Need a new SUV to tow!
Hi, I have always been a tent camper until the last few years. We are lucky to have access to my Fathers 33 ft travel trailer (8500 lbs). It serves our needs perfect. I am currently pulling it w...
Forum Discussion
8 passengers, and a 8600# trailer? Forget about an SUV. Forget about a pickup too for that matter. You will need a friggin bus! You will need a much older worn out vehicle for that many people, the Excursion is probably the most practical, provided you can find a well maintained 7.3 diesel version.
I had an eye opener this weekend. I got the truck and trailer all loaded up, 2014 F150 Screw, short short bed, and Coleman 274BH. When I first got it, I scaled it, and it fell right in where it neded to be, but without passengers in the truck. My eye opener, my wife, two kids and mom, trailer will full fresh water and all our goodies, the weight was mind blowing. I was 500# over my axle weight! Everything else was good, WD was good, loaded, unloaded front axle was near identical with the bars attached, and there was transfer back too, but with the passengers in the truck, I was too heavy in the rear. So only option for us at this point is to take two vehicles. My wife drives a 2015 Focus, gets 40 MPG highway, so she will be taking that with my mom and kids, and that alleviates the weight on the rear axle.
Other than that, the whole rig drives very well, in fact I caused a couple people to go holy S**T and have to step on the gas when I left at a red light, and these people in the left lane expected a pickup with a big trailer to be slow moving. Yeah, I wasn't slow, they had to floor it to get around me. LOL I gave it a lot of thought trying to determine best way to get 500# off the rear axle, and with 4 passengers, wasn't going to happen. The weight of water is only 332#, and it is in front of the axles, and not by much, so that might let up about 150# off the tongue being empty, but that still leaves me with 350# to deal with. I can move 85# to the rear of the trailer by putting my generator inside and behind the axles, but that still leaves me with almost 200#, and I want to be under GAWR on the rear.
These are the things you have to consider when looking at a tow rig, if you want the take passengers with. For me replacing the F150 is NOT an option, and until you actually hookup to a trailer and weigh it, you never will know if it will be within specs of the tow rig. By running numbers, it appeared to be OK, and with just me, it is.
GL with whatever you decide to use, but keep in mind, carrying people and pulling a trailer can be quite a battle.
I had an eye opener this weekend. I got the truck and trailer all loaded up, 2014 F150 Screw, short short bed, and Coleman 274BH. When I first got it, I scaled it, and it fell right in where it neded to be, but without passengers in the truck. My eye opener, my wife, two kids and mom, trailer will full fresh water and all our goodies, the weight was mind blowing. I was 500# over my axle weight! Everything else was good, WD was good, loaded, unloaded front axle was near identical with the bars attached, and there was transfer back too, but with the passengers in the truck, I was too heavy in the rear. So only option for us at this point is to take two vehicles. My wife drives a 2015 Focus, gets 40 MPG highway, so she will be taking that with my mom and kids, and that alleviates the weight on the rear axle.
Other than that, the whole rig drives very well, in fact I caused a couple people to go holy S**T and have to step on the gas when I left at a red light, and these people in the left lane expected a pickup with a big trailer to be slow moving. Yeah, I wasn't slow, they had to floor it to get around me. LOL I gave it a lot of thought trying to determine best way to get 500# off the rear axle, and with 4 passengers, wasn't going to happen. The weight of water is only 332#, and it is in front of the axles, and not by much, so that might let up about 150# off the tongue being empty, but that still leaves me with 350# to deal with. I can move 85# to the rear of the trailer by putting my generator inside and behind the axles, but that still leaves me with almost 200#, and I want to be under GAWR on the rear.
These are the things you have to consider when looking at a tow rig, if you want the take passengers with. For me replacing the F150 is NOT an option, and until you actually hookup to a trailer and weigh it, you never will know if it will be within specs of the tow rig. By running numbers, it appeared to be OK, and with just me, it is.
GL with whatever you decide to use, but keep in mind, carrying people and pulling a trailer can be quite a battle.
