Is there an SUV that can tow a Work And Play 28BR?

[jdb]

I'm considering buying a 2007 Work And Play 28BR toy hauler.

I don't currently have a tow vehicle but I would like to pull it with a SUV? Does such an SUV exist? From reading here for the past few hours I'm concerned.

The 28BR looks to have a dry weight of 7,542, payload capacity of 3,142, GVWR of 11,293 with a hitch weight of 1,133. I'll have two Harley's in the back (total of about 1,400 pounds in bikes) and of course gear. Also, length is listed at 33 feet.

In the tow vehicle, planning on 600 pounds in driver/passengers and the usual personal effects, nothing extreme there.

Any thoughts? If no such SUV exists, any suggestions on what the smallest 4 door pickup that is up for the job would be? It will be my daily driver.

Thanks in advance for your help.

J.D.

[Cajun Style]

I have a Wpt28br I traded my Ram 1500 4x4 with a 5.7 Hemi in on a 2500 6.7 diesel 4x4 , because I did not think it would do good in the hills and mthn. I did not have any problem pulling with the 1500 just seem like it needed a little more power.

[MtnGuy]

A 3/4 ton Surburban is about as close as you can get if you can keep the GVWR of the trailer below 9600 lbs.....the maximum towing rate for a properly equipped Burb.

The 130" wheelbase is rather short for a 33' trailer. The tow vehicle for a 33' trailer should be in the neighborhood of 165". A crew cab, 8' bed 3/4 or 1 ton truck would do a much better job of pulling that trailer around.

A used Excursion should equal the Surburban, with the some of the same limitations, although it does have a bit longer wheelbase at 137".

[jdb]

Thanks for your replies guys.....


Any chance I could get by with a Escalade, Nissan Armada or Sequoia?

J.D.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by jdb

Any chance I could get by with a Escalade, Nissan Armada or Sequoia?

J.D.

I believe you would be well over the tow ratings, the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating), the GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating), and the hitch rating on all of those vehicles.

Many of those figures will exceed even the 3/4 ton Suburban weight limits if the trailer weights are not kept under control.......and maybe even some of the 3/4 ton pickup ratings. That trailer is in the 1 ton truck category, IMHO.

[RubenZ]

I would not go anything smaller than a 3/4ton suburbon or Excursion for that load.

[jeeplj8]

Originally Posted by jdb

Thanks for your replies guys.....


Any chance I could get by with a Escalade, Nissan Armada or Sequoia?

J.D.

Is there a "chance"? Sure - about the same chance as winning the lottery without buying a ticket...

First a couple things, your trailer even at 90% load is out of most 1/2 ton trucks capabilities. The only exception is the newer trucks with the max tow options, and even then, you are probably skirting a couple of numbers.

This is severely compounded by the fact that most 1/2 ton based SUV's have dramatically less CCC and towing ability than there truck origins. Adding all that glass and steel (and shortening the wheelbase) tends to decrease their tow ability.

IMHO you are solidly in 3/4 truck range. There are only 2 3/4 ton SUV's ever made the Chevy/GMC Suburban 2550 and the Ford Excursion. The Excursion was available from around late 02 to 03 with a 12,500 tow rating in many configurations. Having owned one, I can tell you they are an absolute beast. There are several catches. The biggest is they stopped making them after ?MY 2005, and they did not make many that year. So finding good low mileage examples is tough. Add to that the fact that they often need some upgrades to tow well (the most common is to swap the front and rear leaf springs for heavier units and add roll bars.) So you will have some cost on top of purchase price. Again, assuming you can find one.

The 2500 Burbs are a little easier to find, and the newer ones have pretty decent capacities, but not as much as the Excursion. You would need to look at a specific model to determine the CCC and GCVWR to see if you would be OK.

You best bet is a 3/4 ton crew cab truck with a short bed. It gives you room for 5 (6 with front bench in the Ram or Ford) and enough capacity for what you are towing.

If you are stuck on SUV's and do not want to go the 3/4 ton route, you need to pay close attention to the weight ratings (not the tow rating, that assumes an empty vehicle which you will never have). And only look at the extended wheelbase models. A short wheelbase and 33 ft trailer will not be very fun experience for you.

[rattleNsmoke]

The Excursion is basically a 3/4 ton truck with an SUV body. It came with the optional 6.0L Diesel engine for incredible towing. And yes, finding a low mileage one in decent shape might be tough.

[jdb]

Guys, thanks again for all the input.


Now looking at trucks.

It looks like a Ford F150 with EcoBoost and a 3.73 rear end will get the job done.

Am I reading that correctly?

J.D.

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by jdb

It looks like a Ford F150 with EcoBoost and a 3.73 rear end will get the job done.

The EcoBoost with both maximum payload option, maximum towing option, as well as the 6.5' bed with the crew cab (157" wheelbase) would be borderline at best. As has been indicated previously, that trailer is in the 3/4 to 1 ton truck range.

[ependydad]

JD - for help with suggesting trucks. When you camp, how many passengers do you normally take (and what's their total weight)? If you're over 150 pounds, how far over that are you? What do you usually take in the truck with you? What would you usually load into the truck bed (firewood, coolers, bicyles, extra fuel, etc.)? What add-ons would you add to your truck (rolltop cover, topper, etc.)?

For instance -
- my family has likely 630 pounds in people weight total and it's only going up as my 1 and 9 year olds get bigger
- we have 1 booster seat and 1 car seat
- we have a small set of electronics in the vehicle with us
- we carry snacks and drinks regularly in a cooler
- baby bag, baby toys, etc.
- usually some coats or umbrellas and misc. other stuff
- in the truck bed I carry my cooktop for the fire ring, some firewood, a few tools, wheel step and our sewer hose boxes
- we do have an all-metal rolltop bed cover

Scaled, we add about 1200 pounds to the truck (which does include my fifth wheel hitch which will be higher than a travel trailer hitch).

Whatever truck you get needs to be able to carry all of those things *before* adding the tongue weight of the camper (which is usually in the range of 10%-15% of the actual loaded weight of the camper).

Do the math and back into the amount of available payload that you need and pick a vehicle from there.

[Dodge Guy]

I`m towing a similar size and weight trailer with a V-10 X with 4.30 gears. it does an excellent job. for that TH you need the bigger motor, either 8.1L GM, V-10 Ford or a diesel.

A 3/4-1 ton Suburban or Excursion is what you are looking for! with at least 4.10`s with the gas motor (4.30 for the V-10 X).