To heavy or not to heavy that is the question?

[jpc4444]

Can someone answer this simple question.

My wife and I are in the process of purchasing the new 2011 Rockwood Roo 23RS. We were originaly going to pruchase the new 2011 Rockwood Mini lite 2306. But our sales man(not working on commision) said that we would not have a problem pulling the Roo trailer. I explained to him that my Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4 has a V8 4.8liter and has only a towing capacity of 5500lbs. He and the owner both came back and said that the Roo's base/dry unit weight right now is sitting at 4298lbs(this is the unit on the lot we are buying). So they figure with an average of 250lbs per person(that would be my 4 year old, my wife and me) that I will not have a problem towing this.

Are they correct?

Will I have a problem towing this?

And last we are new to hard tops and have been a tenter for alot of years.

[kalik282]

If you really want to know what the Roo weighs, have them take it to a certified scale, full of water, propane, etc. That will give you real world numbers to base your decision on. (If they weigh it properly, they can even get you the actual tongue weight.)

On your part, take your truck (Full of fuel), and your family, to the scales. This will help you determine the amount of weight you can add (IE Tongue weight, camping gear, firewood, etc.) until you reach your GVWR.

John

[prof_fate]

Define problem...

I have an expedition that is rated to tow 8100 lbs. The trailer is labled at 5436 lbs. I figure I'll be at the max GCWR (12,500) with ease...

The truck weights 5500. 2 adults, 2 kids, dog, WD hitch will add about 700lbs.
Add 30 gallons gasoline for 250 more. Trailer will never be empty - even if you skip the 400lbs of water you will have dishes, bedding, food, leveling boards, a rug, chairs for outside...you can add a lot lot lot more (grille, bike, charcoal and wood, case of beer...). I'm figuring 1000-1200 lbs will be added for that stuff (based on our popup and past camping trips). Over 2,000 lbs of cargo/people/fuel.

5500 plus 5400 plus 2000 is what? 12,900????? We're over weight, huh?

And we've got 2700 lbs more towing capacity than the weight of the trailer...and my kids are under 10 years old still...they'll grow and I doubt I'll shrink (even though I keep trying!).

Read the owner's manual of your truck - carefully. An expedition can tow/haul/GCWR 1000 lbs more if the options are different (rim size changes it by 500lbs!)

[Triguy]

You should be fine based solely on the limited info you gave for your truck and your family.

But, its not actually that simple and if you want to be certain, please provide some more information:

What is your Chevy's GCWR, GVWR, cargo capacity, vehicle weight and weight of all the passengers as well as the cargo you carry in the bed?

What is the weight of the loaded trailer? Besides your best estimate of your own luggage and stuff in the trailer, add in batteries 60-120lbs, propane of 60lbs, any dealer add-ons, a little water, etc).

[hoffkm]

Jpc4444,

My father has the same truck/engine combination that you have. Unfortunately GM put that package together more with fuel mileage in mind and not towing. My father tows a Puma 19R, a small but heavy trailer (I don't have specs offhand but they are on Puma website for comparison) and the truck struggles quite a bit. He cannot keep up with me and my rig on the highway.

In addition to having the dealer weigh the Roo I would ask to do a test tow before buying.

[donn]

One word answer, NO!
That mystical "base" or Dry" weight number that the salesman quoted you is just that, mystical. No one has ever seen that number in their life. Once you add things like AC unit, water, food, clothes, etc,etc,etc, that number will likely climb to within a couple hundred pounds of the trailers GVWR. And that will be so far over your trucks mythical towing capacity that it is not even funny any longer. Depending on where you live, I could see you in some situations with your foot on the long pedal and pressed firmly to the floor in first gear just to get up some hills. And I am not talking about large mountains. The hills of West Virginia for instance could stop you in your tracks. Go back to your original plan as long as the trailers GVWR is within your trucks towing capacity.

[Char_n_Kath]

I pull a 2304 with a V-8 Dodge Dakota, which also has a 5,500 lb towing capacity. Most of the time I have no problem - the power seems to only become an issue fighting strong head winds! The dry weight on our unit as built is 3,783lbs, compared to 3,519 on the FR website. I find it interesting that the FR website shows the 2306 with a lower dry weight than the Roo you are looking at. IMHO the dealer wants to sell you what's on their lot, not what you really prefer. IMHO you should buy the floorplan that you want, not what a salesman is directing you toward. And if the dealer has honestly evaluated your towing capacity, then you should have no problem pulling a 2306, which has a lower factory-listed dry weight than the Roo.

Charlie

[crocus]

"One word answer, NO!
That mystical "base" or Dry" weight number that the salesman quoted you is just that, mystical. No one has ever seen that number in their life."
=============================================
One word answers are seldom helpful.
The question mentioned that the base weight was for a camper 'on the lot', so it would be easy to check if that was the actual dry weight.
To flatly "advise" someone without a shred of backup information is less than helpful.

[jpc4444]

First off I would like to say thank you to all of for your responses.

Here is some additional information that I have gathered on the Accu weight of the trailer as it was deliverd to the dealer (this includes the 2 empty 20lbs propane tanks and all of the options this was a show room model)

Here are my numbers.

Chevy silverado Crew Cab V8 4.8L short box 4X4
GVWR 7000Lbs
GAWRFRT 3950Lbs
GAWRRR 3950Lbs
GCWR 11,000Lbs

Rockwood Roo 23RS
4250Lbs Accu Weight (all options included)
GVWR 6,145Lbs

Thanks everyone
John

[capucine]

A lot depend of the kind of travelling you will do. A mostly flat terrain will be very acceptable but if you are planning to tow in hilly country you will need power for sure. I have a mini lite 2011 model 1809s and we pull with our uplander equipped with a hd transmission cooler and an extra engine oil cooler. I have no problem at all to pull it. The van is never under stress. I pull in 3rd gear and maintain my speed at 55 mph. on highways

[crocus]

As capucine noted, it does depend where you are pulling.
As long as you stay out of the mountains, you should be fine.
And don't fill your fresh water tank right full and load everything and the kitchen sink into the camper. Common sense goes a long way.
As always, donn seems to have been a bit too quick to shoot people down, so don't be swayed by those who critisize everything.
And don't get carried away with speed, as that is the biggest cause of issue when towing near the max.
Be safe!

[Triguy]

Originally Posted by jpc4444

First off I would like to say thank you to all of for your responses.

Here is some additional information that I have gathered on the Accu weight of the trailer as it was deliverd to the dealer (this includes the 2 empty 20lbs propane tanks and all of the options this was a show room model)

Here are my numbers.

Chevy silverado Crew Cab V8 4.8L short box 4X4
GVWR 7000Lbs
GAWRFRT 3950Lbs
GAWRRR 3950Lbs
GCWR 11,000Lbs

Rockwood Roo 23RS
4250Lbs Accu Weight (all options included)
GVWR 6,145Lbs

Thanks everyone
John

John,
You're fine although it will be a noticeable pull in hilly areas.

There are really three TV ratings you need to pay attention to: GCWR, GVWR, and axle ratings. Here are some figures for you. Note that I am guessing on the weight of the truck and family but its still useful for illustration purposes. You can alter the figures with your actual situation.

The Roo 23RS you are looking at will hold most of your cargo. Assuming the 750lbs you mentioned for that plus another 100lbs estimated for batteries and propane, that becomes 5,100lbs TT weight. This is under the TV's towing cap of 5,500lbs. It's OK to go up to the cap, but be careful that you don't load this trailer to it's maximum of 6,145lbs.

Add an estimated 5,300lbs for the TV plus an estimated 350lbs for your family of three to the TT weight of 5,100lbs and the total becomes 10,750lbs; which is under the TV's GCWR of 11,000lbs.

If the Roo weighs 5,100lbs loaded, the tongue (TW) will be an estimated 650-750lbs. Your truck probably has a cargo cap of around 1,700lbs, which leaves you with plenty of cargo for the TW, your family and cargo in the bed of the truck before you go over the TV's GVWR.

There is not enough information to look at the axles, but I wouldn't worry about it. A good WD hitch like the Equal-i-zer or Reese Dual Cam will spread out the weight effectively so that you are not overweight your TV's axle ratings.

Hope this helps.

[donn]

Scott, You are making way too many assumptions here. First off, no matter what the numbers tell you the weak link is going to be that small motor. The OP simply does/will not have enough power to pull anything in any terrain except the flattest of the mid west with no wind. Add his probably 3.42 rear end ratio and he will be a hindrance on every on ramp he comes to. To the OP. stick with your original plan or get more truck.

[Triguy]

The OP, John, originally asked:

Are they correct?

Will I have a problem towing this?


What's important to note in my posts is that he is fine with regards to the TV ratings - GVWR, GCWR and axle ratings. More importantly, he now has more knowledge if he wishes to recalculate on his own or if he decides to look at a different TT. Much more useful than a simplistic "no" (or even a "yes") without any real explanation.

Most of the answers posted here indicate that he will indeed feel this on hills. That's already been stated. There really is no problem as long as he goes into this purchase understanding that.

As Crocus mentioned - watch the temptation to overload and watch the speed. That's good advice for anyone with any combination TV/TT.

[bikendan]

you'll be near max but if you aren't going in hills/mountains, then you could do it safely.
the 4298 number sounds right for factory UVW. i have a Roo 23SS and tow with an Avalanche with a 5.3 v-8 and 3.73 rear end.
as others have said, your truck was set up for gas mileage, more than for towing, that's why your tow numbers are so small.

but i think if you pack carefully and don't carry a lot of water, you should be under 5000lbs.
but you'll hate it if you have to tow on any incline.

[BigRed]

One always opens pandora's box with the Question: Can my F-150,1500 pull this camper? As Triguy noted...at least one has more information than they started with because of the varying responses.