Newbie Ques for hitch selection
Hi All, Newbie to the forum and newbie to RVing. Following is my future rig. Have bought the tow vehicle and have zeroed-in on the trailer but not yet purchased. Tow vehicle is 2012 Acura MDX...
Forum Discussion
Can you do it? Sure.
Will it be a good option? Probably not.
Trailer:
4000lb GVWR - 3360lb UVW = 640lb of cargo capacity.
40lb propane (1 BBQ size tank), 60lb battery, 100lb (1/4 full water tank), 200lb food and drink, 100lb clothes & misc personal items, 100lb misc trailer gear, 100lb bikes...That's pretty limited selection and you are at 700lb cargo.
So what, put more in the truck...
Looking online, I found the payload is 1150lb:
- Family of 4...say 600lb, 50lb cooler, 100lb firewood, 600lb hitch weight (15% of trailer)...oops that's 1350lb.
If you go very minimalist, you can probably make it work but you will have to police weight at every step to stay within the ratings.
Probably better suited to a 2500-3000lb GVWR popup camper. That will free up some of the weight ratings to give you more flexibility.
Also, check if the "frontal area" has a limitation. You are essentially pulling something with the aerodynamics of a brick. A popup falls into the slipstream behind the car but a full height trailer creates a lot of drag. This can stress and heat up the transmission.
I would contact the dealer to see about a WDH. In principal, it's a good idea but I'm not sure if the unibody construction can take the stresses a WDH applies (they basically just have sheet metal folded over itself to give you a place to bolt it on). I've seen hitches literally rip out of their unibody mounts on a rough road.
Will it be a good option? Probably not.
Trailer:
4000lb GVWR - 3360lb UVW = 640lb of cargo capacity.
40lb propane (1 BBQ size tank), 60lb battery, 100lb (1/4 full water tank), 200lb food and drink, 100lb clothes & misc personal items, 100lb misc trailer gear, 100lb bikes...That's pretty limited selection and you are at 700lb cargo.
So what, put more in the truck...
Looking online, I found the payload is 1150lb:
- Family of 4...say 600lb, 50lb cooler, 100lb firewood, 600lb hitch weight (15% of trailer)...oops that's 1350lb.
If you go very minimalist, you can probably make it work but you will have to police weight at every step to stay within the ratings.
Probably better suited to a 2500-3000lb GVWR popup camper. That will free up some of the weight ratings to give you more flexibility.
Also, check if the "frontal area" has a limitation. You are essentially pulling something with the aerodynamics of a brick. A popup falls into the slipstream behind the car but a full height trailer creates a lot of drag. This can stress and heat up the transmission.
I would contact the dealer to see about a WDH. In principal, it's a good idea but I'm not sure if the unibody construction can take the stresses a WDH applies (they basically just have sheet metal folded over itself to give you a place to bolt it on). I've seen hitches literally rip out of their unibody mounts on a rough road.
