Towing 3800lb TT- Highlander-Pathfinder?

Deano77 wrote:
. Will TW be higher than 359 because of propane tanks?

yes and with stuff you put in the HW277 to camp with. Plus your WDH will weigh 60lbs. The battery is 60lbs.

If buying a new TV I would maybe consider Durango or Tahoe which would be more ideal for a HW277 IMO

. Will TW be higher than 359 because of propane tanks?

The initials for a pop up are PUP - lol! You shouldn't have any problem towing a PUP with either of these vehicles, esp. if the gross is 3800 lb., and b/c it's a PUP, not a TT (has nearly no frontal area issues when towing).

Frontal area refers to the amount of surface area of the front of the trailer, especially the parts that stick up above and to the sides of your tow vehicle. It creates incredible wind drag - picture dragging a sail into the wind, rather than with it. The greater the frontal area, the more it impacts your towing ability. That's why some of the really small TTs are only 6-7 ft. wide, rather than the standard 8 feet wide, and why they're shorter. A highwall PUP would have a greater frontal area than a regular PUP (this is why popupcamping asked you about this).

You may need a mini weight distribution hitch, but I'd hook up with a regular hitch first to see if you actually need it (your dealer can check this for you). My Pathfinder sags a little with my Aliner (tows like a PUP), which weighs probably 2500 lb. loaded, but not enough to need a WDH (weight distribution hitch). When we had a PUP, I had a regular hitch, but had a sway bar added b/c I was towing with a vehicle towing near its max.

You might want to register with the Popup Explorer website. There's a great bunch of folks on it with a wealth of knowledge regarding PUPs.

Deano77 wrote:
To popupcamping.

HW277....yes high wall. Yes I called it TT at first because I am new and thought that meant tent trailer.

The dry weight is right around 3000, total is 3800. Tongue weight I believe is around 250. Both TVs have a tow package of 5,000 lb rating. Seemed like this gives me a 20 % cushion, no? Was also wondering about the FWD, AWD and 4 WD options. It sounds like rear 2WD is best, followed by AWD, FWD and 4WD....but not sure. Any thoughts? And it sounded like you thought this would barely be passable....can you tell me why?

Drive train will not make any difference in towing...FWD,AWD,4WD. Get what you prefer the other 95 percent of the time you will not be towing.

TW is actually 359 lbs dry and will be close to if not over 500 ready to camp. Any less than 450 you will be into a dangerous sway situation guaranteed. Your vehicle will have a max TW allowance of 500lbs so you are MAX MAX with a HW277. The other factor that will be close is payload but you should be fine.

The 3800 lbs will not be an issue. It may slow down a bit on the hills but still unlikely. I have the same 3.5 in my rav4 and it is quite stout. I lose no speed whatsoever on the biggest hills with my 2400lb popup

The reason I say it is just passable because highwalls are huge.


p.s. no worries about the terminology confusion. TT stands for travel trailer

To popupcamping.

HW277....yes high wall. Yes I called it TT at first because I am new and thought that meant tent trailer.

The dry weight is right around 3000, total is 3800. Tongue weight I believe is around 250. Both TVs have a tow package of 5,000 lb rating. Seemed like this gives me a 20 % cushion, no? Was also wondering about the FWD, AWD and 4 WD options. It sounds like rear 2WD is best, followed by AWD, FWD and 4WD....but not sure. Any thoughts? And it sounded like you thought this would barely be passable....can you tell me why?

Pop up.

Yes, I am new and thought TT was tent trailer.

You should have no trouble at all pulling with the Highlander, no experience with a Pathfinder, but probably just as good, they both have the same tow ratings.

Deano77 wrote:
I am new at this and maybe I used the wrong term. This is a pop up tent trailer. What do you mean by frontal area? That is a term I have not heard.

you appear to have edited your original post. You said travel trailer in your first post and now have edited to a 3800 pound pop up.

lets start with the model number of the trailer you are looking at?

Is it a Highwall?

if it is a Highwall either TV would be at limit, but should work.

If it is a standard pop up either would work perfectly.

Your question would likely be answered better in a pathfinder or Highlander forum as maybe you would find someone who test drove both and decided on one. Unlikely you are towing that often so I would make my decision on either TV based on other criteria other than towing. Just a thought

I am new at this and maybe I used the wrong term. This is a pop up tent trailer. What do you mean by frontal area? That is a term I have not heard.

You might get a better response on the TT forum. I've had TTs before, and the general rule is to not go beyond 80% of capacity (fully loaded). You also have to take into account the TT's frontal area. I think the Pathfinder's limit (at least for my 2010 model) is 60 sq. ft.

I'm currently pulling an Aliner (pulls like a PUP) with my 2010 Pathfinder with no problems. I'm not sure about pulling a TT with it, b/c of the frontal area issue more than the weight. I'd love to upgrade to a small TT too - just not sure it'd be wise.