Travel Trailer Tow questions
My wife and I have been thinking about trading in our 2012 Palomino Yearling 4100 popup camper for a travel trailer. We know what floorplan we want in a travel trailer and have been researching variou...
Forum Discussion
To the OP
To your question, I had a 2009 Toyota Tacoma which was rated for a 6500 # trailer, had 236 horsepower, and 266 lbs-ft of torque. Can't remember the payload number, but I believe it was something just under 1500#. I towed a Springdale 202 which scaled at about 5300 pounds loaded. Tongue weight was close to 600 pounds. I had an 800 pound Husky spring bar hitch with one friction bar for sway control. I used a Tekonsha P3 for brake control which I still have in my current setup. Braking was never an issue even in the mountains.
I would say that the truck itself was adequate for the pull under most conditions. When it became stormy with cross winds, or a semi passed from the rear, the setup deficiencies became obvious. The wind in either case would move the combination around a bit. Sway was not a problem at all, but I became aware of the weight behind me for sure. Never dangerous, but the comfort level while driving definitely decreased. Not a relaxing drive for sure. Having said that, the motor was great on the flatter ground, but when we were in the mountains or driving into a head wind, I was definitely wishing for more power.
I ended up trading the Tacoma for a 2013 Tundra which was like night to day in terms of ability to tow, and comfort while doing so. I should say that I have towed a variety of trailers for 20,000 miles or so, so experience is not an issue. At least some would say! :-)
In my opinion, the proper setup for a trailer of that weight would include at least a half ton truck and another 100 horsepower. The added weight of the truck is a bonus, and more power is always great but with the poorer gas mileage as a down side.
I would suggest going to a dealer that would allow you to take the trailer that you are interested in for a test spin and go to a truck scale while you have it to get the real weights that you need to make a determination on whether or not you are within specs of your Jeep, and more importantly to get a sense of your comfort level while on the road.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/towing/equipment/hitches/towing-weight-distribution-systems.htm
Hope this helps.
To your question, I had a 2009 Toyota Tacoma which was rated for a 6500 # trailer, had 236 horsepower, and 266 lbs-ft of torque. Can't remember the payload number, but I believe it was something just under 1500#. I towed a Springdale 202 which scaled at about 5300 pounds loaded. Tongue weight was close to 600 pounds. I had an 800 pound Husky spring bar hitch with one friction bar for sway control. I used a Tekonsha P3 for brake control which I still have in my current setup. Braking was never an issue even in the mountains.
I would say that the truck itself was adequate for the pull under most conditions. When it became stormy with cross winds, or a semi passed from the rear, the setup deficiencies became obvious. The wind in either case would move the combination around a bit. Sway was not a problem at all, but I became aware of the weight behind me for sure. Never dangerous, but the comfort level while driving definitely decreased. Not a relaxing drive for sure. Having said that, the motor was great on the flatter ground, but when we were in the mountains or driving into a head wind, I was definitely wishing for more power.
I ended up trading the Tacoma for a 2013 Tundra which was like night to day in terms of ability to tow, and comfort while doing so. I should say that I have towed a variety of trailers for 20,000 miles or so, so experience is not an issue. At least some would say! :-)
In my opinion, the proper setup for a trailer of that weight would include at least a half ton truck and another 100 horsepower. The added weight of the truck is a bonus, and more power is always great but with the poorer gas mileage as a down side.
I would suggest going to a dealer that would allow you to take the trailer that you are interested in for a test spin and go to a truck scale while you have it to get the real weights that you need to make a determination on whether or not you are within specs of your Jeep, and more importantly to get a sense of your comfort level while on the road.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/towing/equipment/hitches/towing-weight-distribution-systems.htm
Hope this helps.
