Hello again
Just thought I'd update this thread I created to let everyone know of our initial experiences towing with our SUV/trailer combo. First of all, thanks for all the input from forum members and my apologies for not responding as I seem to have lost track of my own thread and didn't realize people had continued responding.
So far the family has logged two trips with our new TT and we're really enjoying it. The one year old is a bit of a challenge camping and we think that we probably started our camping adventures one year too soon but we're still making the best of it.
Towing Experience:
Going into this I had real concerns about trailer sway mostly from reading threads on this forum. I have a short wheel base tow vehicle and no sway control; only weight distribution. My Grand Cherokee has built in electronic sway control but I'm told you don't ever want to get into that.
So far I have not experienced any trailer sway induced by passing tractor trailers or other large vehicles (either passing me from behind of head on). My setup feels rock solid in these situations. I can certainly feel cross winds and would not want to tow on an excessively windy day, but overall I am getting more confident (but not complacent) out there with every passing mile.
I read a lot of people who comment that their tow vehicle towed the TT so well that it was "like nothing was back there". Well, as pleased as I am with my Grand Cherokee, I definitely would not say that. The 5.7 has plenty of power and I never struggled to maintain speed on grade, but I constantly was aware that it was working for it. On a decent uphill grade it would generally drop to 4th or 5th and hold around 3500rpm which seems to be the sweet spot for the hemi. Occasionally it would drop another gear and hang out around 4000rpm if it got really steep. Most people say this motor can run in these rpm ranges all day long so I'm not too concerned. Transmission and water temp hardly rose at all. During a climb the only parameter I noticed climbing was oil temp but it never got anywhere near yellow. On the downhill grades when I could really feel the trailer pushing us down the hill, I really enjoyed the paddle shifters for dropping gears for very effective engine braking. My fuel economy for our 1300km trip from Calgary, AB to Kelowna, BC and back through the mountains was just under 20L/100km. Not amazing but about what you'd expect I guess.
The Tekonsha P3 brake controller is also working quite nicely and produces very smooth predictable braking.
Overall, very happy with the Grand Cherokee as long as it remains reliable. If my family enjoys camping our next tow vehicle in 5 years or so will certainly be a little beefier but we're totally happy for now.
TT Camping Experience:
Given our tow vehicle's payload limitations, I think that we chose just about the perfect sized trailer for out family size. As much as I'd like a 33 foot fifth wheel with pullouts, our 17 footer is about as good as it gets for us. We can also store the trailer at home at this size. Really enjoying the pack and play bunk arrangement and the permanent double bed.
So far I've installed some interior LED ambient lighting (I'm a big LED nerd), built an oak ladder for the upper bunk, and installed a curtain to partition off the main bed.
So far every system has functioned perfectly in the trailer with the exception of one interior speaker which I repaired myself (bad splice at the head unit). I also recaulked the shower as it appeared to have been sealed by a 4 year old.
Also worth noting is that we're extremely impressed with our solar panel. We have two twelve volt batteries and one roof mounted 160 watt panel. We camped for 5 nights in marginal weather and every day the panel took us back to 100%. I even noted 2-3 amp charges in overcast conditions. Very impressive. Of course our electical needs are quite low in this trailer and we always take care to manage power and not run anything needlessly.
My wife an I always tried to use the public washrooms and showers on this trip. We still managed to fill our grey water tank in 4 days. The black water never exceed 1/3 and our fresh water lasted until the end of the trip. I could see with a full grown family boondocking in the wilderness that grey water and black water would need to be carefully managed.
Well that's enough for now. Just wanted to update the thread in case anyone has a similar setup they might have concerns with. Let me know if you have any questions.
Happy camping. Cheers!
