How do we make sure we are not over weight for towing?

[DecemberGirl]

I have a 2006 Yukon XL 1500 4x4, tow limit is 8200d. We have a Forest River 29 foot 254Q travel trailer. My husband seems to think we can't haul it with my Yukon I think we can and the dealer we bought it from said we could and we have the weight distributing hitch with sway control it is a Fastway E2. So we have the correct hitch for it and we have pulled it with no luggage or pets so far with no problems. The trailer weight is 5794 dry weight, fully loaded weight is 7700 pounds the rear axle weight is 4000 pounds. Currently, the trailer weighs about 6100 pounds give or take a 100 pounds due to the water tank being almost full and we have put a few needed items into for camping. We have a 60 pound huskey mix and a 20 pound dog that will be traveling with us. We are a family of six, 19 year old weighs around 120, 11 year old weighs around 90 pounds and a 5 and 2 year old both around 30 pounds each. My husband and I are about 365 total combined weight. I do not know if we will be putting it over what we can safely tow or not. We have tried to do the weight and calculations and come up under the 8000 pounds but aren't sure we are doing something correctly. Can anyone help us?

[bikendan]

first problems: LISTENING TO THE DEALER!
second problem: you aren't paying attention to your Yukon's Payload Capacity. that's more important than Towing Capacity because you'll almost always run out of payload capacity before getting close to the max towing capacity. especially on a SUV.

there's a driver's door sticker that has Tire and Loading Information. it'll have a line that says "Occupants and cargo should not exceed xxxxlbs."
tell us what that says.

and IMHO, the E2 is inadequate for a 29' trailer. you should have gotten the 4pt Equal-i-zer instead.

[ysidive]

Originally Posted by DecemberGirl

I have a 2006 Yukon XL 1500 4x4, tow limit is 8200d. We have a Forest River 29 foot 254Q travel trailer. My husband seems to think we can't haul it with my Yukon I think we can and the dealer we bought it from said we could and we have the weight distributing hitch with sway control it is a Fastway E2. So we have the correct hitch for it and we have pulled it with no luggage or pets so far with no problems. The trailer weight is 5794 dry weight, fully loaded weight is 7700 pounds the rear axle weight is 4000 pounds. Currently, the trailer weighs about 6100 pounds give or take a 100 pounds due to the water tank being almost full and we have put a few needed items into for camping. We have a 60 pound huskey mix and a 20 pound dog that will be traveling with us. We are a family of six, 19 year old weighs around 120, 11 year old weighs around 90 pounds and a 5 and 2 year old both around 30 pounds each. My husband and I are about 365 total combined weight. I do not know if we will be putting it over what we can safely tow or not. We have tried to do the weight and calculations and come up under the 8000 pounds but aren't sure we are doing something correctly. Can anyone help us?

Your towing capacity is 8200 if you have the 4:10 axle ratio if it is 3:73 or 3:42 than it is reduced to 7200.. I traded a Chevy Avalanche with the 3:73 and a towing capacity of 7500 lbs because it was a white knuckle tow with that much weight.. I suspect that you will be way above your safety margin with towing that trailer with that vehicle... You will also struggle with power as that engine will be taxed towing on any terrain other than flat land..

[GL1800Rider]

Will the Yukon tow it? Sure but with 15% of your loaded weight plus occupants you are beyond 1600 pounds payload. Not totally sure but I bet you are over the max on the payload of the Yukon. Not to mention ability to stop.

With safety of the family in mind, especially the babies, I would seriously start looking at a minimum of a 3/4 ton pickup and be sure to check the payload capacity posted on the door. Also, get rid of that hitch and get an Equalizer E4 as others have stated as it will make a huge difference and will do a better job of keeping the tow vehicle under control.

[007matman]

I understand what you're going through. I bought what I thought was a 6000 trailer to pull with my 2010 Escalade ESV (w/ the 6.2 v8). Only to find out that it was 7400 fully loaded and the previous owner had lied about how heavy it was (the sticker was missing).

First thing that went was the tranny, then the air ride shocks, then the transmission cooler was replaced, then shocks again, then the tires, so on and so forth.. i tried for months to get a handle on the engine temps climbing to no avail. Long story short is I stopped towing with it and went for overkill (a 2007 F350 Crew Cab Diesel Dually). No issues now.. pulled the camper out to the Grand Canyon this spring from Georgia. I had to pull out the center console and add a jump seat but it sits 6 now no problem.

I felt like I was always fixing something on it and chasing my tail with the Escalade. Tow capacity was 7800 and we have 4 kids so I knew I was slightly over max tow. It makes a great road trip car now.. otherwise, it's a garage queen.

[007matman]

Originally Posted by GL1800Rider

Will the Yukon tow it? Sure but with 15% of your loaded weight plus occupants you are beyond 1600 pounds payload. Not totally sure but I bet you are over the max on the payload of the Yukon. Not to mention ability to stop.

With safety of the family in mind, especially the babies, I would seriously start looking at a minimum of a 3/4 ton pickup and be sure to check the payload capacity posted on the door. Also, get rid of that hitch and get an Equalizer E4 as others have stated as it will make a huge difference and will do a better job of keeping the tow vehicle under control.

Agree with everything here except what you're saying about the e2. I've used it both on my Escalade and now on my F350. No problems at all as long as you have it configured correctly.

[D W]

In your case, the numbers do add up. With a 29 ft trailer and your load, that Yukon will be taxed to the max. You can't put 10 lbs in a 5 lb bag so to speak. You didn't mention tongue weight. That would be a concern to me. 1/2 ton w/ short wheelbase coupled to that trailer will not make for good handling. I suspect you will encounter "porpoising" on the roads. Additionally, the braking system on the Yukon with that kind of load is suspect.

[wrvond]

Your husband is a smart man.
All these numbers and labels can get quite confusing. It's all the fault of the marketing department, too!

Towing capacity is virtually meaningless, remember the commercial not to long ago with the Toyota pulling a space shuttle? That was a demonstration of towing capacity. A demonstration of cargo capacity would have been if they had set the front wheel of the shuttle in the bed of that little truck and squashed it flat!
So towing capacity equals how much you can pull.
Cargo capacity equals how much you can carry.
When calculating the weight of your cargo, you have to add up the weights off all the people, a full tank of fuel, the weight distribution hitch, and the tongue weight of the camper. Also, coolers, drinks, food, clothes, pets, etc. If this number exceeds the maximum cargo capacity of your vehicle, then you cannot safely tow that camper.

[Flybob]

I know that at this point the advice you have received above is not what you want to hear, but it is all valid. Towing capacity is a marketing number and is essentially the ability to pull a certain load assuming it is adding no weight to the tow vehicle. Towing a trailer involves adding weight to the tow vehicle and the limit is determined by the suspension, frame, wheels and tires. You can not increase the load capacity with things like air bags etc. The salesman's job it to sell Rvs, they will tell you what you want to hear in most cases. Not always a lie, as many just don't know. You can move that trailer from one place to another (aka tow) but it will not be an pleasant or safe experience.

[mxdad]

Originally Posted by 007matman

First thing that went was the tranny, then the air ride shocks, then the transmission cooler was replaced, then shocks again, then the tires, so on and so forth.. i tried for months to get a handle on the engine temps climbing to no avail. Long story short is I stopped towing with it and went for overkill (a 2007 F350 Crew Cab Diesel Dually). No issues now.. pulled the camper out to the Grand Canyon this spring from Georgia. I had to pull out the center console and add a jump seat but it sits 6 now no problem.

I towed a 26RR with an 08 Escalade ESV - loaded to about 7600# and the only issue I had was a coolant hose ruptured once - at 152K miles....and we towed 15+ weekends a year for MX races.

It did get hot on some of the longer hills (temp gauge was 3/4 of the way over), but it never overheated. Upgraded to a 2017 F250 PSD, and have even less issues now.

[Dave Lyon]

Short answer - you're dead in the water.

[AlexinCalgary]

Hi DecemberGirl, going through the posts this is often the same conversation over and over. Someone did mention to not focus on Towing Capacity but rather on the Payload Capacity of your vehicle. This is what you need to do, without getting into axle ratings.

Total Payload Capacity = (1)
Total tongue weight of trailer (per trailer specs) +
Total weight of Batteries added to tongue +
Total weight of Propane Bottles added to tongue +
Total weight of passengers (the payload sticker will allow 150lbs for a driver) +
Total weight of cargo in vehicle = (2)

If (2) exceeds (1) you are in trouble.

When I was researching for a vehicle there was a Dodge RAM 2500 Diesel long box that didn't leave us with much payload capacity that we passed on. The vehicle would have had more than enough towing capacity for our trailer but because of the diesel engine, long box and other factory options didn't leave us with enough payload capacity.

[RACarvalho]

Originally Posted by DecemberGirl

I have a 2006 Yukon XL 1500 4x4, tow limit is 8200d. We have a Forest River 29 foot 254Q travel trailer. My husband seems to think we can't haul it with my Yukon I think we can and the dealer we bought it from said we could and we have the weight distributing hitch with sway control it is a Fastway E2. So we have the correct hitch for it and we have pulled it with no luggage or pets so far with no problems. The trailer weight is 5794 dry weight, fully loaded weight is 7700 pounds the rear axle weight is 4000 pounds. Currently, the trailer weighs about 6100 pounds give or take a 100 pounds due to the water tank being almost full and we have put a few needed items into for camping. We have a 60 pound huskey mix and a 20 pound dog that will be traveling with us. We are a family of six, 19 year old weighs around 120, 11 year old weighs around 90 pounds and a 5 and 2 year old both around 30 pounds each. My husband and I are about 365 total combined weight. I do not know if we will be putting it over what we can safely tow or not. We have tried to do the weight and calculations and come up under the 8000 pounds but aren't sure we are doing something correctly. Can anyone help us?

For the calculations you should use the GVWR of your trailer plus the weight of your family and stuff you carry on board the Yukon.
I towed a Roo (GVWR 6000) for 12K miles with a BMW X5 (we are 5 people) , therefore we were at the limit but we had no problems.
The main secret is the hitch set up .
You should bring the front of the Yukon back to 1/8in of the empty high when the WD is engaged. That is the first thing for control.
Second is to bring the ball as closest possible to the bumper as you can - I drilled a second hole in the shank of my WD when I was towing with the BMW and two inches closer brought more than 100lbs back to the front of the vehicle and reduced the leverage of the trailer over the vehicle....
Third, the more the ball is angled back the better. That makes dead center as the "natural position" for the trailer and it will help eliminate any tendency of sway.
You may want to read the below articles:
http://www.canamrv.ca/blog/post/hitc...izing-hitches/
http://www.rvhotlinecanada.com/deale...unt-angle/169/

[elchilero53]

As someone pointed out earlier, you listened to the dealer. You husband is correct. That Yukon won't tow that trailer. With your size of family plus dogs, I recommend a 1 ton crew cab or super crew cab pickup (F-350 or GM 3500 series) with dual rear wheels. Then you will have the payload capacity for the whole famdamily, dogs and trailer. That is, of course, unless you LIKE blowing up trannies and destroying engines in your tow vehicles.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by elchilero53

As someone pointed out earlier, you listened to the dealer. You husband is correct. That Yukon won't tow that trailer. With your size of family plus dogs, I recommend a 1 ton crew cab or super crew cab pickup (F-350 or GM 3500 series) with dual rear wheels. Then you will have the payload capacity for the whole famdamily, dogs and trailer. That is, of course, unless you LIKE blowing up trannies and destroying engines in your tow vehicles.

I consider myself a member of the Weight Police but saying that the OP needs a 1 ton dually for that trailer, just isn't true.
ONLY if they plan on something bigger, in the future.

A well spec'd F150 with HDPP and Max Tow packages would be enough or a gas 3/4 ton.

[JohnD10]

With all the people and animals that were mentioned in the OP I don't believe that any F150/1500 is enough, no matter how it is specced out.

An F250/2500 is a bare minimum for that rig.

[Hersbird]

From my research 2 7 passenger SUV's will tow that load, and carry that payload. A 2500 Suburban almost any year 1996-2013, and a 2008 or 2009 Hummer H2.

[elchilero53]

Originally Posted by bikendan

I consider myself a member of the Weight Police but saying that the OP needs a 1 ton dually for that trailer, just isn't true.
ONLY if they plan on something bigger, in the future.

A well spec'd F150 with HDPP and Max Tow packages would be enough or a gas 3/4 ton.

I was basing my recommendation on the number and weight of the passengers plus the dogs plus the junk most kids want to take with them that won't fit into the trailer plus the weight of the tongue. Yes, a 1-ton dually is overkill on the towing end, but there isn't any 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton on the market that can handle a family that large with the dogs and kid's stuff and handle the tongue weight on top even with max-tow setup.

[dbledan]

Originally Posted by Hersbird

From my research 2 7 passenger SUV's will tow that load, and carry that payload. A 2500 Suburban almost any year 1996-2013, and a 2008 or 2009 Hummer H2.

You are right very limited options in SUVs. Would the H2 seat that many?

Nissan NV passenger van maybe depending on weight and configuration.

Payload:*2,928 to 3,143*lbs
Up to 9100 towing

May be cheaper to take 2 cars on trips than buy one that can do all that. I have to do this when the inlaws want to camp with us but that is only occasionally and not very far.

[007matman]

OP could put the pets in the camper or get a topper for a crew cab p/u w/ a bench in the front and rear. Business up front and party in the back.

My kids are 18, 13, 8 and 6. Plenty of room in a '07 CC SuperDoody.