Hello,Well - I've ended up here looking for impartial(ish) advice after getting thoroughly fed up with salesmen. (No surprise there!) I'm hoping to tow with a Subaru Ascent Premium, 5000 lbs towing, 500 lbs hitch limit, or possibly a Kia Sorento trim with same stats. Every salesman has said "Yeah, no problem," without actually looking anything up. I won't even get into the incorrect details given me, such as the '5500lb' tow limit of a Kia i was assured of by one genius. (No such thing, of course.)So, in my perfect world, I've been looking at a 2019 Jayco Hummingbird 17FD with a GVWR of 3750 lbs and dry hitch weight of of 325 lbs or a 2019 Jayco Jay Flight SLX 7 184bs which as a GVWR of 3950, and a dry hitch weight of 400 lbs. (My inexperienced TT instinct is telling me this second one is too close to the limit.)Am i pushing the limit too much here? R-pods I like are lighter, for example.And one last question. There are very few TT dealers in my town, and only one salesman that was reasonable, patient, and didn't show us trailers we obviously weren't interested in - he sells Jayco. I could buy from further away, many other dealers are approximately 2 hours away, but i assume this is a pain when it comes to warranty issues, advice etc?John

Check some forums on the vehicles and see what other owners have said. Adding an auxiliary transmission cooler is ALWAYS a good idea.If you have never owned a TT, I (and likely others) will tell you to buy a 2-5 year old used one and see what you think of the whole experience. If you like it after 1 or 2 years, you will find out what you don't like about the model/floorplan you choose and what features are important when shopping for a new one.(All RVs devaluate quickly !)

Oh my. Lots of folks are going to comment how it’ll work or won’t. I’m not familiar with the camper or towing with a Kia or suburu. I’m sure it depends how far you will drive and since you’re in Washington I bet there’s mountains. I don’t think you will have a good experience. I towed a 4400 lb camper with a half ton suburban and it wasn’t a great experience. If you like the camper perhaps give it a try and be prepared for a half ton truck someday. Yea salesman just want a sale.

Without getting into the ability of either vehicle to tow 5000 lbs consider the tongue weights. You show DRY tongue weights of 325 for instance. Now add just a single full propane tank and a battery to that tongue. Your over 400. And what other items or people are supposed to be going in the SUV with you? Or if you prefer consider the GVWR of around 5000, The rule of thumb for tongue weight is 10-12% of that so with that you are over 500 lbs. Without knocking either trailer your choices of tow vehicle are very limiting.

Another consideration is how much do you plan to carry in the tow vehicle? All seats filled? The new tow rating standards account for 150lbs for a driver and the same for 1 passenger. Any weight added to the vehicle above 300lbs will reduce your tow rating pound for pound.Towing with a 4 cylinder engine with a CVT (Ascent) is not going to be fun in the mountains at any weight. My coworker tows an Rpod with a Kia Sorento. Lightly loaded with he and his son and he says it struggles to hold highway speeds in the flats.

You need a better tow vehicle. Buy used, because there is no perfect RV. If you want to keep your tow vehicle, think lighter like a tent trailer.

Potential TT owner looking for advice | Good Sam Community

Fordlover
Explorer
Sep 12, 2018
Bottleofsmoke wrote:
Hello,
Well - I've ended up here looking for impartial(ish) advice after getting thoroughly fed up with salesmen. (No surprise there!) I'm hoping to tow with a Subaru Ascent Premium, 5000 lbs towing, 500 lbs hitch limit, or possibly a Kia Sorento trim with same stats. Every salesman has said "Yeah, no problem," without actually looking anything up. I won't even get into the incorrect details given me, such as the '5500lb' tow limit of a Kia i was assured of by one genius. (No such thing, of course.)

So, in my perfect world, I've been looking at a 2019 Jayco Hummingbird 17FD with a GVWR of 3750 lbs and dry hitch weight of of 325 lbs or a 2019 Jayco Jay Flight SLX 7 184bs which as a GVWR of 3950, and a dry hitch weight of 400 lbs. (My inexperienced TT instinct is telling me this second one is too close to the limit.)

Am i pushing the limit too much here? R-pods I like are lighter, for example.

And one last question. There are very few TT dealers in my town, and only one salesman that was reasonable, patient, and didn't show us trailers we obviously weren't interested in - he sells Jayco. I could buy from further away, many other dealers are approximately 2 hours away, but i assume this is a pain when it comes to warranty issues, advice etc?

John

As already said, just about all SUV's are going to be limited by tongue weight before any other limit.

Unfortunately, dry tongue weights aren't very helpful, and it seems like tongue weights are always heavier than what they are calculated/guestimated to be. Add to this the fact that TT's become more stable the more tongue weight you add to to them, and you start to see the issue. Further, the WD hitch/sway control is also part of your hitch weight, and they aren't light. Add to that the propane tanks, battery, etc. and you can see why tongue weights are going to be the first limit you hit by a long shot.
SpeakEasy
Explorer
Sep 12, 2018
Bottleofsmoke wrote:
So....if i were to buy a used truck what kind of thing should i look for? It would be used for nothing but towing. A bit during the summer and a few weekends spring and fall, so only something basic is needed. It would need to be enough to pull around 4000lbs GVWR.

I went from a Toyota 4-Runner to a Ford F-150, super crew (4-door), short bed. I LOVE it! I had resisted going to a pickup for a long time, not realizing that the 4-door F-150 super crew has MORE back-seat space than my SUVs had.

-Speak
camp-n-family
Explorer
Sep 12, 2018
SkiMore wrote:
camp-n-family wrote:
Another consideration is how much do you plan to carry in the tow vehicle? All seats filled? The new tow rating standards account for 150lbs for a driver and the same for 1 passenger. Any weight added to the vehicle above 300lbs will reduce your tow rating pound for pound.

Towing with a 4 cylinder engine with a CVT (Ascent) is not going to be fun in the mountains at any weight. My coworker tows an Rpod with a Kia Sorento. Lightly loaded with he and his son and he says it struggles to hold highway speeds in the flats.

Do you know if your friend has the 4 or 6 cylinder Sorento?

I asked him for more detail. It's a 6 cylinder model towing a new Rpod. In his mind it is ok in the flats but even the slightest hills create issues. He is new to towing this trailer though and only had a pop-up to compare to.
Bottleofsmoke
Explorer
Sep 12, 2018
And another question....how much priority do you put over buying locally from a dealer that can service the trailer and do warranty work, as opposed to getting the perfect floor plan from further way? There are a lot of dealers in Seattle, about 2 1/2 hours drive away, but it means going over a very snowy mountain pass. So i wouldn't be able to get work done on it in the winter.
SkiMore
Explorer
Sep 11, 2018
camp-n-family wrote:
Another consideration is how much do you plan to carry in the tow vehicle? All seats filled? The new tow rating standards account for 150lbs for a driver and the same for 1 passenger. Any weight added to the vehicle above 300lbs will reduce your tow rating pound for pound.

Towing with a 4 cylinder engine with a CVT (Ascent) is not going to be fun in the mountains at any weight. My coworker tows an Rpod with a Kia Sorento. Lightly loaded with he and his son and he says it struggles to hold highway speeds in the flats.

Do you know if your friend has the 4 or 6 cylinder Sorento?
Blazing_Zippers
Explorer II
Sep 11, 2018
How about the Spokane RV show in January? Great place to shop without to much pressure, 200 or more RV's,eat a good meal at the Spaghetti Factory? Huh? Sounds good to me.
I think pulling much of a trailer larger then a VERY small one will tax your tow vehicle. Think about leaving Yakima and going to Ellensburg-then returning. You'll be up hill slow & downhill fast! I recall an old adage; "no substitute for cubic inches."
GrandpaKip
Explorer II
Sep 10, 2018
Bottleofsmoke wrote:
So....if i were to buy a used truck what kind of thing should i look for? It would be used for nothing but towing. A bit during the summer and a few weekends spring and fall, so only something basic is needed. It would need to be enough to pull around 4000lbs GVWR.

Just about any half ton with a V8 will do and the Ford Ecoboost.
Probably any V6 midsize:Frontier, Tacoma, Canyon/Colorado.
APT
Explorer
Sep 10, 2018
I have a Subaru Outback and have been following the Ascent as we also have a Chevrolet Traverse which is a direct competitor. From a Powertrain perspective the turbocharged 2.4L should do well. Subaru has been using and refining their CVT for a while - 5yrs, 10yrs? I have towed about 2500 pounds with my 3.6L and CVT which is more than adequate. I would like to understand more about the Ascent's CVT design and programming before fully recommending.

I have not seen any as equipped payload or receiver limits yet on the Ascent either. These are often limits for mid-sized SUVs below the 5000 pound tow rating. The manufacturer site lists 500 pound receiver limit so that should be confirmed on vehicles.
miltvill
Explorer II
Sep 10, 2018
Winnebago has a few TTs that you could tow. Sometimes you have to drive several hours to find a dealer with the TT you want.
Bottleofsmoke
Explorer
Sep 09, 2018
So....if i were to buy a used truck what kind of thing should i look for? It would be used for nothing but towing. A bit during the summer and a few weekends spring and fall, so only something basic is needed. It would need to be enough to pull around 4000lbs GVWR.