Feedback on possible tow setup.

[Phil-NV]

Greetings everyone, I spent a few hours today searching and reading through the forums regarding tow vehicles, trailer weights, wheelbases and hitch/swaybar/weight distribution topics. As I'm about to retire after 22yrs in the Air Force my family and I will have a little more time to go camping so it's time to buy.

I am looking to buy a trailer and have somewhat come to the conclusion that my desired purchase is not in the optimum catagory but it should be ok if I follow some of the guidelines I have read on here.

I have a 2007 Tahoe LTZ, 5.4V8 6200lbs tow cap. I want to by a 25-27ft lite trailer. I have found one close by in Arizona. Its a 27ft Alumalite with a UVW of 4324 (so the brochure says). I plan on buying a WDS hitch and brake controller.
I am interested in hearing any feedback on this possible tow combination, both positive and negative.

Any advice you can give will be greatly appreciatted.
Thanks,
Phil

[donn]

Well first off that UVW you sited is pretty much worthless. No one will ever see or much less tow at that number. It is a purely fictitious number designed to drag in unsuspecting buyers. So please forget that number. Instead, lacking any real numbers please use the trailers GVWR for your base line calculations.
Now as to the Tahoe. That 6200 towing capacity is also very misleading. That number is based on a stripped vehicle with 1/4 tank of fuel and one 150 pound driver on board. So, in the real world every pound added to your vehicle above that reduces your towing capacity pound for pound. And all this does not take into account the wheel base vs length debate. So before you go spending a lot of money on something, load your Tahoe up like you will be loaded for a camping trip and go to the scales. Then, search out the vehicles GCWR, that is Gross combined Weight Rating. Subtract your scaled weight from that and you will have a very close estimate as to how much capacity you have left over for a trailer. Personally that is way too long, and way too heavy tor your vehicle. But that is my opinion and you really need to run the numbers for yourself to satisfy your burning desire to spend your money.

[dezolen]

Pulled a 28' Rockwood with a 2005 Tahoe LT easily. You will need a Reese Dual cam setup or Equal-i-zer hitch with a good brake controller and perhaps some LT tires

[acadianbob]

Also, not sure what Tahoe wheelbase is, but you should be at about 135" to tow a 27' trailer. You must have a rather low (numerical) axle ratio to have a 6,200 rating. Most say to tow at 80%. I suspect you may be at the upper limits with your vehicle with the trailer you are considering. If you are not towing far, may not be a big deal. It you are towing 000's of miles and/or in mountainous regions, you will not be happy IMO.

[Triguy]

Originally Posted by Phil-NV

I have a 2007 Tahoe LTZ, 5.4V8 6200lbs tow cap. I want to by a 25-27ft lite trailer. I have found one close by in Arizona. Its a 27ft Alumalite with a UVW of 4324 (so the brochure says). I plan on buying a WDS hitch and brake controller.
I am interested in hearing any feedback on this possible tow combination, both positive and negative.

Any advice you can give will be greatly appreciatted.
Thanks,
Phil

Hi Phil,
Thank you for your service and congratulations on your upcoming retirement.

If you are asking if you can tow "by the numbers", then some more detail is needed on your truck, your family and the trailer.

Truck:
What is the truck's GCWR and what is the weight of the truck? You gave the tow cap as 6,200lbs but I'm curious anyway. Axle ratings would be nice to have, too. This should be listed on the door sticker.
Is there a hitch weight limitation in the manual or on the hitch itself?

Family:
Total weight of family, pets and cargo you intend to carry in the truck? Even better is to weigh the truck with your family at a CAT scale if its handy.

Trailer:
What is its GVWR and its CCC? If you have already seen the trailer, it might have a yellow sticker on it that lists this information.

That information is really needed to give a more specific answer.

[Phil-NV]

Thanks for the info so far. Here is some additional info on my Tahoe and the trailer.

Tahoe - 3.42 gears = 6200lbs (so chevy says)
GVWR - 7100lbs
GVWR Front - 3200lbs
GVWR Rear - 4100lbs
Tongue - 550lbs

Trailer
Length 27’1”
Width (w/o Awning) 96”
Height (w/AC 9’10”
Awning Length 18’
*Hitch Dry Wt. (Appr.) 450
*Axle Dry Wt. (Appr.) 3972
GVWR 7350
Total Dry Wt. 4322
Load Cap. 3028
Fresh Water Tank Cap. 40gl
Grey Water Ca . 40gl
Black Water Cap. 40gl
Cheers,
Phil

[MtnGuy]

Phil, even though you may be able to keep the weight of the trailer under the 6200 lb. tow limit of your Tahoe, there are other factors at play here. The Tahoe has a fairly short wheelbase at 116". SUVs have softer suspensions compared to their truck counterparts. It might be difficult to keep the gross weight of the Tahoe under 7100 lbs, depending on the passenger count and gear in the back, in addtion to the trailer tongue weight. I would be reluctant to tow that trailer with your Tahoe.

That trailer would be better matched to a long wheelbased, big engine, lower geared Surburban. Or the Tahoe would have a better fit with a shorter, lighter weight trailer.

[Triguy]

It might work. I’m not going to go into the trailer length issue as I believe that, while one piece of the puzzle, it is less important than the paying attention to weight limits and properly loading the TT.

Chevy states the truck can tow 6200lbs so that is the weight of the loaded trailer that you can tow. But, the real limiter here is the 550lb tongue weight.

You might want to confirm if that tongue limit is with or without WD hitch. I am guessing that might NOT be the hitch weight rating with a WD hitch. You should have two figures listed in the manual: one that is lower called weight carrying and one that is higher called weight distributing.

If the tongue weight with WD is truly 550lbs, than you are really limited: 550 / 13% = 4,231lbs for a fully loaded trailer and this TT is out of the question.

Check the manual and confirm first. I am almost certain the WD max tongue weight is more like 1000lbs for the Chevy Tahoe, but you need to confirm.

With a WD hitch and your confirmation that the real WD hitch limit is 1000lb, your TV and TT combo looks like it might work if you can keep your cargo down in this trailer. But, you haven’t given the TVs cargo cap or its GCWR – its on the sticker in the door and these items need to be checked.

Just working off of what we have, the TTs GVWR is much higher than what you can tow so you need to make sure not to exceed 6200lbs fully loaded. You can easily add another 300lbs in options and mods, 100lbs WD hitch, 75-150lbs batteries, 60lbs propane, and 100lbs for a little water to that fictional dry weight of 4322. Your trailer will probably weigh closer to 4,900-5000lbs before you even load your cargo. That still leaves you with a very respectable 1200lbs of stuff to pack before you hit your max tow limit.

[flyrotor]

It might work by the numbers, but I wouldn't do it.

I have a 2005 1/2 ton Suburban (5.3 engine), 23 ft trailer, with my length to wheelbase ratio I feel pretty good, the engine has enough power to pull my trailer marginally, but where the weak link is - the transmission. I put an auxillary transmission cooler on the truck and I have a Scangauge II which monitors my transmission temperature. I find myself slowing significantly on moderate grades because the transmission temperature is nearing 250 degrees. As soon as I exceed 65 MGP my mileage drops below 9 mpg. I have not had my trailer/truck combo on the scales, but it won't be as heavy as the 27 foot trailer.

My opinion, you will be dissatisfied in the longrun. As for me, I am currently seeking trading the Suburban for a 3/4 ton diesel.

[dezolen]

No wonder you are questioning your Suburban's tow capacity.
Your tires on the trailer are rated for 60 mph. Anyone towing over 60 mph needs to rethink what they are doing towing a travel trailer. (I am being nice with that comment)
Even if my tires were rated at 70 mph 60 is safe speed and any need to go over it just plain dumb IMHO.
I towed a 23' trailer with a miniscule 2001 Pathfinder and felt totally in control at a safe speed (60)

[Phil-NV]

Thanks guys...much appreciated. found more info on the numbers...

Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs): 5000
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. (lbs): 500
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs): 6500
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. (lbs): 975
Gross Combined Wt Rating (lbs): 12000

So..IF the numbers are within limits and that's an IF, what problems am I looking at with this 27ft'r? Is it the possibility or sway? If so wouldn't a WD/sway bar hitch somewhat combat that? It's not that I'm second guessing anyones advice, I'm trying to see what the risk/issues are that I might encounter. Also I won't be travelling too far from home camping. Probably down to Lake Havasu (250m) and some places in mid east Nevada. Again I thank you all for your comments.

Phil

[donn]

First off, your Tahoe will probably weigh ready to camp very close to 6500-7000 pounds. So with a GCWR of only 12K that leaves you at maximum a 5000 pound trailer. Less than the one you are looking at long before you add personal stuff.
Now as to the sway issue. Yes, you will encounter sway, every time there is a cross wind, every time a truck passes you. Basically all the time. The only hitch that will help in that category is something like a Hensley Arrow. And they are expensive. IMHO you would be far better looking for a tent trailer or get more tow vehicle. Based on your posts so far I do not believe that is what you wanted to hear, but that are the facts. Believe them or not, I really don't care how much money you throw at the situation it will still be too much trailer for your current tow vehicle. Too short of a wheel base, too little motor, too small of a towing rating, not enough available capacity after the actual ready to camp scaled weight of your TV.

[BigRed]

Equalizer Hitch ($600)will take care of most of the sway (you'll need WD Hitch)-without having to purchase a Hensley Arrow($2300). If you have $2300 they are great hitches, then by all means buy one!!

[Triguy]

Donn - I think you are mistaken. Why would the Tahoe weigh up to 7000lbs loaded?

The 2007 Tahoe has a curb weight of 5300lbs. Even if he adds a family weighing a total of, as an example, 600lbs, he would not even be close to the 6500-7000 TV you state.

Phil - Take the GCWR of 12000lbs less the TV weight of 5300 less the weight of your family. That's the loaded trailer you can tow. Keep it under 6200lbs and keep the tongue at 13-15% of the trailer weight and you will be fine. Reese DC or Equal-i-zer WD hitch is all you need.

By the way - none of this addresses if you will like the towing experience or will feel that your TV is underpowered. It probably will feel that way at first but you get used to it. Not everyone needs to upgrade their TV to a 3/4 or 1-ton vehicle with a Hensley hitch if you are already in spec. In your case, upgrade if you want, but its not a necessity for the TT you are considering.

[Phil-NV]

Some time has passed since I first started looking for a trailer. After much thought reading everyones comments I came to the conclusion the Tahoe was just way to small to tow a 25+ft trailer. So this past Memorial day weekend I took the plunge and bought a much better tow vehicle. Our new vehicle is a 2011 F-150 Supercrew, Ecoboost, tow package with the 3.55 rear end. Initially searched for one with the 3.73 gears but couldn't find one with all the options i wanted. So now I can tow up to 9800lbs and not so limited on length. I figure a 28ft trailer should be long enough. This truck is absolutely incredible!

So I just want to thank everyone for their comments both positive and negative. I look forward to finding the perfect trailer for my family and being much safer on the roads.

Cheers,
Phil

[dretired]

Phil, I have a 2010 F150,5.4 ,3.55 gear , Supercab 4x2, also rated for 9,800 lbs, And a equalizer brand hitch,, i love it. hope yours works for you .. Just try and keep your weight under the max .. Remember you still have to stop !!! Dave