Denali or escalade to pull 34' prime time

[Eckrote]

I am looking at purchasing a Denali or Escalade to replace my 07 silverado. We do not pull the trailer much since we have a permanent site but still pull on occasion. How do the larger breed SUV 's pull my type of trailer. Trailer dry is around 6700 lbs 34' long.

[Dave_Monica]

Welcome to the forum...visit often!

Your question has already been asked by another forum member recently...this is the link to it. http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ion-17845.html

Your didn't mention whether you're purchasing a 116 or 130" wheelbase Denali/Escalade. Either way, that is too much camper for those SUV's.

Dave

[Eckrote]

Thanks. I read thru the other post and will apply all the info when making my decision. I have some new tools now on performing calculations. I think I am screwed no matter what according to that thread and the calculators I am not sure my silverado should even be pulling my camper. Like I said we only move it about once a year cause we love our permanent site but in 2013 we are pilling it from PA to Disney and I want to be safe and LEGAL. The Denalis are actually calculating that they are better suited then my silverado 1500. It is overwhelming.

[LadyWindrider]

According to the rule of thumb, trailer length and tow vehicle wheel base, you need five times 34 (trailer length) which equals 170 inch wheel base. Especially on a 1000 mile pull one way, (PA to Disney), on the highway, and in who knows what weather.

[campfan]

Originally Posted by windrider

According to the rule of thumb, trailer length and tow vehicle wheel base, you need five times 34 (trailer length) which equals 170 inch wheel base. Especially on a 1000 mile pull one way, (PA to Disney), on the highway, and in who knows what weather.

where does this "rule of thumb" come from? i went on chevy's website and the wheel base for a 1 ton dually with crew cab and long bed is 167.7" I have seen this posted before and don't totally agree with this.

i would like to know where it comes from- how old the info is, etc before someone buys a "monster" truck to tow a trailer. I agree with dave on the shorter wheel base not being enough but what is correct? I have never seen anything about trailer length in a manual. tow ratings tend to be confusing enough without a "rule of thumb" that may or may not exist- i have searched and can't find anything to back it up, if you have a site please show me
not beating you up just really want to know about this

[MtnGuy]

There was a really good website that had all sorts of excellent towing information that used this chart:


110" 20' ******* 150" 30'
114" 21' ******* 154" 31'
118" 22' ******* 158" 32'
122" 23' ******* 162" 33'
126" 24' ******* 166" 34'
130" 25' ******* 170" 35'
134" 26' ******* 174" 36'
138" 27' ******* 178" 37'
142" 28' ******* 182" 38'
146" 29' ******* 186" 39'

That website was run by an individual, and a "big" company shut him down claiming copyright infringement, or something like that.

It was a rule of thumb. As far as I know there is no law out there preventing someone from pulling a 40 foot trailer with a Yugo, as long as you stay within the GVWR and trailer towing capacity of the tow vehicle.

A couple of years ago when that website was up and running, that was the standard.......but I haven't the foggiest if there is any scientific background to the chart. Many people (myself included) thought it made a lot of sense, and try to steer newbies from towing too long of a trailer with a short wheelbased vehicle.

There was also an equation that followed along the same guidelines as that chart. The tow vehicle wheelbase in inches divided by 5 is the maximum total trailer length in feet.

Someone can make up any chart that they want to fit their situation. Personally, I would not want to pull a 34' foot trailer with anything but a long wheelbased full sized pickup, preferable 3/4 ton or heavier.

[campfan]

so... an f350 or f450 has a wheel base of 172.4" LWB and 156.2" SWB crew cab is really just "ok" to pull a 35' trailer- I think your chart is out dated - (i think we have done this before. LOL!! )
what should we do when the prime time lacrosse 308RES is 35'-7"

[TTNewbees]

Get a Kenworth? My next purchase

[MtnGuy]

Originally Posted by campfan

so... an f350 or f450 has a wheel base of 172.4" LWB and 156.2" SWB crew cab is really just "ok" to pull a 35' trailer- I think your chart is out dated - (i think we have done this before. LOL!! )
what should we do when the prime time lacrosse 308RES is 35'-7"

Yes we have done this many times before on this forum.

Draw up your own chart, and that may be the next big "rule of thumb" tow guide on the web.

Bumper pull trailer owners have to start somewhere.....that is why this chart and equation is circulating out there.

[youroo]

When you guys find the (Wheel base chart) please let the company's with the (short,single axle,semi,s) pulling those 12' wide,60+ foot long,MFG homes down the road at 65+ MPH that they are too short! Youroo!!

[grhodes50]

Since experiencing sway issues with a 30' tt towed by a 128" wheelbase tv, I have tried to follow the chart that mtnguy has provided. My current TV has 163" wheel base and I have not had any issues towing my 34' 11" tt. So I'm a little over according to the chart.

This guide may or may not be fact based, but it has been around for quite a few years and as far as I know no one has come up with anything better. JMHO, but I would rather err on the side of safety.

As far as manufacturers not providing any info in their towing guides about wheelbase to trailer length, that might be hard to do. There's a big difference in towing a 35' flatbed trailer compared to a 35' RV.

I also want to point out that I refer to the chart as a guide, not an absoulte rule. I'm not trying to tell others what to do, just trying to explain why I think the guide is good to use until something better comes along.

[tentcamper1]

Eckrote - WELCOME to the forum. FWIW I tow a 35' trailer with a wheelbase of 153.7" and have not had any problems. see sig. for truck info.

[campfan]

i did some searching and this was all i could find on the subject. its from another rv forum. if anyone has any more solid info please post.

The question:
“Looking at upgrading from a 26' travel trailer to a 33' travel trailer.
My tow vehicle is a 2008 F350 Crew Cab Short box with a wheel base of 153 inches.
Doing the calculation of:
110 inches wheel base for 20 feet of trailer plus 4" wheel base for every extra foot.....
That is 13' extra trailer lenght requiring an extra 52 inches of tow vehicle wheelbase.
Therefore that equates to (110 + 52) 162 inches of wheel base required.
Theoretically I am 10 inches short on wheel base.
Will there be tow/sway issues with this setup or am I panicking for nothing?
Anyone else towing this type of setup??
There is no way I am going to change tow vehicles now, my wife will start removing body parts if I even suggest our tow vehicle is not adequate!!!!!”
And the responses:
“You might take note that all of the manufacturers use wheel base as ONE of the many items they consider in setting tow ratings and PRACTICALLY none of them take ANY note of the trailers length. Of course longer wheel bases make for better stability but how many slingshot dragsters to you see on the road towing a trailer? It's just a very small item among many that go into making up a good tow vehicle. Almost NOBODY tows with the absolute BEST tow vehicle for their trailer (and that includes the one ton and larger ones) but MOST use one that is ADEQUATE and STABLE, as is yours.”
“That calculation is a hang around from back in the day when dad would tow a travel trailer right on the ball of the old wood panel Ford station wagon. With everyone these days (for the most part) towing with modern weight dist. hitches and sway control systems, it's not as relevant IMHO.
That said, you've got ample truck for a 33' TT, you may need to look at some quality hitch hardware to get it perfect, but toss that formula out the window.”
“I'd like to see a credible source for 'ye olde' wheelbase forumla for trailer towing. I've heard about ti plenty, never seen anything from a credible source saying it's derived from any science or testing”.

[hoffkm]

Eckrote,

I tow a 34' Rockwood with a 130" wheelbase 2007 Chevy Avalanche (slightly longer than a standard Denali but equal to the XL/Suburban). I was not 100% confident in this setup after a few trips in high winds (had more sway than I cared for) so I found a used Hensley Arrow hitch setup on hitchtrader.com for $900 and am now 100% confident in my setup. I pulled from northwest Ohio to Wyoming (Yellowstone and the Tetons) this past summer in some severe weather and wind (the wind is "crazy" driving across the plains out west) with no trouble at all (using the Hensley) If you have any questions about sway I would suggest getting a Hensley or Propride hitch. If you can find a used hitch it is a small price to pay for a little extra insurance on your appx. $20K-$25K camper and $35K-$45K tow vehicle.

[hoffkm]

Originally Posted by youroo

When you guys find the (Wheel base chart) please let the company's with the (short,single axle,semi,s) pulling those 12' wide,60+ foot long,MFG homes down the road at 65+ MPH that they are too short! Youroo!!

X2 on the triples running up and down the 'pike. Those rigs are outta control at best!!

[dstars99]

We have recently purchased a Lacrosse 296 BHS and our tow vehicle is a Nissan Armada with tow package. I was concerned about how it would handle the TT. After a couple of adjustments on the Equalizer WD/sway control hitch it pulls like a dream. I had pulled the TT prior to purchace and it was pretty wild. Now I only know its there due to stopping at so many gas stations.

[Coops1]

I think no matter how long or short your TV is you can run into problems. Here in Calgary yesterday we had a Chinook blow in that was packing winds of 150km/h or 93mph. The smart thing here is to get off the road and wait it out, there were several truckers that weren't so lucky and were simply blown over.

This might shed some light on what the wind can do.

An RV crash to remember - YouTube

[BOBFIDY]

For what its worth we had an EL Ford Expedition when we bought our 32' Salem. All of the numbers worked except we had too light of an equalizer hitch and equalizer bars......All sold by the dealer.

After our first 3 week trip...about 3000 miles we decided the TV was just too borderline to do the job.

We went way overboard and got an F350 Dually Crew cab...thinking if we ever decided to upgrade to a 5th wheel, we will be ready for anything.

Now the truck just hummmmms along. Just did a 32 day 4750 mile trip thru Okla, Arkansas, Tenn, N. Carolina, S. Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Missiissippi, Louisiana, Arkansasa again and back to Oklahoma with absolutly ZERO towing issues.

Just take your time and enjoy that new rig.

[11XLITE28BH]

Originally Posted by Coops1

I think no matter how long or short your TV is you can run into problems. Here in Calgary yesterday we had a Chinook blow in that was packing winds of 150km/h or 93mph. The smart thing here is to get off the road and wait it out, there were several truckers that weren't so lucky and were simply blown over.

This might shed some light on what the wind can do.

Wow...that's a crazy video. Truck was a dully pulling what looks like a 34' TT.

[MtnGuy]

As indicated with the video, even a heavy duty long wheelbased vehicle will not prevent the wind from blowing a trailer over.

But IMHO, that swaying trailer could have jack-knifed much earlier with a lesser tow vehicle, and maybe even turning it over. Even with that heavy tow vehicle in the video, it turned it around 180°.....but it stayed sunny side up. If you notice near the end of the video, the hitch is completely disconnected, with only the safety chains being the connection between the trailer and truck.