TT weight/length question!

[mbartlett407]

My husband and I are at an impasse on purchasing our next travel trailer.
I want the lightest trailer I can find because I am the one who tows it when I take the kids camping. It's becoming impossible to find a trailer that has bunks with a dry weight of 3,500 max and has a double axle. He is not ok with a single axle so that is a mute point. My question is..... I pulled a TT that was 28 ft long with a dry weight of 3,900 lbs and it was really difficult with my SUV. What difference would it make to pull a TT that weighed the same(3,900) but was shorter in length? Easier or no difference?

[rbpru]

You learn to handle the TT you are pulling. Each is unique and handling is a matter of opinion.

Weight however in no opinion, it is measurable. It is also not always understood.

Regardless of the "feel" the facts are at the scales. Most TV's run out of cargo capacity before towing capacity.

Weight the loaded TT then decide how much you really haul.

[colliehauler]

I would look for a small aerodynamic trailer. Tear drop shape type for less wind resistance or a pop up.

If you found a small trailer you like ask the dealer to let you test tow or see if one is for rent to see how you like it.

[RinconVTR]

Terryallan wrote:


honestly. It is the weight that matters. Not so much the length. IF your TV had a hard time with a 28' 3,900LB trailer. It will have the same problems with a 22' 3,900lb trailer.

Height and length matter WAY more than weight.

Think of pulling a flat trailer loaded thousands of pounds over weight. It will pull pretty darn easy until you reach hills, and the engine and trans works harder. Not the driver!

[RinconVTR]

Number one....get right hitch for 1/2 ton SUV towing. Hensley or Propride.

Do not tow without one of them. Seriously.

Additional upgrades are LT tires, aftermarket shocks, and rear spring help (bags or spacers)

SHORTER will not tow any easier. Dont be fooled.

You DO need to watch tongue weights of any trailer you choose. What I tow can approach 1000lbs if you're careful loading and I also did some light weighting (small lithium battery small LP 1 gallon tanks). Over 900lbs on the tongue is too much for every modern SUV out there.

My rig is a Sequoia and Grand Design 2800bh. My family and I tow all over the nation for 3 weeks every year.

You may like some of Gulfstreams Vista Cruisers. The 23 foot has bunks, its light, and its aerodynamic. We used to own one but it was then called a Gulfstream Visa 23bhd.

[drsteve]

There's nothing wrong with a single axle trailer. They are not harder to back up, just different. Your Acadia is a people mover that can pull double duty hauling a boat to the lake or a utility trailer to the lumberyard. A TT with its high walls has far more wind resistance than either of those, as well as more tongue weight as a proportion of the trailer weight.

Have you considered a hybrid? Lower weight, plenty of sleeping room.

[Grit_dog]

Agreed, length has little to do with how hard it tows, except for sway depending on how it's loaded.
Acadia = not a good tow rig for a full size trailer.
Single axle = not good if your going 25'+ trailers.
I'd re think my expectations with this setup.

[carringb]

Any full profile TT will have too much frontal area for the Acadia. It's simply too short on torque, and geared too tall, for pulling any full profile trailer regardless of length or weight.

And the others are correct about GVWR limitations, since that will limit tongue weight.

PS - you will add more than 450 pounds to the dry weight, since most trailers will weigh that more than the brochure "dry" weight once it hits the dealer's lot, and they add batteries and propane, not to mention the "not really optional" options like the awning or microwave.

[mbartlett407]

Thank you all!

[jfkmk]

mbartlett407 wrote:
Would it be completely foolish to pull something with a single axle? There are so many on the road, they must not be terrible? I had a pop up before the TT and it just did not work for us. There is a perfect one at the dealer that ticks all the boxes but it’s a single axle. Only 3,000 lbs.

There's nothing wrong with a single axle trailer. They're all over the place! We had one for 7 years and had no problems with it.

I keep hearing they are harder to back up. I had no problems backing it up. Being a shorter trailer, it would respond quicker but I dont think the number of axles had anything to do with it.

[Terryallan]

mbartlett407 wrote:
My husband and I are at an impasse on purchasing our next travel trailer.
I want the lightest trailer I can find because I am the one who tows it when I take the kids camping. It's becoming impossible to find a trailer that has bunks with a dry weight of 3,500 max and has a double axle. He is not ok with a single axle so that is a mute point. My question is..... I pulled a TT that was 28 ft long with a dry weight of 3,900 lbs and it was really difficult with my SUV. What difference would it make to pull a TT that weighed the same(3,900) but was shorter in length? Easier or no difference?

honestly. It is the weight that matters. Not so much the length. IF your TV had a hard time with a 28' 3,900LB trailer. It will have the same problems with a 22' 3,900lb trailer.

[Dick_B]

Towing a shorter trailer might be easier BUT it will be more difficult to back up.

[mbartlett407]

Would it be completely foolish to pull something with a single axle? There are so many on the road, they must not be terrible? I had a pop up before the TT and it just did not work for us. There is a perfect one at the dealer that ticks all the boxes but it’s a single axle. Only 3,000 lbs.

[jfkmk]

donn0128 wrote:
The 5200 pound rating is is with one 150 driver, no passangers, and a quarter tank of gas.

That’s pretty old school. Payload includes all fluids, including a full tank of gas, but no passengers at all. Either way, the Acadia is a little light weight for a larger trailer. I agree...a pop up might be the way to go.

[donn0128]

The 5200 pound rating is is with one 150 driver, no passangers, and a quarter tank of gas. Please do yourself a favor, load the family and drive across a set of scales.
GVWR is your abaolutely worst case. Using that you will know your within limits most all the time.

There are a few ultralites that might fit your needs. Have you considered a tent trailer?