Hello: New guy from Kansas City

hammick · 07-06-2012, 10:30 PM

Hello. I just registered and these forums look great.

We are thinking about purchasing a Grey Wolf 19rr. I've read some negative stuff about the Forest River construction. Hopefully it is just problems reported on the interned and most people are happy with their 19rr.

I have a 2011 Cherokee Overland with the V8 hemi and tow package which includes the self leveling air suspension.

Today I did a test tow at Liberty RV pulling a Wolf Pack 27WP. They set it up with an Equilizer sway control hitch. IMHO it was too much trailer for the Cherokee. The Cherokee has a class IV hitch and is rated up to 7,400 lbs, single or double axle trailers up to 30' with wdh required.

Now the 19rr is 1,497 lbs lighter and 7' shorter and a 5" more narrow. If I buy the 19rr they include a Stabilizer wdh.

We often camp in Montanna and Colorado so we drive long distances and lots of mountain driving.

What are people's opinions on the Cherokee pulling the 19rr? I really don't want to get a truck. Will the Cherokee be fine or will the shorter wheelbase be a problem?

Thanks for any advice.

**Terier** · 07-06-2012, 10:54 PM

Welcome to the forums!

To get a real good view of Forest River products I would recommend doing quite a bit of reading here on the site. You will find good & bad reports but I expect that you would find that most of us here are happy with our FR units and would buy another FR trailer.

You are smart to inquire about your homework in selecting a good match for your TV prior to buying. There can be different factors involved in what would be a good or wise choice besides how much can the TV tow & how much does the trailer weigh. Because of variables I will let the more experienced people address your questions.

Take care,
Terier

Misterdanderson · 07-06-2012, 11:16 PM

Hello. I think the rule of thumb formula you can use is 5xtrailer length. If that is lower than your vehicle's wheelbase in inches then you should be good on length. I have a 2nd gen Durango with a hemi and just stepped up to a 23 footer from a popup and my travel trailer had a wd hitch as part of the deal but not an antisway. The formula says 23x5=135 but the Durango only has 119 wb. So when I took it home I got sway anywhere above 55mph. So, my next stop was to have an antisway bar installed and now I'm good to 65 mph which is as fast as I ever intend to drive while towing. I believe your vehicle has a 114.8 wheelbase so 20-21 feet would be max if my formula is right (got it from somewhere on Internet when researching for mine). You would definitely want antisway anywhere above that and I wouldn't go a whole lot more if it were mine. Cherokees are unibody not frame on and that size and weight just makes me a bit leery without a full frame. Others with more experience should chime in since I'm new. Good luck and I hope I helped rather than hindered!

Misterdanderson · 07-06-2012, 11:52 PM

One more thing, the Gross Combined Vehicle Weight rating for your vehicle is about 12,200 pounds and the gross vehicle weight rating is 6800 lbs. I believe that would mean your trailer fully loaded shouldn't weigh more than 5400 (12.2-6.8).

hammick · 07-07-2012, 07:37 AM

Thanks for the replies. There is confusion about the GCWR for the 2011 Cherokee 5.7l V8 4x4. I had Chrysler send the detailed manual and it states the GCWR is 13,100 lbs with 7,200 lbs gross trailer weight and 720 lbs max trailer tongue weight.

I am going to confirm this with Chrysler. Not sure how they are getting a gross trailer weight of 7,200

troyt · 07-07-2012, 08:03 AM

Greetings and Welcome neighbor. X2 with Terier.

I put the cart (trailer) before the horse (truck). I ended up maxing out my 1/2 ton, contrary to what the dealer said. Then I found this forum and learned a lot. Great bunch of folks here, very willing to share their wisdom.

BTW, I have a horse that can handle the cart very well due to many comments from this forum.

Old car · 07-07-2012, 08:44 AM

Welcome to the forum from a south side Kansas Citian! Can't offer any advice on pulling with a Jeep but we dealt with Liberty RV and found it to be a rewarding and pleasant experience. The Equalizer hitch is a little bit noisy but that means it's working. Our 7000 pound 30'+ trailer pulls great with the Equalizer set up. Good luck in your search! By the way, all trailer manufacturers will have some issues and not everyone will be happy. We have a Rockwood Windjammer by Forest River and love it!

troyt · 07-07-2012, 08:56 AM

[QUOTE=Old car;219204] The Equalizer hitch is a little bit noisy but that means it's working. Our 7000 pound 30'+ trailer pulls great with the Equalizer set up. [/QUOTE

I have a "Equalizer" hitch and yes it's noisy and I unhook it when we roll-into a campground at night. It makes a tremendous differences going down the road.

hammick · 07-07-2012, 10:30 AM

Does anyone have a fully optioned 19rr that can post their actual weight from their trailer. Should be on a sticker on the entry door frame.

Looks like I can go 6,300 GVWR on the trailer and gear. My ATV weighs about 815 lbs empty. I wouldn't travel long distances with loaded tanks but need to add that in. Say 300 lbs. That leave about 1,000 lbs for additional gear and options. That's using the unloaded trailer weight. Pretty sure fully optioned ones weight more. I may be close to the Cherokee limit after loading the trailer with camping gear, clothes, generator, food, etc.

I need to test pull one of these or a similar model Grey Wolf.

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