Tahoe, Yukon, Expedition, or Armada to pull 32' TT

[chrisclash]

Hello all, newbie here.

I just bought a Wildwood 27DBK TT (new layout for 2017) and am looking for an SUV to pull it. The trailer is about 32' long ball to bumper and 6400 lbs. dry. The wife wants an SUV with three rows of seats rather than a truck to pull it because the family is soon going to be spending a lot of time in our towing vehicle. So a nice strong truck isn't an option for me, unfortunately. She also doesn't like the bulk of the Suburban and similar vehicles. She also refuses to buy a Toyota or Honda.

So I've been looking at Tahoes, Yukons, Expeditions, and Armadas. After reading quite a few stories around the net, I have found very few trailer owners that can vouch for a Tahoe, Yukon, or Expedition pulling this sort of trailer, even though the trailer is lighter than the 8000-9000 lbs tow rating of these vehicles (properly equipped). Yet, I can find quite a few good testimonials for the Armada. Even though consumer rating services would put the Armada at the bottom of this list (based on comfort, alloy wheel brightness, blah blah blah), is it true that the Armada would be the best tow vehicle of these four vehicles? Or could it just be that Armada owners are more optimistic about their experience than Tahoe / Yukon / Expedition owners for some reason? Is there a physical reason that the Armada would be better (vehicle weight, engine torque, wheelbase dimensions, lube coolers, axle ratio...)?

Thanks for any help you might be able to offer.

[APT]

Nissan NV3500 and GM 1-ton twins are very good options for larger families towing large RVs.

[dodge_guy]

.

[troubledwaters]

Deleted

[Camper_G]

Agree with the others. A 32' rig with a family is in 3/4 ton truck territory. Some may get away with towing them with 1/2 ton trucks, but those are usually heavy half tons like the Ford f150 with max payload package. I think those can be had with a 2000 lb payload rating.

Based on the way your initial post was written i suspect you had a feeling this might be the case. Questions like this seem to get posted very frequently. Good job for checking into things before you buy a vehicle.

You either need more truck or a smaller, lighter trailer in my opinion. Good luck.

[austingta]

You do know that, in general, people who tow 32-foot travel trailers tow them with big pick up trucks? Good luck.

[chrisclash]

I will have to look into the van options. My wife refuses to get another truck (we already had that argument again tonight, and I lost again), but a big van might work.

[mbutts]

Have you considered a full size van? You'll get about 10,000 lbs. towing and about 3,000 lbs. payload with a Chevy 2500.

[chrisclash]

Good call on the tongue weight issue, guys. I forgot to add the tongue weight to the TV gross weight. A WD hitch does transfer some of the tongue weight back to the trailer axles due to geometry (front wheels being further away from the tongue than the back wheels), but you all are right that this aspect is pretty borderline.

And kids ARE in the equation. I think together, they gain about 30 lbs. per year...

Thanks for your help.

[APT]

6400 pounds dry means about 7500 pounds loaded with a family's gear for a long weekend, and closer to 8000 pounds with full fresh water and stuff for a week. That means about 1000 pound tongue weight. Check those receiver ratings as you shop. The highest is 1000 pounds when using a WDH, and the lowest is under 900.

Check the as equipped payload as you kick the tires. Some have under 1400 pounds, which may not be enough if you soak up 1000 pounds with trailer tongue weight. Verify the max combined weight of occupants and cargo when you open the drivers' doors.

Power in half tons hasn't been a problem in 10 years. Suspensions of them have not progressed as much as powertrain.

[afidel]

Saw a 2018 Expedition at the auto show with a payload of 1720lbs which might just work. I'd agree that a 2500 Suburban would be a safer bet.

[camp-n-family]

Your numbers are conservative. I think you will find yourself over the Armadas gvwr (payload). Dry weights don't include options, propane, batteries etc. Delivered weight is usually a few hundred pounds heavier than advertised. Tongue weight will definitely be higher and push the limits of your receiver. The propane tanks and battery sit on the tongue so it will definitely be more than 701lbs. To avoid sway and be stable a tt should carry approx 12 percent of its loaded weight on the tongue. At minimum that would put you at 888lbs if you were actually 7400lbs loaded. Then add in the weight of the hitch itself. Based on those numbers (which are still conservative) you'll be over your gvwr.

If your numbers include weights for children remember that they won't get any smaller. You'll be over weight now with no room to grow.

[coolmom42]

chrisclash wrote:
If I take the Armada as an example, I think we would meet all of the limits in the specs, at least number-wise. It's things like sway on the highway and bogging down going up a hill that I'm worried about, and stories from actual users are the only way I can find out about those issues. For numbers:

TT dry weight = 6400 lbs.
TT fully loaded with my stuff = 7400 lbs.
TT dry tongue = 701 lbs.
TT tongue + hitch = 800 lbs.

2012 Armada SL 4WD (example car) towing capacity = 9000 lbs (>7400 lbs)
Curb weight = 5732
Vehicle weight + family + stuff = ~6300 lbs.
GVWR = 7150 (>6300 lbs)
Max tongue = 910 lbs. (>800 lbs)

Numbers-wise, everything looks okay to me. I think I would find similar results with the other three vehicles. The "too much sail" comment is what worries me, but again I point specifically to the successful stories from Armada owners with good WD/ anti-sway hitches (and not so much owners of Tahoes and Expeditions).

Otherwise, I'll have to convince my wife to buy another truck... Cuz my Frontier definitely won't cut it...

You have 850 lb left for trailer tongue weight. If your loaded trailer weighs 7400, you need 7400 X 0.12 = 888 lb

You will be slightly overloaded in your tow vehicle, more than slightly if your tongue weight goes higher.

Don't THINK you would find similar results on the other vehicles. Do some research and get hard numbers.

In any case, you MUST have a really good WD/anti-sway hitch, correctly set up, adequate tires, and correct tire pressure in your tow vehicle.

You would possibly be OK for shorter trips without much climbing. But I would not take the combo on a really long trip or to the mountains.

[BenK]

That 9,000 lb tow rating is based on the curb, 5,732 lb...

Unless you have and are going to tow with a "curb" weight Armada...Your true max tow weight rating will be less...By the weight amount over the listed curb....

[chrisclash]

If I take the Armada as an example, I think we would meet all of the limits in the specs, at least number-wise. It's things like sway on the highway and bogging down going up a hill that I'm worried about, and stories from actual users are the only way I can find out about those issues. For numbers:

TT dry weight = 6400 lbs.
TT fully loaded with my stuff = 7400 lbs.
TT dry tongue = 701 lbs.
TT tongue + hitch = 800 lbs.

2012 Armada SL 4WD (example car) towing capacity = 9000 lbs (>7400 lbs)
Curb weight = 5732
Vehicle weight + family + stuff = ~6300 lbs.
GVWR = 7150 (>6300 lbs)
Max tongue = 910 lbs. (>800 lbs)

Numbers-wise, everything looks okay to me. I think I would find similar results with the other three vehicles. The "too much sail" comment is what worries me, but again I point specifically to the successful stories from Armada owners with good WD/ anti-sway hitches (and not so much owners of Tahoes and Expeditions).

Otherwise, I'll have to convince my wife to buy another truck... Cuz my Frontier definitely won't cut it...

[camp-n-family]

None of the above? All depends on how much weight (think passengers and gear) will be carried in the SUV, tongue weight of the loaded trailer, and the available payload rating. Those SUVs are based on 1/2 ton frames and likely don't have the available payload to fill the seats and tow that size.