Hi, I came in a little late to this thread, but I live in Western NC. I have had the pleasure of towing a TT with a loaded weight of between 7,000 and 8,000 lbs (4,700 lbs dry) with a Ford Expedition with 8,000 lb capacity. Much of this was in the NC mountains. It's a great place to go with a TT, IMHO. I just wanted to tell you that these roads are different from the flat lands and foothills, and different forces apply than with speeding down the interstate. Going up these steep grades you're pulling the TT's actual weight up, along with the weight of your loaded TV. Wind drag isn't as much of an issue, but that weight is a killer when pulling it up a steep grade. Those hills are frequent and long, too, even on the return trip. I know that doesn't seem to make sense, but returning isn't just a single grade down. There are hills, and going down will be easier, but going up the next one is slow going. Another factor is the hard curves. You often come to a curve at the bottom of a hill where you have to reduce speed way down to be safe, so then you're starting up the next steep hill with very little forward momentum to carry you. I think you'll struggle with that TV in the mountains by pulling that much weight up the grades. It'll do it, but you'll really be winding it out in a low gear and moving slowly. I have since upped my TV's capacity to 10,000 lbs by going with a Ford E350 van, and it feels much better on all roads. On the other hand, on the straights, downhill, and on the level highways, you'll be cruisin' on down the road just fine with mainly wind drag to deal with.
Gary in Western NC
