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jlfought's avatar
jlfought
Explorer
Feb 25, 2014

Towing a 39' TT across country? Possible or no?

We will be taking our family of 7 across country for a year in a TT. There is a 2002 Dutchmen that we love but its 39' feet long. Is it even possible to tow something like this full time? We currently have a 1/2 ton Burb and we know that wouldn't do it. So we have been looking at possibly getting a 2500 8.1L 4:10. We have checked and cross checked weights and specs for everything, double checked if there would be issues at campgrounds with such a mammoth, checked out WD Bars, bigger hitches and so on and so on. Now my head hurts. So I need your well seasoned opinion and experience, is this a lost cause or can it be done- safely?

Thanks in Advance =)

76 Replies

  • Total Newbies here. The only thing we have ever towed is a small trailer that we sold pizza out of every year for a festival. And I am not saying exactly that all the weights check out for us to tow a 39 footer. Every site I look at has a different formula ( hence my head hurting). Some of the calculations make it seem like we'd be ok and then others don't. This is what I remember off the top of my head: The TT GVWR is 11,176 lbs. We would need about 1500lbs at the hitch with the 39'. So we would get a hitch with a 2400lb tongue/16k total. The 2500 Burb's GVWR is 12000. We weigh 700 lbs total. We would carry no cargo in the Burb, all in the TT. The GCWR on the Burb is 20,000 and we should be sitting at about 17k. I will look up any other specs and #'s that I have written down and post them tomorrow morning. Let me know if I am missing key info that needs to be factored in. And on a side note, we plan to avoid interstates as much as possible on our trip, mainly all highways(more to see). We'll likely stay at state parks so not too worried about the smaller camping places not accommodating a big(huge) TT. Though I realize their will be some in roads at parks that a 39' trailer just won't be able to maneuver. We will be traveling a few hours every week or two(or three) to new places around the country. Just to give you a better idea of our plans and how much towing we would be doing. Thanks for all the input so far! It is much appreciated and greatly valued!!
  • I think the only thing possible as a tow vehicle for you would be a 350/3500 van. Not enough payload in any of the SUV's for 7 and a large trailer.
  • What's the weight of the trailer and the tong weight? What is the weight of your family of 7? Need to know this to be able to tell if possible. I would vote no with info I have. You could use your burb for family and get a 1 ton for pulling trailer.
  • I don't know about any of the weights, but you say they have all been checked twice. Please make sure you have enough payload capacity for the total weight of your family of 7, plus the weight of the hitch assembly, plus any cargo in the truck, plus the tongue weight. That is one long TT so I hope you have some towing experience. There are certainly campsites in commercial campgrounds and even in some state parks that will accomodate 39'. I don't think I would do it, but if you do I wish you good luck.
  • Everything's possible. Would I do it? Absolutely not!!

    We dragged a 27' TT around with our Ford F250 for a few years. Even with that combination, you're really limited with campsites in public campgrounds like Forest Service, National Parks, etc. That's where we exclusively stay, so a 39' TT would be, for us, out of the question.

    At 39' + the tow vehicle, forget it. With a few exceptions, only a large commercial campground will be able to comfortable accommodate you.
  • I tow with an Excursion. My Jayco 32BHDS is 35' 6" long, add almost 3 more feet with the bike tray extended. I have towed from maine to Florida and have not had an issue. I use a Reese dual cam setup with 1200lbs.
    If a 8.1 liter Sub is hard to find you may want to look at a Diesel Excursion.