Towing requirements

[forjonny]

My camper trailer is 3500 Lbs. I am looking for a SUV that will tow it.Should I have a SUV that can handle a higher amount than that like 5000? Or am I safe getting a vehicle that just tows that amount? I have my eyes on some but if it's better to get a higher rated one then I will have to search further.

[camperdave]

Huntindog wrote:
I take it you must be young.

We were all young once. Back then we THOUGHT we knew a lot. Now that we are older and know a lot more, we realize how little we know.

Happy Camping

Hey, he was right though! I totally didn't read his post well. Even at 3500 though, I just don't think the Kia will be a good experience. But I've never done it so... I could certainly be wrong.

Best of luck, hope it works out.

[Huntindog]

forjonny wrote:

camperdave wrote:
I have a hard time believing that a Sorento will pull 5k with any adequacy. My trailer weighs 5k, with a 650 pound tounge. I've moved it a few times with my Nissan Fronier, I thought that thing was going to hit the ground lol.

Anyway, maybe a 5k boat with 8% tounge weight and no frontal area. But I don't believe a 5k TT will be acceptable.

But I'm old and like steel frames and V8's.

Btw, what kind of mileage will a V6 Sorento get? I bet it's not much better than a larger SUV (or, god forbid, a nice full size van :B )

To answer your very original question, a tow vehicle with a higher tow rating will tow better and handle better than a tow vehicle with a lower tow rating while towing the same trailer, even if that trailer is at/below both tow vehicles ratings.

Yes you must be old because I have said a few times that my TT is only 3500 Lbs. Let me repeat that while I got your attention: 3500 lbs is my TT.

I have the TT in mind and will get that next year and I hope to get from the seller of the TW or the Sorento that again tows 5000 Lbs, that it will be able to tow that lesser poundage TT with or without a WDH. I like the idea of a WDH and I hope I can find someone that can install it. I hope that this vehicle will be able to fit this hitch on the rear end too.

Ok, sorry to be rude but I am tired of telling people how much my vehicle is rated for towing and what my TT will weigh.

I take it you must be young.

We were all young once. Back then we THOUGHT we knew a lot. Now that we are older and know a lot more, we realize how little we know.

Happy Camping

[forjonny]

camperdave wrote:
I have a hard time believing that a Sorento will pull 5k with any adequacy. My trailer weighs 5k, with a 650 pound tounge. I've moved it a few times with my Nissan Fronier, I thought that thing was going to hit the ground lol.

Anyway, maybe a 5k boat with 8% tounge weight and no frontal area. But I don't believe a 5k TT will be acceptable.

But I'm old and like steel frames and V8's.

Btw, what kind of mileage will a V6 Sorento get? I bet it's not much better than a larger SUV (or, god forbid, a nice full size van :B )

To answer your very original question, a tow vehicle with a higher tow rating will tow better and handle better than a tow vehicle with a lower tow rating while towing the same trailer, even if that trailer is at/below both tow vehicles ratings.

Yes you must be old because I have said a few times that my TT is only 3500 Lbs. Let me repeat that while I got your attention: 3500 lbs is my TT.

I have the TT in mind and will get that next year and I hope to get from the seller of the TW or the Sorento that again tows 5000 Lbs, that it will be able to tow that lesser poundage TT with or without a WDH. I like the idea of a WDH and I hope I can find someone that can install it. I hope that this vehicle will be able to fit this hitch on the rear end too.

Ok, sorry to be rude but I am tired of telling people how much my vehicle is rated for towing and what my TT will weigh.

[afidel]

The Sorento is highly unlikely to have sufficient payload for a 3,000+ pound trailer and a family. The maximum payload is 1,537, but that's for the most base model 4 cylinder 2WD, not the loaded v6 AWD one with 5,000 pounds of "towing capacity". Also a 3.3L naturally aspirated v6 isn't going to have the power to pull a full profile trailer through even moderate hills. Look to a crew cab truck, full sized SUV, or 3/4 or 1 ton van if you want to haul a family and a travel trailer. Even then make sure you look for a payload rating more than about 1,500 pounds as surprisingly many half ton trucks and SUVs have fairly minimal payload ratings.

[camperdave]

I have a hard time believing that a Sorento will pull 5k with any adequacy. My trailer weighs 5k, with a 650 pound tounge. I've moved it a few times with my Nissan Fronier, I thought that thing was going to hit the ground lol.

Anyway, maybe a 5k boat with 8% tounge weight and no frontal area. But I don't believe a 5k TT will be acceptable.

But I'm old and like steel frames and V8's.

Btw, what kind of mileage will a V6 Sorento get? I bet it's not much better than a larger SUV (or, god forbid, a nice full size van :B )

To answer your very original question, a tow vehicle with a higher tow rating will tow better and handle better than a tow vehicle with a lower tow rating while towing the same trailer, even if that trailer is at/below both tow vehicles ratings.

[forjonny]

Well we will be traveling with this TT to areas that have hills so the Sorento with the 3.3 L 6 chlinder engine would probably be better than the 4 cylinder model. Of course the thing is rated to pull 5000 lbs as apposed to the 3500 rated one and that's what the TT weighs.

[Jay_Coe]

There's virtually nothing out there other than full-size that still has a frame. As mentioned SEVERAL times, check with the manufacturer about the use of weight distributing hitches. Depending on tongue weight, you may very well not need one for a 3500lb trailer. That's what my snowmobile trailer weighs and I would never consider it necessary to have a WDH for that.

Remember Bill Cosby's Buck Buck? "A piece of paper, somebody threw a piece of paper on me!"

Buck Buck

[Huntindog]

forjonny wrote:

Huntindog wrote:

Boomerweps wrote:
WDH or WD is Weight Distributing Hitch.
TT is travel trailer.
TV is Tow Vehicle in these forums.
GTWR gross trailer weight rating.
CC cargo capacity
GAWR is gross axle weight rating.

A truck, older cars, and SUVs based on trucks have a full solid frame that everything attaches to. By itself, it is somewhat ladder shaped.
A Unibody is a vehicle that depends on a sheet metal shell for its unit strength, common on front wheel drive vehicles. There is a sub frame that attaches to the front of the body that the drive components (engine, transmission, transaxle) are mounted on. Many of the so-called crossover "SUVs" are also built this way. The sheet metal shell or cocoon is often not strong enough to tow much weight.
A WDH levers the hitch weight forward on the TV and some rearward on the TT axle. This allows better control for towing and helps keep the TV level. A unibody usually doesn't have the strength to handle the torque from this lever action and without a real frame could actually rip the hitch mounting bolts out of the sheet metal, or at least twist the unibody.

Spot on.

I have heard that SOME unibodies can tolerate a WDH... So check with the manufacturer on this....
DO NOT overlook this.
It can be a really bad thing.

So what would be the best hitch or tow package that I should be using on this vehicle? Don't want to loose my TT down the road or twist something out of whack on the road.

So check with the manufacturer on this....

That would go for any TV you are considering.

As a general rule, unibodies are not well suited for towing.

Since you do not yet own it.... Why go down that problematic road.
Get something with a frame.

[forjonny]

Huntindog wrote:

Boomerweps wrote:
WDH or WD is Weight Distributing Hitch.
TT is travel trailer.
TV is Tow Vehicle in these forums.
GTWR gross trailer weight rating.
CC cargo capacity
GAWR is gross axle weight rating.

A truck, older cars, and SUVs based on trucks have a full solid frame that everything attaches to. By itself, it is somewhat ladder shaped.
A Unibody is a vehicle that depends on a sheet metal shell for its unit strength, common on front wheel drive vehicles. There is a sub frame that attaches to the front of the body that the drive components (engine, transmission, transaxle) are mounted on. Many of the so-called crossover "SUVs" are also built this way. The sheet metal shell or cocoon is often not strong enough to tow much weight.
A WDH levers the hitch weight forward on the TV and some rearward on the TT axle. This allows better control for towing and helps keep the TV level. A unibody usually doesn't have the strength to handle the torque from this lever action and without a real frame could actually rip the hitch mounting bolts out of the sheet metal, or at least twist the unibody.

Spot on.

I have heard that SOME unibodies can tolerate a WDH... So check with the manufacturer on this....
DO NOT overlook this.
It can be a really bad thing.

So what would be the best hitch or tow package that I should be using on this vehicle? Don't want to loose my TT down the road or twist something out of whack on the road.

[Huntindog]

Boomerweps wrote:
WDH or WD is Weight Distributing Hitch.
TT is travel trailer.
TV is Tow Vehicle in these forums.
GTWR gross trailer weight rating.
CC cargo capacity
GAWR is gross axle weight rating.

A truck, older cars, and SUVs based on trucks have a full solid frame that everything attaches to. By itself, it is somewhat ladder shaped.
A Unibody is a vehicle that depends on a sheet metal shell for its unit strength, common on front wheel drive vehicles. There is a sub frame that attaches to the front of the body that the drive components (engine, transmission, transaxle) are mounted on. Many of the so-called crossover "SUVs" are also built this way. The sheet metal shell or cocoon is often not strong enough to tow much weight.
A WDH levers the hitch weight forward on the TV and some rearward on the TT axle. This allows better control for towing and helps keep the TV level. A unibody usually doesn't have the strength to handle the torque from this lever action and without a real frame could actually rip the hitch mounting bolts out of the sheet metal, or at least twist the unibody.

Spot on.

I have heard that SOME unibodies can tolerate a WDH... So check with the manufacturer on this....
DO NOT overlook this.
It can be a really bad thing.

[forjonny]

Boomerweps wrote:
WDH or WD is Weight Distributing Hitch.
TT is travel trailer.
TV is Tow Vehicle in these forums.
GTWR gross trailer weight rating.
CC cargo capacity
GAWR is gross axle weight rating.

A truck, older cars, and SUVs based on trucks have a full solid frame that everything attaches to. By itself, it is somewhat ladder shaped.
A Unibody is a vehicle that depends on a sheet metal shell for its unit strength, common on front wheel drive vehicles. There is a sub frame that attaches to the front of the body that the drive components (engine, transmission, transaxle) are mounted on. Many of the so-called crossover "SUVs" are also built this way. The sheet metal shell or cocoon is often not strong enough to tow much weight.
A WDH levers the hitch weight forward on the TV and some rearward on the TT axle. This allows better control for towing and helps keep the TV level. A unibody usually doesn't have the strength to handle the torque from this lever action and without a real frame could actually rip the hitch mounting bolts out of the sheet metal, or at least twist the unibody.

So why do they make these Kia Sorentos so they can tow 5000 Lbs if they are not meant to tow that much and are weak? Heck our TT will be 3500 so will this vehicle be adequate or not?

[Boomerweps]

WDH or WD is Weight Distributing Hitch.
TT is travel trailer.
TV is Tow Vehicle in these forums.
GTWR gross trailer weight rating.
CC cargo capacity
GAWR is gross axle weight rating.

A truck, older cars, and SUVs based on trucks have a full solid frame that everything attaches to. By itself, it is somewhat ladder shaped.
A Unibody is a vehicle that depends on a sheet metal shell for its unit strength, common on front wheel drive vehicles. There is a sub frame that attaches to the front of the body that the drive components (engine, transmission, transaxle) are mounted on. Many of the so-called crossover "SUVs" are also built this way. The sheet metal shell or cocoon is often not strong enough to tow much weight.
A WDH levers the hitch weight forward on the TV and some rearward on the TT axle. This allows better control for towing and helps keep the TV level. A unibody usually doesn't have the strength to handle the torque from this lever action and without a real frame could actually rip the hitch mounting bolts out of the sheet metal, or at least twist the unibody.

[forjonny]

forjonny wrote:

Huntindog wrote:

rjstractor wrote:
I did a little bit of research on the Sorento and could not find what the Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) is for that vehicle. However, I did find that the minimum payload for a loaded AWD model is about 1300 pounds, which isn't bad and actually better than some full size pickups. If your trailer's gross weight is 3500 pounds than it will likely be a good match for the AWD Sorento as long as you watch your payload. The trailer's hitch weight will add 500-600 pounds to what the vehicle carries. A good weight distribution hitch will be necessary to spread that weight between the front and rear of your tow vehicle.

To answer one of your questions, generally speaking, the higher a vehicle's tow rating, the better it will handle a trailer of a given weight. Any time you approach or exceed tow capacity, performance, handling and the durability of the vehicle suffer.

Does the Sorento have a frame? Or is it a unibody?

Gotta be careful with unibodies. WD isn't always a good thing with them.

Check with the manufacturer on this.

With the larger motor on the Sorento the towing capacity goes up to 5000 Lbs. I don't know what you mean by 1300 lbs with 3.3L engine.

This is what it says for the 2018 and 2019:
Steel Unibody (Iso-Structure Construction)
Whatever that means. And what is a WD?

I haven't bought the vehicle yet. That will be in November that I will purchase this vehicle. Don't know what year I will get though. All depends on financing from the company.

3.3L V6 Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) is the engine that I will get and that is the LX V6 model which the towing capacity with the AWD is 5000 lbs. The travel trailer is 3500 Lbs.

[Boomerweps]

forjonny wrote:
With the larger motor on the Sorento the towing capacity goes up to 5000 Lbs. I don't know what you mean by 1300 lbs with 3.3L engine.

He meant weight capacity of the tow vehicle, NOT the tow (or pulling in the flat lands) capacity. You, your family and pets and other stuff in the tow vehicle PLUS the trailer tongue weight have to stay under the payload capacity. Even if you are under the Tow vehicle's payload limit, it is easy to be over the tow vehicle's rear axle rating between your vehicle load and tongue weight. This I have measured on my rig ;(

[ol__yeller]

Also check the rating on your hitch. I have seen 5,000# rated vehicles with a 3500# hitch. Hitch rating is stamped on the hitch itself.