cwmoser wrote:
I wonder if the Marketing Guru's at Travel Trailer companies realize that
there is a market for a Travel Trailer by owners of SUV's that can tow
5,000 - 6,500 lbs. Bet if they advertised that they have a special light
weight version that it could sell really well. Heck, as many manufacturers
and models out there, there just might be one hiding under all the noise.
You have already received some great feedback in this thread. Others who read it will learn from what has been shared. I will not pretend to add any more wisdom to what others have said, but I do want to respond to your last comment; i.e. "I wonder if the Marketing Guru's at Travel Trailer companies realize that there is a market for a Travel Trailer by owners of SUV's that can tow 5,000 - 6,500 lbs."
Well they may . . . or may not. But the key word in your question is "can." In towing, there is a profound difference between what you "can" do versus what you "should" do. And that difference can, frankly, mean the life and health of you and others around you. Just because the owner's manual declares such and such in capability, that does not necessarily translate into real world "manageability." The owner's manuals are products of technical writers and lawyers who must guard the assets of the manufacturer. Such an arrangement may not necessarily be balanced in your favor. They do not know or necessarily care if you can safely manage a given configuration. Their job is to declare the engineered limits of a given vehicle. It's your responsibility to put that vehicle to work in a responsible fashion.
So your defense against an array of cold calculations is to be absolutely certain that you have provided safety margins for your protection and that of others on the road. There is a price to pay for that. Either you (1) purchase a travel trailer that is
well within your Lexus' towing specifications; or (2) you purchase a tow vehicle that is more than sufficient to safely tow the travel trailer of your choice. It is not that difficult - as Sound Guy said earlier in this thread. You can try to nickel and dime your way through all kinds of calculations, but ultimately it is your responsibility to guard your personal safety and that of others when you are on the road by providing generous safety margins in weight and equipment.
So if you are really committed to keep your Lexus, do not ask it to do something that it was not
primarily designed to do. Otherwise, if the 192 RBS (or similar) is your "perfect couple's camper," then buy the camper, trade in the Lexus on one of many excellent pickups out there that can and will surround you with luxury and be a stable platform for safely towing.
Then, maybe one of these days maybe Sound Guy or I will get acquainted with you when we are camping in our 192 RBS' and meet up in North Carolina. Sounds like a good trip to me!
