I have a 2014 Ford Flex with the towing packing that allows us to tow up to 4500lbs. We are interested in purchasing Forest River Rockwood Mini Lite 2306 which says the UVW is 3890 and the GVWR says TBD. We are concerned with the weight and do want to over due it. We do not know much about hauling travel trailers and we also do not know how to determine how much we can tow. There are so many specifications such as GVWR and dry weight, etc. Can someone enlighten me please? We are interested in a travel trailer (no canvas) that has bunks and a queen size bed. Like I stated earlier, we really like the model mentioned above. We will be travel within our state (no mountains) and will mostly be doing long weekend trips. There will be 4 people and a dog in our vehicle. We want the most bang for our buck. Thanks for taking the time read this. I would appreciate any feedback.:)

Too much trailer for the TV, I'm afraid. If the TT weighs 3890 (which is likely before they added any "extras,") and you add the 800-1000 lbs of water, clothes, food, etc, you will be above your maximum weight rating. Into the bargain, most folks here seem to be of the opinion that one ought not push that limit, as it makes for an unpleasant tow if you do find yourself in a head-wind or going over any significant hills.The Flex with a 4500 lb gross trailer weight is much better suited to a smaller trailer.

I say too much. I would be the tongue weight is over the recommended tongue weight for the flex, which is 516lbs dry. That is probably 650lbs ready to camp. Also, the UVW is probably not what it comes out ready to camp, but looking online, it is fairly close. Fully loaded, I bet you are closer to 4800lbs ready to camp. Plus, all the people and the tongue weight, you will probably be overloading the GVW of the Flex. Also being Front Wheel Drive, You would need a read good WDH to keep the front wheels on the ground. Even me, being a little daring, probably wouldn't do it.

Oh, yeah, one other small detail here: never believe the TT salesman, who will assure you that your TV is capable of pulling anything, no matter how ridiculous. They all lie.

Yeah, that weight is the minimum. Any options, even the refrigerator are not included, nor are water, fuel, or any of your gear. You'll be well over 5000 pounds if not 6000 when loaded and ready to go. You need to figure out your payload and compare that to the tongue weight and the weight of your cargo in the vehicle, all but the driver. You will find that it is your payload that is the limit, not your towing capacity. Probably need to look at trailer in the 2500lb range.

Actual dry weight will be closer to 4400# or more. Too much trailer, not enough TV. And with 4 adults, dog, and gear you'll probably be over the GVW on the Flex.

Travel Trailer weight vs vehicle hauling | Good Sam Community

pkjorlie
Explorer
Feb 25, 2016
A little late getting in on this, but by comparison, I tow a 3000# Jayco 20' Hawk with a Jeep Liberty rated at 5000# Tow. It's a stiff haul, with wind resistance and other gear but I do need (I think) to get a WD hitch to help balance the load. Curb weight of the Jeep is 3900+# (5600# GVWR)and I wouldn't want to tow a TT bigger than that.
By contrast, I can tow my compact tractor on a flatbed at about 4000# trailer weight with my Jeep and it feels like there's hardly anything behind me.
wbwood
Explorer
Feb 21, 2016
Try the Winnebago Micro Minnie's or the Winnie Drop
tragusa3
Explorer
Feb 21, 2016
I just walked through that Apex model yesterday. It seemed like a nice unit. However, I also walked through the Rpods, and although they are really tight, I believe them to be better suited for your Flex. They have much less frontal area.
wbwood
Explorer
Feb 21, 2016
dodge guy wrote:
No one that I know of travels with full tanks! I only travel with 8 gallons of fresh water and empty grey/black tanks.

And why I said people normally don't do that, but as someone else mentioned, people camp in places without hook ups or availability to water and or dump stations. When we camped at a place in the mountains that had no hookups, we went with a full 40 gallon fresh water tank plus another 12 gallons in containers. The campground did have water spigots, but we were not going to fully rely on them as we didn't know what their condition was (or if the water was safe). So, even on the way home, we still had between 50-60 gallons of liquid in the tanks (fresh/black/gray) until we could get to the dump station near home later on.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Feb 21, 2016
Terryallan wrote:
Grit dog wrote:
I didn't know what the flex was til I looked it up. The toaster model!
Yeah, full car plus a hard side TT is probably not in the cards. People have towed more with less, but that doesn't mean it's right.
On the downside, just the quick summary showed 16/23mpg rating. That is horrible for a little fart box car. You can get something big enough to pull a trailer that still gets that kind of mileage, or better.

you do know that the Flex is NOT a small car don't you? 23 MPG highway is pretty good for a vehicle that can carry 8 people. You do know it is sized and looks more like the "Station Wagon" of old that congress legislated out of existence.

And I don't know what you are towing with. But in reality. Few full sized trucks that can tow get 23 MPH. A new F150 with the 5.0 is rated for only 21, and that is with a rear gear that won't tow anything. Same for the Chevy. All the MPG rating are for high / non towing rear gears.

Sure, tow away with the Flex. It's totally preferable to those chintzy half ton tucks that are rated 2-3mpg less and can't tow a thing.....
Grit_dog
Navigator
Feb 21, 2016
dodge guy wrote:
No one that I know of travels with full tanks! I only travel with 8 gallons of fresh water and empty grey/black tanks.

You musnt know any one outside of the fhu campgrounds you go to!
That's the beauty of a RV with tanks. When you go to the wilderness you can take your water with you and bring your sh!t home lol!
dodge_guy
Explorer II
Feb 20, 2016
No one that I know of travels with full tanks! I only travel with 8 gallons of fresh water and empty grey/black tanks.
wbwood
Explorer
Feb 20, 2016
Agree with others...you will be close to maximum weight including the adults and dogs, let alone anything else.

Look at the tanks (fresh, gray, and black). What are their sizes? Because you will probably travel with some sort of liquids in them at one point or another. Liquid weighs around 8lbs/gallon. Lets say you have a 20 gallon tank for each. That's 60 gallons or 480lbs. Hopefully you won't be traveling with all your tanks full. But lets say half full (or half empty). You are at almost 250 lbs right there just for that. Not everyone travels with liquids in their tanks. But many do. Depends on your camping and where you are going.
tibbitts
Explorer
Feb 20, 2016
Allworth wrote:
I've driven one that belongs to the company. Never again!

Why not?
jkrhouse
Explorer
Feb 20, 2016
Boy oh boy you ask a question and you sure get a lot of opinions don't you?? Just want some advise so that we don't over do it and we purchase a TT that we will be safe towing. I love my flex :)

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