Question? (Tow Vehicle)

[larry2c]

To DieselDrax point, we've bought 2 new TT's from a dealership in the last 10 years and both of the sales people looked only at the spec sheet for towing capacity. On the latest TT I brought up the cargo capacity and the guy looked at me like I was speaking in tongues. He repeated his method of determining if the TT & truck were a good match by going through the towing capacity spec again a little bit louder and with added snark. I knew we were going to be within the cargo capacity so I decided just to move on rather than try to educate the unwilling.

[netsyd]

2017 canyon SLT v6 pulling a 2020 19FBS. Trailer was 3311 from the factory, and I've added a good 200lbs of stuff if you count the batteries. Door sticker on the truck says 1403 payload, truck is rated for 7k towing. I haven't weighed it with water, but dry I was at about 400lbs on the tongue. That said, I ended up putting SumoSprings on the rear just to tighten up the bounce since the suspension is really soft.

I wish I got 15mpg, more like 10-12 but we have hills. Once I start heading to the mountains that will drop even more I'm sure.

[JoeCampsNE]

Been towing TT's with a Tacoma Off Road for 12 years. First rig was a 2007 Tacoma with a Jayco J feather 25z. Upgraded a few years ago to a 2017 Tacoma and a FR 21FBRS. Over that time we've traveled all over the country compiling close to 40,000 miles. Without getting into payloads, tongue weights and other fine print I can tell you from actual user experience that it's been just fine. No problems outside of adhering to to recommended maintainence guidelines. Gas mileage during that time varies greatly depending on terrain, weather and speed but heck, where towing a trailer. My recommendation is don't overthink it and enjoy.

[Villagerjjm]

I have a 2015 Chevy Colorado Z71 and I pull a 2018 Rockwood Ultra Lite 2604WS from The Villages, Fl. to the Finger Lakes region of N.Y. and back again. I have taken my rig through rt. 441 through the Smokies, climbed the Blue Ridge on rt. 77 in Virginia, travelled the length of I-81 from North Carolina to New York, and have crossed the Catskills and Appalachian chain between the Hudson and Susquehanna rivers. I have been in situations where I have had to brake hard for stopped traffic behind blind curves and exposed to rapidly changing crosswinds at higher elevations.
The Chevy and the trailer handle PERFECTLY together!
The key is holding to your weight limits and balancing your load. Always check your hitch, tires and lights at every stop before going on road again and stay aware. I never take anything for granted, but I do feel safe and confident in my equipment and abilities.

[Villagerjjm]

I would like to add that I have had my rig weighed with individual scales under each tire and tounge both hooked and unhooked with different load configurations. I am 30 pounds from max tounge capability and 100 pounds lower than max towable weight according to Chevy. That is with everything my wife and I carry for 3 months on the road.

[fanrgs]

Towed our Rockwood Mini Lite 2109S for 27,000 miles with a 4.0L, 4wd Nissan Frontier King Cab, including a 3-month trip to Alaska. Averaged 12-13 mpg when towing, but filled up when tank reached 1/2 full because it only had a 19-gallon tank. Could comfortably tow at 65 mph, but headwinds were a definite problem and mountain grades slowed us to 40-45 mph with the pedal to the floor. So, not a great TV for someone living in Colorado.

[jimmac91]

Yes I towed our 2018 Flagstaff 25 FKS with my 2015 Colorado with 3.6L. The truck was more than capable towing the 6000 lbs. That trailer No problems other than poor gas mileage. It was kind of annoying towing at 65 on highway at 3000-3500 rpm in 5th gear mostly, plenty of power and towed great on 2-lane roads at 55mph.
I loved that truck, I upgraded to a 2017 Silverado with 5.3 that has more towing capacity and handles the trailer better. But I miss my Colorado as a daily driver it was great, drove like a car, comfortable and plenty of pep. I may look for a used one for a second car someday.

[netsyd]

Originally Posted by Villagerjjm

I would like to add that I have had my rig weighed with individual scales under each tire and tounge both hooked and unhooked with different load configurations. I am 30 pounds from max tounge capability and 100 pounds lower than max towable weight according to Chevy. That is with everything my wife and I carry for 3 months on the road.

@villagerjim - what does Chevy say max tongue is on the Colorado?

[Villagerjjm]

Originally Posted by jimmac91

Yes I towed our 2018 Flagstaff 25 FKS with my 2015 Colorado with 3.6L. The truck was more than capable towing the 6000 lbs. That trailer No problems other than poor gas mileage. It was kind of annoying towing at 65 on highway at 3000-3500 rpm in 5th gear mostly, plenty of power and towed great on 2-lane roads at 55mph.
I loved that truck, I upgraded to a 2017 Silverado with 5.3 that has more towing capacity and handles the trailer better. But I miss my Colorado as a daily driver it was great, drove like a car, comfortable and plenty of pep. I may look for a used one for a second car someday.

My next will be a Silverado. The mountains do keep the rpm’s high. When I camp in Florida where the terrain is relatively flat the rpm’s stay low. Funny thing is that our previous trailer was a smaller (and lighter) Mini Lite and I got lower gas mileage when I pulled it on the same routes.
The max tounge weight for my Colorado is 700 lbs.

[babock]

Originally Posted by Villagerjjm

I have a 2015 Chevy Colorado Z71 and I pull a 2018 Rockwood Ultra Lite 2604WS from The Villages, Fl. to the Finger Lakes region of N.Y. and back again. I have taken my rig through rt. 441 through the Smokies, climbed the Blue Ridge on rt. 77 in Virginia, travelled the length of I-81 from North Carolina to New York, and have crossed the Catskills and Appalachian chain between the Hudson and Susquehanna rivers. I have been in situations where I have had to brake hard for stopped traffic behind blind curves and exposed to rapidly changing crosswinds at higher elevations.
The Chevy and the trailer handle PERFECTLY together!
The key is holding to your weight limits and balancing your load. Always check your hitch, tires and lights at every stop before going on road again and stay aware. I never take anything for granted, but I do feel safe and confident in my equipment and abilities.

Wow...30' trailer with a Colorado! That takes guts!


Out of curiosity, what is the payload capacity rating of your Chevy and what is your tongue weight?

[Homersimpson]

I tow our Viking 17FQ (<3500#, single axle TT) for weekend trips using a 2006 Colorado Z71 with rebuilt 3500 5-cyl and Anderson WDH. Tongue weight is well under the 400# limit. The combo handles reasonably well, and although I sometimes wish there was more engine, I get 11-13 mpg while towing at 55-70 mph and up to 20 mpg when not towing. And yes, I changed to Goodyear Endurance tires with much higher ratings and added Timbrens for good measure.

[Blaupunkt]

I pull a 23 ft with a Tacoma. It works well, even in the mountains. I just got home from a (cycling) trip in France and Germany and saw a surprising number of large (20 + foot) caravans being pulled by front wheel drive cars, the largest being a mini-van. We passed by a Wally Byam type group just outside of Strasbourg and there wasn’t a large truck-type tow vehicle on any of the 50 or so units we saw in line-up. My neighbour said they were likely Dutch. If so, they were in for a surprise. The Black Forest south of Strasbourg has long steep hills.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by SandFox

Is anyone out there utilizing a midsize truck as their primary TV? If so how large of a rig are you hauling? What's your TV? I have a '17 Colorado LT and pulling a '20 Salem cruiselite. Just wondering if anyone else is amazed by this new midsize trucks coming out, and if they are using them as advertised?

As I'm in the search for a replacement for my 2014 GMC 2500....and I'm "Downsizing"....what's your opinion of the Colorado ? I've looked briefly at them, no test drive and biggest thing I'll be towing is a 10' utility trailer with a Polaris Ranger 400 4x4.

[BeeBoB]

I have a 2109S 2012 model year Mini-Lite. It runs about 4900 lbs. loaded. I purchased a 2015 Toyota Highlander Limited w/tow package which is rated at 5000 lbs. I just finished a trip west of the Mississippi at 20,521 miles, just short of 3 months. At times I was up to 75 mph but usually at 65 mph to save on fuel. TV usually gets 20.5 mph but with TT hooked up gets 14.5 mph. I crossed the Big Horn Scenic Road (3000 ft to 9280 ft, 10% grade) in second gear for 7 miles going up and back down (with A/C on). At no time did I have any trouble with the TV. Lost one china tire due to side wall failure (8 K) other four did just fine.

[netsyd]

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

As I'm in the search for a replacement for my 2014 GMC 2500....and I'm "Downsizing"....what's your opinion of the Colorado ? I've looked briefly at them, no test drive and biggest thing I'll be towing is a 10' utility trailer with a Polaris Ranger 400 4x4.

I own a 2017 GMC Canyon (twin to the Colorado).

IMHO, fantastic "little" truck. You can drive it downtown without feeling like you're driving an oil tanker, it fits in parking spots at Home Depot without getting doored, and the 6' bed gets the job done when you need to.

Sure, I would love the bigger truck for towing, but honestly there's very few days where I would want anything bigger.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Blaupunkt

I just got home from a (cycling) trip in France and Germany and saw a surprising number of large (20 + foot) caravans being pulled by front wheel drive cars, the largest being a mini-van. We passed by a Wally Byam type group just outside of Strasbourg and there wasn’t a large truck-type tow vehicle on any of the 50 or so units we saw in line-up. My neighbour said they were likely Dutch. If so, they were in for a surprise. The Black Forest south of Strasbourg has long steep hills.

You can't compare European manufacturered trailers, to those made here. I've spent some time in Europe and studied some of their RV manufacturers.
Their trailers are at least 1/3 lighter(if not more lighter), than a comparable trailer made here.
They are also much lower profile with very little ground clearance. So there's much less air resistance.
And I saw way more "tail wagging the dog" combos there, than I've ever seen here.
It was scary!

[EHT61]

I tow a GEOPro 19FBS (3200 lbs) with a 2018 Colorado Duramax Diesel. I just finished a trip through Colorado, New Mexico and across Texas. I travel light and have no problem towing the trailer.

[FrankMor]

We towed a 28' overall TT 5900 lb loaded (CAT Scale) with a Suzuki Equator CC 4x4 RMZ4 (same as a Nissan Frontier PRO4). The towing rating was 6100 lb. we had E2 hitch, and our only problem was I wanted more HP for the hills.

Frank

[lswartz]

Originally Posted by BeeBoB

I have a 2109S 2012 model year Mini-Lite. It runs about 4900 lbs. loaded. I purchased a 2015 Toyota Highlander Limited w/tow package which is rated at 5000 lbs. I just finished a trip west of the Mississippi at 20,521 miles, just short of 3 months. At times I was up to 75 mph but usually at 65 mph to save on fuel. TV usually gets 20.5 mph but with TT hooked up gets 14.5 mph. I crossed the Big Horn Scenic Road (3000 ft to 9280 ft, 10% grade) in second gear for 7 miles going up and back down (with A/C on). At no time did I have any trouble with the TV. Lost one china tire due to side wall failure (8 K) other four did just fine.

It is a small world, I am in Bel Ail as well & we have the same TT.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by netsyd

I own a 2017 GMC Canyon (twin to the Colorado).

IMHO, fantastic "little" truck. You can drive it downtown without feeling like you're driving an oil tanker, it fits in parking spots at Home Depot without getting doored, and the 6' bed gets the job done when you need to.

Sure, I would love the bigger truck for towing, but honestly there's very few days where I would want anything bigger.

Son owns a older model Canyon he found with 100k miles on it. It's in emaculate shape and has only replaced some parts that have aged out. It's his go to work truck as he doesn't like driving his 2018 Silverado 2500HD diesel High Country to work. Going to test drive a Colorado ASAP. Thanks !