Tow capacity ( first time owner and very nervous)

[Rchel72]

Oh great 3 days !!! I got it a week ago

[sherdep]

have you tried to talk to your dealer about your purchase and what issues you are having and see what they will do to help since they are the ones who got you into this perdicument

[Rchel72]

I'm planing to talk to them after I get an actual weight of the trailer at the weight station
I hope they can solve my huge problem

[sherdep]

I wouldnt wait too long cause the more you wait the window of options probably closes - if that makes sense.

[Rchel72]

Yes that make sense I will call tomorrow and see what happens!

[Labzy]

Good luck!!!!!!

[Rchel72]

Thanks I'll need it

[firedaniel]

Welcome I hope it works out for you. One thing I had read about is the surface area of the trailer behind the tow vehicle and how it affects . If your vehicle is rated for it and your weight distribution hitch is setup correctly just take it easy and you should be ok. If its a power issue you could consider a different rear end.... Just a thought

Daniel

[Rchel72]

Yes all the numbers make sense but it gets to close to the max towing capacity
That is my issue

[08flagvlite]

LT rated tires will help the sway issues, as well. X2 on the rear gear change. I pull a 34 foot V lite with a shortbed Dodge Ram 1500 Quadcab Hemi 5.7, and it is sort of a struggle on that as well. Plenty of horses, not geared steep enough, beefed up the springs and put on LT tires- big improvement. Don't count on the friction brake style sway control, that uses the small ball mounts off to the side of the hitch; they are NOT enough to handle that trailer. Get a good quality dual bar style hitch and mount, such as Reese or Equal-i-zer, or even a Blue OX or a Hensley (pricey, but good). Good Luck, and if you set up the whole arrangement properly, you should get by with what you have, nearby home. No climbing Pike's peak or the Smokies, but flatland back roads. Randy

[Rchel72]

Originally Posted by 08flagvlite

LT rated tires will help the sway issues, as well. X2 on the rear gear change. I pull a 34 foot V lite with a shortbed Dodge Ram 1500 Quadcab Hemi 5.7, and it is sort of a struggle on that as well. Plenty of horses, not geared steep enough, beefed up the springs and put on LT tires- big improvement. Don't count on the friction brake style sway control, that uses the small ball mounts off to the side of the hitch; they are NOT enough to handle that trailer. Get a good quality dual bar style hitch and mount, such as Reese or Equal-i-zer, or even a Blue OX or a Hensley (pricey, but good). Good Luck, and if you set up the whole arrangement properly, you should get by with what you have, nearby home. No climbing Pike's peak or the Smokies, but flatland back roads. Randy

X2 on the rear gear change. : what is that exactly?
Thanks for the tips

[sherdep]

Originally Posted by Rchel72

X2 on the rear gear change. : what is that exactly?
Thanks for the tips

a gear change is where they change the gears in the rear end changing the overall drive ratio - the higher the number say like 4.56 the higher your RPM's will be with a stock tire at highway speeds and when towing it will keep your engine in the area where it makes more power and quicker on the take off but will hurt you on the top end - which you do not need spped when towing

If you have 4 wheel drive you must do front and rears or you will have major issues when you use the 4 wheel drive due to the diffrent ratios - you will most likely burn up the transfer case and transmission

Here is an example in my case my stock tire's were 33" and I went to 35"
my stock gear was 3.92 and if I went to 4.56 gears it would put me almost back to my stock performance level if not better but if I went back to the stock sized tires with 4.56 gears it would put my RPM's higher then what I normally do

33" tires with 3.92 gears at 70 mph = 2,000 rpms (I had this with stock tires)
35" tires with 3.92 gears at 70 mph = 1,700 rpms (I have this now)

35" tires with 4.56 gears at 70 mph = 2,300 rpms (this is just a guess since I do not have 4.56 gears yet)

Does this make any sense to you?
trying to explain it so you will understand

[Terier]

My heart feels for your situation. I use my sister's Yukon (V8) to tow my 20 ft trailer and I don't feel the trailer behind me.

I'm in a somewhat similar situation but due to believing a car salesman. Currently I'm in a holding pattern for my lease to be up on my Rav4 - two years to go on a three year lease.

Talk to your dealership and see what choices you have. I am sorry that you are going through this because getting a new trailer is hard enough to start with.

Please keep us updated if you don't mind.

Terie

[Rchel72]

Originally Posted by sherdep

a gear change is where they change the gears in the rear end changing the overall drive ratio - the higher the number say like 4.56 the higher your RPM's will be with a stock tire at highway speeds and when towing it will keep your engine in the area where it makes more power and quicker on the take off but will hurt you on the top end - which you do not need spped when towing

If you have 4 wheel drive you must do front and rears or you will have major issues when you use the 4 wheel drive due to the diffrent ratios - you will most likely burn up the transfer case and transmission

Here is an example in my case my stock tire's were 33" and I went to 35"
my stock gear was 3.92 and if I went to 4.56 gears it would put me almost back to my stock performance level if not better but if I went back to the stock sized tires with 4.56 gears it would put my RPM's higher then what I normally do

33" tires with 3.92 gears at 70 mph = 2,000 rpms (I had this with stock tires)
35" tires with 3.92 gears at 70 mph = 1,700 rpms (I have this now)

35" tires with 4.56 gears at 70 mph = 2,300 rpms (this is just a guess since I do not have 4.56 gears yet)

Does this make any sense to you?
trying to explain it so you will understand

Thank you
Some questions: so I don't want the gear change? Right

I do have 4 WD, when I'm towing I just need to the 2wd only?
I understand the tire change and RPM but I don't understand if this will hurt my suv if I do all this changes
Thank you

[Rchel72]

Originally Posted by Terier

My heart feels for your situation. I use my sister's Yukon (V8) to tow my 20 ft trailer and I don't feel the trailer behind me.

I'm in a somewhat similar situation but due to believing a car salesman. Currently I'm in a holding pattern for my lease to be up on my Rav4 - two years to go on a three year lease.

Talk to your dealership and see what choices you have. I am sorry that you are going through this because getting a new trailer is hard enough to start with.

Please keep us updated if you don't mind.

Terie

Thank you terie
I did email my TT dealership and I'm waiting for a reply
I got other people and dome technician on the web that gave me some advised and he thinks if my car has a 6000 towing capacity it should be ok
It will be kind of hard to tow if I get close to my limit but he said to take slow
I still will feel more comfortable if I could trade it for something a little smaller
I did my research before I got the trailer but then my jitters came when I started to read more and more in the forum
I'm very confused right now


[sherdep]

Originally Posted by Rchel72

Thank you
Some questions: so I don't want the gear change? Right

I do have 4 WD, when I'm towing I just need to the 2wd only?
I understand the tire change and RPM but I don't understand if this will hurt my suv if I do all this changes
Thank you

your welcome -
you only use 4 wheel drive on loose (dirt, gravel, sand, grass) roads - never use 4 wheel drive on dry pavement unless say you are towing aboat up the ramp and never turn your wheels - if you use 4 wheel drive and turn your wheels on dry pavement you will feel the front end like it is binding - not good for it. If you have all wheel drive that is diffrent then 4 wheel drive.

in your present situation - in my opinion I do not think you need a gear change.
since you have 4wd you would have to do both front and rear
I would never suggest to someone that owns a 4 wheel drive to just do the rear even if you mainly use it in 2 wheel drive - the one time you need 4 wheel drive and have two diffrent gear sets and forget - its gonna be a costly repair when it messes up the transfer case and tranny.

[b_garage]

My 2 cents: If you FEEL like the trailer is too big for the truck - it IS.

Dinkin' around with gears, sway bars, tires, etc is just trying to convince yourself you'll be ok. You'll chat with people and assert that all is hunky-dory. But on the inside, you'll know that you're over capacity and endangering your family.

I speak from experience. Just traded in my 1/2 ton Suburban for a 3/4 ton Excursion Diesel after 1 yr with my TT. I had added airbags to the suspension, adjusted the WD hitch, and kept trying to talk myself into believing it was OK. But the clincher was when we drove on the scales and came out 1000 pounds over GCWR. Wife looked at me and said, "We need a bigger vehicle" - which we all know is the final permission I needed to get it done.

Couple trips now with the X and couldn't be happier. No concerns about power, weight, etc.

[ilovecamping]

If they won't help you out at where you bought it and you feel unsafe towing it, you might consider putting it on a permanent camping spot. We pushed out limits with our last tt and DH was always nervous towing it. We put ours on a permanent spot for a season and we traded it off last summer. Best of luck!

[Fireman2]

I was towing a 4500 lb 19 ft trailer with a Ford Explorer rated at 5000 lbs. dealer said we would be fine. Don't believe the dealers they just want to make a sale. We rolled the whole rig on the highway. No injuries but that was only luck. Now towing. 27 ft TT with a long wheel base 1/2 ton Chevy. Tows like a dream and we always feel safe. Do yourself a favor tow with a larger vehicle with a v8 or diesel . I towed for years with a v6 and was always struggling. Once I upgraded I realized that when towing with the 6 my gas mileage was cut in half and my stress level doubled. My advice is don't tow that large of a trailer with such a small vehicle .

[shineysideup]

Originally Posted by Rchel72

Thank you
Some questions: so I don't want the gear change? Right

I do have 4 WD, when I'm towing I just need to the 2wd only?
I understand the tire change and RPM but I don't understand if this will hurt my suv if I do all this changes
Thank you

When you buy LT tires, buy tires that are a smaller overall diameter. This will give the same effect a gear change but at a fraction of the cost ( since you are buying LT tires anyway ). As a previous poster mentioned stepping up his tire size dropped motor RPM's. By switching to a smaller tire you can raise motor RPM's ( the same as having lower gearing, a numerically higher number ). Make sure that you DO NOT buy tires that have less load carrying capacity.

How much smaller you can go will depend on several factors. I have dedicated summer tires ( sized for towing ) and since I live in a snowy winter climate I use winter tires.

Let me know if you would like more information, I'm sure others will chime in on my suggestion.

happy camping,