Towing Rockwood Roo 21ss with Acadia or Traverse

weyant53 · 07-14-2014, 02:56 PM

We just bought a 2006 Rockwood Roo 21SS and we are wondering if my wife's GMC Acadia can pull it effectively? By weight specs and towing capacity of the vehicle it should be able to do it but wanted to see if anyone out there has tried it?

RamsFan1 · 07-14-2014, 05:42 PM

What is the dry weight on the yellow sticker on your trailer?

Taybrynn · 07-14-2014, 08:28 PM

What year and model Acadia ? It appears your two rating could be as high as 5200 lbs and payload as high as 1700 lbs. It appears to 21ss roo has a dry weight of 4600 lbs and a hitch weight of 500-600 lbs. you subtract 600 from 1700 and the leaves 1100 lbs for all passengers, all cargo, all pets, etc. might be enough,

Could you tow it in absolute terms? Yes

Would it be a pretty good tow vehicle for that trailer? Not in my opinion

i had a 2006 22cp coyote hybrid, a similar trailer ... And towed it with a 2006 nissan titan with tow package and 9600 tow rating. And it could handle it, but power was not wonderful on bigger hills. I can't imagine towing it with. V6. Mileage will be horrible. Will be tough on the vehicle and power lacking, but you could do it. Safety handling could be an issue potentially.

Ideally you need at least. 1/2 pickup or bigger SUV.

If you have plans to get a bigger tow vehicle you could tow it with the Acadia for a year but be careful and go slow.

thebrakeman · 07-15-2014, 11:44 AM

Someone else on a recent thread here is considering towing a 21SS with a Durango V6 with tow package (6200 lbs max towing capacity). In my opinion, this is the most they should tow with the Durango, but they will still have some breathing room.

IMO, I think at best you will be line-to-line towing a 21SS with 5200 lbs max towing capacity, and that's if you can pack light. This also assumes you have 5200lbs rating. When I was considering the GM crossovers as tow vehicles, only the then-new Traverse could get 5200 due to some unique cooling. The Acadia/Outlook/Enclave versions could only get 4500 max. Maybe that has changed (?). Either way, I think the 21SS is not a good match for your Acadia.

weyant53 · 07-15-2014, 07:28 PM

Thanks for the info. The weight rag on trailer says 3856 dry weight with 1000lbs capacity. I double checked and our 2012 acadia does have 5200 towing capacity. We live in central illinois which is fairly flat and we would only use it once or twice per year when I have to tow the boat with my truck. I think my best option will be to hook it up and just run around locally for a bit to see how it does with the weight dist hitch. Any other thoughts are welcome in the meantime.

thebrakeman · 07-16-2014, 09:59 AM

If you already have all 3 of these vehicles, then by all means, try out the Acadia for a local trip. It seems you will be able to stay within your limits, so it's simply about what you feel comfortable with.

BigBaron · 07-17-2014, 12:47 AM

If your Acadia has a "tow/haul" button, then it has the factory towing package and you're good to go. No button, no go.
I looked at a few Acadia forums and was surprised by what they tow, and do it easily.

**bikendan** · 07-17-2014, 02:57 AM

i wouldn't. my 2007 23SS, which weighs about about 500lbs. more than the 2007 21SS, weighs over 5000lbs. loaded for camping.

your 5200lbs. rating is with only a 150lb. driver in it.

IMHO, as a experienced Roo owner for over 7 yrs., too much trailer for a Traverse/Acadia.

BigBaron · 07-17-2014, 05:14 AM

Actual experience trumps what looks good on paper every time...
I'm changing my vote to "no."

Dave Lyon · 07-17-2014, 06:40 AM

A friend of mine has a Traverse and tows a 19' Roo. I beleive he is at the wall with his numbers and there are only two people.

Even with a WDH he says he wouldn't want to be towing any more of a trailer.

RamsFan1 · 07-17-2014, 07:07 AM

I agree with what the others have said, probably a lot for the Acadia.
If you do decide to hook it up and give it a test, please check back in and provide some feedback from your experience.

Pinkfloydfan123 · 07-31-2014, 10:57 AM

Hello all. For what it's worth here is my experience. I have a 2014 Traverse LTZ with the factory tow package. My wife and I have a Solaire 197x and it pushes the limits (on paper) for the Traverse ... but our Traverse pulls fine for what we need. I started my career in 1991 as an electrical engineer with Holiday Rambler and have driven some type of camper (trailer, fifth wheel, Class C, Class A) since then so I've learned how to pack for the load I'm pulling. I will agree that the Traverse is not as heavy duty as other vehicles I've hauled with, but we go out 4-5 times in the summer so I can't justify the expense of having a huge SUV or truck sitting around.

That being said I'm taking trips that are pretty flat and I am not an aggressive hauler. I respect the road, the traffic, the vehicle and ... most importantly ... the load. The bigger issue I have is wind drag. So, if you're looking for something that's going to fly up hills and do 75 mph on the highway, then the Traverse (or any other Lambda) is not for you. But if you're smart on how you haul and respect the road may do a good job for you.

That's my 2-cents.

Cajun Po-Boy · 07-31-2014, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by weyant53

Thanks for the info. The weight rag on trailer says 3856 dry weight with 1000lbs capacity. I double checked and our 2012 acadia does have 5200 towing capacity. We live in central illinois which is fairly flat and we would only use it once or twice per year when I have to tow the boat with my truck. I think my best option will be to hook it up and just run around locally for a bit to see how it does with the weight dist hitch. Any other thoughts are welcome in the meantime.

IMO...if only using 2X/yr, close to home and flat terrain, you'll be fine...keep your speed towing at 60mph...let us know how it does when you do a test pull

Sent via Cajun Po-Boy's Tech Gear

thomsonr · 10-31-2015, 09:39 PM

This is an old thread I stumbled upon but I tow a 21SS with an Acadia. For the most part I have a very good experience towing. Would I like more power? Yes. In very hilly areas on divided highways you will have to stick to the right lane and slow down. Otherwise I can maintain 100 kph (60mph) without problems. You are though towing at the limits of your vehicle. I load my Roo very lightly and empty tanks before leaving campgrounds.

I do sometimes load up the roo or Acadia with firewood but only if I am on a trip to a campground nearby. On out of province trips I do not carry firewood.

etothepii · 11-01-2015, 10:41 AM

We used to tow what would be OK on paper, near the limits of the tow vehicle. For infrequent, near home trips, flat driving, it really was OK. But every so often, we would go to a campsite in an area that had a lot more hills, and I HATED it. Now, our TV is spec'd well above our needs, and I couldn't be happier.

rockfordroo · 11-01-2015, 11:04 AM

Doesn't look the OP's been back since he posted this over a year ago.

thebrakeman · 11-11-2015, 10:54 AM

That's OK, rockfordroo. People with similar rigs are posting with real experience that is directly applicable to the OP. This will help many people who may need it.

rockfordroo · 11-11-2015, 05:33 PM

I pulled my Roo19 with my Traverse one season here in the midwest. I was NOT a happy camper. It would run in 4th gear at 3000 rpm at 60 mph on the flat and level. Any slight increase in the incline would drop it into 3rd. It would not let me force it into 5th manually. Didn't feel comfortable in 4th at 3000 rpm. I certainly wasn't going to take it anywhere with real hills.

Bought a Silverado and I'm a LOT happier.

Button · 11-14-2015, 03:48 PM

yea watch #'s, we checked ours out with a Dakota 4x4 and it lost power and rpms went trough the roof on hills temp went up. went to full size 1500 ram, we are towing a roo 183.

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