Infiniti qx80 Towing Opinions

A lot of things I could offer for advice, but if it was me, I would prioritize what is most important and let your other decisions emanate from there, and try not to let emotions interfere with making sound decisions. So, if a large trailer and "living space" is your priority, then get that trailer and choose a TV that will tow it properly. If it takes a US make vehicle to do so, then I would make that a priority over an emotional distaste for US vehicles. Emotion is all that is, since many US vehicles are very good these days, and only a few foreign makes can tow big stuff as well. FWIW, I have a 2002 Yukon XL with 140K on it that has only let me down once (fuel pump at 70k miles) and is now towing a 30 foot trailer. Just do your research.

I would also not buy any of your stuff new. While guys like me who only by used stuff love people who insist on new (because you create a robust used market for us in a few years), buying new would be a waste of money if you are selling in 6 months. You'll take a huge loss on the trailer, and unless you keep the TV, another loss on that too. Combined, the money you lose could buy you a nice used trailer. Don't let your emotions guide you too much. I would get a large SUV or truck, possibly still under warranty or get a short term extended aftermarket warranty, and use that to tow your large trailer (because I think that's where you're headed).

Finally, I am not sure how old the baby is or what your dog is like, but my baby rode in the back in a child seat (forward and rearward facing), with a happy black Lab for a number of years. The dog might have licked the kid's face a couple times. What is the big deal there? If you need a truck, get one, and stick a large object between the kid and the dog on the back seat. (Also, consider a full size van).

Hope I've given you something useful to consider, but have fun whatever you decide.

Andre

jaydub74 wrote:
Thanks guys.

We might be in a unique situation when it comes to inside space. We're planning on spending six months on the road this winter (from Oct - March) so inside space is maybe more important than the average 1 to 2 week holiday in the summer. We'll be spending most our our time in Southern California and Arizona so daytime temperatures should be ok, but night time and poor weather days may require staying indoors. When that happens its nice to have some comfortable indoor space to kick back in.

This may require making some hard decisions on our part. Do we go smaller on the trailer so we can purchase a vehicle we might use after returning home, or purchase a larger truck and sell it and the trailer when we get home. Either way we'll be selling the trailer, this is a one time trip. We don't usually camp in the summer, its just a method for us to escape Canadian winter for a year.

I really wanted to avoid going to a 3/4 ton truck but even using a Tundra (one of the few full size trucks I'd consider keeping) won't safely tow a 27 to 28 ft. (the box) / 31 to 32 ft. (with hitch) trailer.

You don't "NEED" 30+ ft "space" to "kick back" with on bad weather days. The statement I bolded is nothing more than an attempt to justify the longer length.

When I was a kid, my Dad took our entire family on three week "vacations" in the summer. SIX of us kids and my two parents for a grand total of EIGHT of us.

We did this using a SLIDE IN cabover camper.

It didn't kill anyone, granted it was tight but we all managed to survive three weeks at a time..

When it was sunshiny we were outside, bad weather well that was a good excuse to go sightseeing! Often would take day trips to explore places we were never at before..

Most likely you will be buying something with a slide?

You can get a bit shorter trailer with one or two slides and get more "space" to work with..

Example a 8ft x 30ft trailer is 240 square ft of floor space.

8ft x 26ft trailer is 208 square ft.

Add one 2Ft deep by 8ft long slide you add 16 more square ft so a 26ft long trailer with one slide would give you 224 square ft..

Two 2ft x 6ft slides would be 24 sq ft so a 26ft trailer with two 6ft slides would be 248 sq ft..

Sometimes it is hard to "compromise" but if that IS the vehicle you have your heart set on to use then it would be better to go shorter than 30ft and keep the weight in check.

I tow a 26ft TT with a F250 and the truck just takes command of the trailer.

I towed a 20ft TT with a light duty 97 F250 (this was a F250 based on the F150 frame and springs) and that truck just barely was able to handle that trailer.

I like the feel of the heavier truck with a stouter suspension, I would not consider going back to a lighter tow vehicle.

Something else to consider since you mentioned that this IS a "one time" event perhaps you should simply RENT a RV. Yes it will cost you more than trailer payments but you would not have the problem and loss of equity of selling off a trailer when you are done with it..

You ARE going to take a huge loss if you buy a new trailer then use it for one camping season then attempt to sell it off.

We are talking THOUSANDS of $$ loss..

RVs depreciate and the first several years are the worst. A $20K trailer new you would be hard pressed to sell it one year later and get say $16K. If you took out a loan you would have interest plus any taxes you paid on the purchase..

Thanks guys.

We might be in a unique situation when it comes to inside space. We're planning on spending six months on the road this winter (from Oct - March) so inside space is maybe more important than the average 1 to 2 week holiday in the summer. We'll be spending most our our time in Southern California and Arizona so daytime temperatures should be ok, but night time and poor weather days may require staying indoors. When that happens its nice to have some comfortable indoor space to kick back in.

This may require making some hard decisions on our part. Do we go smaller on the trailer so we can purchase a vehicle we might use after returning home, or purchase a larger truck and sell it and the trailer when we get home. Either way we'll be selling the trailer, this is a one time trip. We don't usually camp in the summer, its just a method for us to escape Canadian winter for a year.

I really wanted to avoid going to a 3/4 ton truck but even using a Tundra (one of the few full size trucks I'd consider keeping) won't safely tow a 27 to 28 ft. (the box) / 31 to 32 ft. (with hitch) trailer.

westend wrote:

jaydub74 wrote:
So when Westend say I should purchase a trailer between 24 and 26'. Is he talking box length or total length?

I was thinking box length and as a suggestion to a starting point.

Here's what usually happens. A person inexperienced to towing opens the owner's manual and reads "towing maximum-8000 lbs". He then proceeds to a dealer's lot or RV show and starts shopping with his spouse. By the time they exit said sales lot, they have expanded their choices to include a list of amenities, standards, and options that all come with a 30' trailer, most of them around the 8000 lb range. If they discover that the true towing capability of their vehicle is considerably lower, they then shop for the same layout but with lower weight. The weight chosen corresponds to the absolute maximum of vehicle capability and no further thought is given to handling or impact on the vehicle. The layout and details of the trailer rule their choices. To get some of these choices, the length needs to remain close to their original shopping experience.

This method, IMO, leads to a mismatch between vehicle and trailer. What can (and does) happen is that the owner then upgrades their vehicle to handle the size of the trailer. Or, the owner suffers the mismatch and every camping trip becomes a "white knuckle" experience. You will find folks that have this mismatch and will state that they have no problem or that the driving experience feels like, "don't even know it's back there". I question how anyone can pull a few tons of trailer and not feel the effect.

My suggestion is to shop with the vehicle's ratings in mind, first, and not listen to salesman's advice or suffer the aforementioned mismatch. I believe your camping experience won't be overly impacted by the choice of a smaller trailer.

X2!

This post should be a "sticky" or least qualify for some sort of "Post of the Year" Award..

To many folks seem to think when they see a 8,000 lb weight "rating" it is OK to buy a trailer at 7,500 lbs empty.. Justifying it by saying they will only take a few hundred pounds with them..

The truth is you WILL drag along more than you think and a 30ft trailer WILL have LOTS of room to take more than you should..

In addition to what Westend said, the cost of the 25' model and 35' model is $20k to $25k which doesn't seem like much for what you get. So it is easy to get carried away beyond your limitations.

jaydub74 wrote:
So when Westend say I should purchase a trailer between 24 and 26'. Is he talking box length or total length?

I was thinking box length and as a suggestion to a starting point.

Here's what usually happens. A person inexperienced to towing opens the owner's manual and reads "towing maximum-8000 lbs". He then proceeds to a dealer's lot or RV show and starts shopping with his spouse. By the time they exit said sales lot, they have expanded their choices to include a list of amenities, standards, and options that all come with a 30' trailer, most of them around the 8000 lb range. If they discover that the true towing capability of their vehicle is considerably lower, they then shop for the same layout but with lower weight. The weight chosen corresponds to the absolute maximum of vehicle capability and no further thought is given to handling or impact on the vehicle. The layout and details of the trailer rule their choices. To get some of these choices, the length needs to remain close to their original shopping experience.

This method, IMO, leads to a mismatch between vehicle and trailer. What can (and does) happen is that the owner then upgrades their vehicle to handle the size of the trailer. Or, the owner suffers the mismatch and every camping trip becomes a "white knuckle" experience. You will find folks that have this mismatch and will state that they have no problem or that the driving experience feels like, "don't even know it's back there". I question how anyone can pull a few tons of trailer and not feel the effect.

My suggestion is to shop with the vehicle's ratings in mind, first, and not listen to salesman's advice or suffer the aforementioned mismatch. I believe your camping experience won't be overly impacted by the choice of a smaller trailer.

Trailer length doesn't matter IMHO. I think Westend was providing a guideline for common "lightweight" TTs that will be in that weight range. If you find a TT that keeps you under all your tow vehicle ratings, the length doesn't matter. A "25' TT" can weight 3500 pounds to 10000 pounds depending on materials used and what and owner puts in it. A 35' TT can weigh 6000-14000 pounds. A 25' 7000 pound trailer will tow just as well as a 35' 7000 pound trailer if both keep the TV under all its ratings and a WDH is properly adjusted.

So when Westend say I should purchase a trailer between 24 and 26'. Is he talking box length or total length?

Regarding trailer length, you have box length and overall length.

For box length, most makers incorporate a rough version of it into the model number. For example a Lance 1985 is roughly a 19-foot box. However not everybody does this. My North Trail 22FBS actually has a 25-foot box.

Overall (bumper-to-tongue) length is 4' to 6'+ above box length depending on design. In my case, there is a pull-out tray that can be used for bikes, generators, etc.

Box length has more impact on driving. Overall length affects what campground spaces you can fit into.

Remember, European trailers and trailer towing is much different. They tow at a much slower speed, and they have a lot less tongue weight. So, the 8500 tow rating may be good over in Europe.

As stated before, think smaller. Bigger isn't always better.