Newbie towing question posting again

Nvr2loud wrote:

Brox wrote:
I mean as equipt with full propane tv and acc.Just no water or are supplys

My dry weight trailer of 4370 lbs actually weighs 6006 lbs when loaded without water.

I suspect you are way-over weight on your Liberty

I started with a 2012 Acadia similar tow rating to your Liberty
Trailer Max Weight 5200 lbs
Tongue Weight max 600 lbs
GCWR 10,450 lbs
GVWR 6,459 lbs
Payload 1397 lbs

Therefore with my 6006 lb trailer with 750 lbs of tongue weight I would be way over already with a trailer similar to your trailers weight when dry.

If I fully load my Acadia with my family, cargo, fuel, and tongue weight (which is already over my hitch rating) then I would be at or exceed my GVWR of 6459 lbs. Assuming that I'm AT the GVWR of 6459 lbs then my allowable trailer weight would be limited to 3991 lbs. Since Gross combined Weight Rating GCWR is 10,450 lbs minus the loaded weight of the Acadia GVWR at 6,459 lbs equals 3991 lbs remaining for the trailer. So for me to tow my similar trailer (slightly heavier) with my Acadia (slightly higher rating then your Liberty) I am WAY over on payload, max trailer, max combined, max tongue.....

Just my .02 cents but the Liberty is unable to handle the weight and the Cherokee is too old to trust the original ratings.

I learned an expensive lesson when I purchased my TT, thought that 4370 lbs behind an SUV rated for 5200 lbs was a no brainer. I learned that I needed a pickup truck. My 1/2 ton Sierra is at the Limit for my current trailer and it is actually rated to handle 9500 lbs.

I completely second that. I originally purchased my TT with a "dry weight" of 4172lbs and hitch of 455lb and thought I was OK to pull it with a 2008 Nissan Xterra if I packed light. That Xterra had the same ratings as your liberty but actually seems like a larger vehicle to me. I was wrong about using a mid sized SUV. That trailer loaded up and ready to camp is 5500lbs with a TW of 780lbs and is near the limits of my 1/2 ton truck. Remember the trailer weight is in addition to all the people and gear you but into the TV. What is the GVWR of your trailer?

I know that doesn't answer your original question. If the Cherokee has been well maintained and is in good condition it might be a slightly better choice for a couple seasons. I would hook it up and see how it tows on the way to a scale.

EDIT: I see you are now looking at 1/2 ton options and I think they will serve you much better. The Avalanche might be a good choice if you prefer an SUV ish truck. Personally, I would always get the 4x4. I know they will have slightly lower tow ratings but I have no use for 2wd trucks. I've been stuck one too many times in them. Also, I have had experience boon docking with my TT on dirt roads where I was darn thankful I had 4x4. Such as camping in the spring heading up a 1 lane dirt road and coming around a corner and seeing a long shady stretch that is still covered in snow and ice. There was no where to turn around and backing up would have been quite a challenge. To make matters worse there was about a 15-20ft drop off down to a creek on the side of the road (during spring run off was more like a small river). We had literally just passed a scene where emergency crews were working an overturned truck in the creek (we learned later that it was a fatal accident). It is times like that where the 4x4 knob is your best friend. Trust me, I would not have intentionally put my family in that situation if I had known.

Another time was the final trip in the fall of last year. We were hoping we would luck out with weather but on day 2 it started raining, and raining, and raining. We were probably 15-20 miles back in on a dirt road. If I had a 2wd I would have hastily packed up and left. As it turned out the road wasn't bad at all on the way out but without 4x4 I wouldn't have waited to find out and would have cut the trip short.

If you never plan to boondock or dispersed camp it might not matter to you but it certainly does to me.