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Old 11-30-2009, 09:35 PM   #21
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As I stated in the previous post, I tow with an Aspen I have no problems it does however have a cushier suspension than the Durango for a more carlike ride. I do have to adjust my hitch to level it out but it hauls fine. Would I be more comfortable with a larger TV maybe but I was not going to buy one just for this. If I was I would have bought a pickup and a 5th wheel!
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Old 06-17-2016, 10:20 AM   #22
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I hope nobody minds resurrecting this old thread, but I came across it researching an almost identical issue. If I shouldn't post here, maybe you can direct me or move this to a more current thread.

My son recently bought an old 30' trailer (Travelaire, a now defunct Canadian manufacturer) and in searching for a suitable tow vehicle, got a 2008 Aspen Limited. Now, this isn't the 4.7 the OP mentioned, but the Hemi with 3.92 rear end and full towing package. On seeing the trailer and the Aspen, their neighbour right away said "That won't tow it" and he has a 5th wheel rig and has been towing travel trailers for decades. He said at the very least, to tow a trailer like that you need a load equalizing hitch and sway bars. According to the nameplate the GVWR of the trailer is "4536", so we thought that's well under the Aspen's towing capacity of 8900 lbs, but what if the GVWR is 4536 kilograms? That's 9979 lbs. Sure looks like a bit more than 8900. Crazy thing is that the nameplate doesn't say whether it's lbs or kgs. The trailer is late 1980s as far as we know, after Canada went metric, but everything to do with trailers, hitches, draw bars, balls, etc. is all rated in pounds, which is why we thought the trailer was, but maybe it isn't. Does 4536 or 9979 lbs sound more reasonable for a 30' trailer?

Another question, unless you haven't stopped shaking your heads, can a load distributing hitch even be used on an Aspen? The 2" receiver does not go very deep because of the spare tire. Would such a hitch want to twist the receiver? I see that etrailer.com lists this one.
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Old 06-17-2016, 01:35 PM   #23
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NO WAY does a 30' TT have a GVWR of 4536lbs.
Older RVS have a white factory weight sticker on the inside of a cabinet door.
I'd look for that or get it weighed at a scale.
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Old 06-17-2016, 02:00 PM   #24
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Yes, someone else told me there ought to be a weight sticker or something inside a cabinet, but we haven't found one yet. This is the foil sticker on the outside, but it's hard to read.



Just searching for information on new trailers about that size, it sure looks like the GVWR should be 4536 kg (9979 lb).
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Old 06-17-2016, 02:04 PM   #25
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NO WAY does a 30' TT have a GVWR of 4536lbs.
Older RVS have a white factory weight sticker on the inside of a cabinet door.
I'd look for that or get it weighed at a scale.
X2!

I see a very well endowed 1/2 ton, or a 3/4 ton, pickup in your son's future.
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Old 06-17-2016, 06:17 PM   #26
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Well,with 4 kids, even a crew cab pickup would be inadequate, which is why they went for a big SUV.
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Old 06-17-2016, 08:48 PM   #27
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Well,with 4 kids, even a crew cab pickup would be inadequate, which is why they went for a big SUV.
It's not big enough.

SUV's typically have lousy payloads. Get the payload off the sticker on the drivers door frame, subtract the weight of the wife and 4 kids and whatever stuff you're putting in the SUV. Whatever's left is the limit of your TT tongue weight. Assuming the TT's GVWR is 10,000 lbs, you're looking at 1000-1500 lbs tongue weight. If you're using a weight distribution hitch (which you should be), add another 50-100 lbs depending on the model.

Don't have 2008, but 2009 Trailer Life towing guide shows the 2009 Aspen towing capacity as a low of 4,400 lbs (4.7L V8, 2WD Limited) up to 8,900 lbs (5.7L V8, 2WD, Limited with 3.92 axle). Can't speak to payload, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be way over your limit.
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Old 06-17-2016, 08:59 PM   #28
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Originally Posted by Oldyellr View Post
I hope nobody minds resurrecting this old thread, but I came across it researching an almost identical issue. If I shouldn't post here, maybe you can direct me or move this to a more current thread.

My son recently bought an old 30' trailer (Travelaire, a now defunct Canadian manufacturer) and in searching for a suitable tow vehicle, got a 2008 Aspen Limited. Now, this isn't the 4.7 the OP mentioned, but the Hemi with 3.92 rear end and full towing package. On seeing the trailer and the Aspen, their neighbour right away said "That won't tow it" and he has a 5th wheel rig and has been towing travel trailers for decades. He said at the very least, to tow a trailer like that you need a load equalizing hitch and sway bars. According to the nameplate the GVWR of the trailer is "4536", so we thought that's well under the Aspen's towing capacity of 8900 lbs, but what if the GVWR is 4536 kilograms? That's 9979 lbs. Sure looks like a bit more than 8900. Crazy thing is that the nameplate doesn't say whether it's lbs or kgs. The trailer is late 1980s as far as we know, after Canada went metric, but everything to do with trailers, hitches, draw bars, balls, etc. is all rated in pounds, which is why we thought the trailer was, but maybe it isn't. Does 4536 or 9979 lbs sound more reasonable for a 30' trailer?

Another question, unless you haven't stopped shaking your heads, can a load distributing hitch even be used on an Aspen? The 2" receiver does not go very deep because of the spare tire. Would such a hitch want to twist the receiver? I see that etrailer.com lists this one.
I just traded my '08 Aspen Hemi 3.92 for a Wrangler Unlimited.

I have towed the TT in my sig with it with just me in the vehicle. The Aspen has plenty of power to pull it. But with wheelbase at only 119" it didn't feel as secure as my Ram 1500.

My Aspen was loaded with every option except 4x4, so its payload was only 1200 lbs (yellow sticker on door jamb). WDH hitch in my sig worked no problem with it. I already had a Prodigy P2 and just bought their harness to install it, plug and play.

The Aspen mechanics (engine/trans/rear axle) is from the Ram 1500. The chassis is a hybrid using Ram/Dakota components. IMO the Aspen was a great underrated vehicle for what it was, but I would tow a 30+ footer with a bigger truck.
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Old 06-18-2016, 10:18 AM   #29
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Don't have 2008, but 2009 Trailer Life towing guide shows the 2009 Aspen towing capacity as a low of 4,400 lbs (4.7L V8, 2WD Limited) up to 8,900 lbs (5.7L V8, 2WD, Limited with 3.92 axle). Can't speak to payload, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be way over your limit.
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The Aspen mechanics (engine/trans/rear axle) is from the Ram 1500. The chassis is a hybrid using Ram/Dakota components. IMO the Aspen was a great underrated vehicle for what it was, but I would tow a 30+ footer with a bigger truck.
This '08 Aspen Limited is a Hemi with 4x4, 3.92 axle and full factory tow package, including HD cooling and trans cooler. But I do realize it will be marginal for the job. Once the trailer has new tires (still has the original cracked and rotted L78x15's) they'll try if for some short trips with a WD/sway control hitch, but they're now totally broke and won't be changing the TT or TV anytime soon. Thanks for the feedback folks.
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Old 06-18-2016, 11:18 AM   #30
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Hey Old Yeelr.

Canadian here as well. Nice Strathroy build heavy trailer, cast off from Glendale/Golden Falcon sub industries.

The Travelaire is 9,000 lbs. No way can the aspen tow it. The

Those trailer like the Corsair (made in Hensell) I towed with my Safari are heavy pigs. May I suggest the neighbour friend tow the trailer to a nice spot for them to spend some time then tow it back home.

This weekend I saw a Nissan Armada towing a 30 ft Airstream. backed off the road in the CG, his little SUV could hold the trailer back from hitting the ditch. They were in a pickle, could not unhitch there expensive Hensley Hitch due to the angle. Called a wrecker in to pull them out and he refused to do it as one, was afraid of ripping the Nissan to pieces. When I left to come home they were talking about bringing a crane in to lift the trailer back on the road.

You are just down the road from me. In Woodstock! Not that Woodstock.

What about Pittock or Wildwood? They are close. There is Embryo and Happy Hills as well.
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Old 06-18-2016, 01:52 PM   #31
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Thanks for the feedback, B & B. Yes we know all those campgrounds, they usually go to a family reunion at Pittock. We did find an information sticker inside one of the cabinet doors and it was made in Strathroy. The weights are the same as on the foil nameplate outside, GVWR 4536 (no units) and it says the plumbing system is tested to 100 psi. You would think they'd be consistent, or at least state what units they're using. But, yes, from what you say, I bet it's kilograms, i.e. 9979 pounds.
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Old 06-27-2016, 10:19 AM   #32
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Okay, so here's some feedback on towing a 34' 9979 lb GVWR TT with a Chrysler Aspen Limited Hemi.

They got a 1400 lb WD hitch, sway control and Activator II brake control, which we installed and set up in the driveway. Oh yeah, he picked up a pair of clip-on mirrors. Then they revealed the plan was to travel to a lot they'd purchased 1500 km away in New Brunswick! This is with 2 adults, 4 little kids, a dog and a bunch of stuff. Kids these days are fearless.

The only previous towing experience he had was utility trailers and a rented box trailer behind a minivan. From a few texts exchanged, it looks like they reached their destination with 1 overnight stop (they left at 8 p.m.) and had no problems along the way. Initially he had to tweak the brake controller en route and tighten down the sway control because we had loosened it to get out of the driveway. The Aspen also has its own electronic trailer sway control.

So, I appreciate all the warnings, but it appears this marginal combination did the job. Their plan is to set up the trailer there semi-permanently and return without it within a couple of weeks.
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Old 02-07-2017, 06:31 PM   #33
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Yeah, old thread, but I just came across it again. They made it okay to New Brunswick, but it was a white knuckle drive. They left the trailer there. The only serious problem was the battery failed and they had to replace it. Maybe with some fine tuning they didn't make time for, especially the WD hitch, it might have gone easier. My guess is it would have been more stable with a bit more weight on the back wheels of the TY.

In conclusion, towing a 10,000 lb trailer with the Aspen is marginal at best.
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Old 02-07-2017, 11:17 PM   #34
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Yeah, old thread, but I just came across it again. They made it okay to New Brunswick, but it was a white knuckle drive. They left the trailer there. The only serious problem was the battery failed and they had to replace it. Maybe with some fine tuning they didn't make time for, especially the WD hitch, it might have gone easier. My guess is it would have been more stable with a bit more weight on the back wheels of the TY.

In conclusion, towing a 10,000 lb trailer with the Aspen is marginal at best.
Thanks for coming back with "the rest of the story."

What's their plan going forward? New truck or smaller trailer?
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Old 02-08-2017, 09:19 AM   #35
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Thanks for coming back with "the rest of the story."

What's their plan going forward? New truck or smaller trailer?
They're leaving the trailer in NB to go on the lot they purchased. The Aspen is now the mommy van. Any more trailering I think they'll get a smaller trailer.
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Old 02-08-2017, 11:26 AM   #36
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> Payload = 1570

THIS is the number that is usually the problem; almost everyone runs out of payload before [theoretical] towing capacity.

The weight of everyone (except the first 150#) and everything in and on the vehicle -- all the people, pets, car seats, roof rack contents, coats, boots, groceries, toys, tools, etc. -- PLUS the weight of the trailer hitch PLUS the loaded pin weight (NOT empty pin weight) of the trailer must be less than the payload number (1570# in your case).

We weighed our truck, first empty, then loaded for camping with the hitch on. Subtracting the empty weight from the loaded weight gives the maximum (with no extra safety margin) loaded pin weight that the vehicle can carry. Once you know this number, it's pretty simple to figure out whether a particular trailer will work for you; for a trailer, using 10% of the trailer GVWR is a fair estimate of loaded pin weight, so you can use the weight sticker on the trailer to rule out things that are too heavy without even stepping inside.

We're considering getting a larger trailer in the future, and this is the first calculation we did; it saves falling in love with something that you can't tow safely.

Hope this helps,
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