer, preferably the rear of the trailer... Air up the P rated tires to max, and give it a try.

Can you find one on a lot within a reasonable distance and take your tongue scale and see what the tongue weight is? Then you won't be in as much of an estimating arena.

Personally, I'd change to LT tires if it doesn't have them already and give it a go. You may have to be aware of what and how you are packing to not add to the load on the TV and still keep adequate tongue weight to keep the tail from wagging the dog.