I am planning to buy a Thor Summit 22RB (dry wt 3900lbs), live in it for 1 month, then head out on a loop of the Western US for 6 weeks with my dog. Yes, I know you are jealous.
I welcome all comment/input, especially on the topic of pulling the rig with my 1996 Chevy Blazer 4WD 4.3l V6 w/ tow pkg rated 5000lbs tow and 9500 GCVW, 136K miles. I will meet the limits of the ratings, but have little to no margin. My plan is to see how it goes and upgrade the tow vehicle if needed along the way. Comments?
Osrob What you see is what you get... I aim to see a lot!
Osrob What you see is what you get... I aim to see a lot!
My trailer has a 'dry' weight of #3800, but it's more like #5000 total as it runs down the road. I tow it with an F150 with the 5.4 in it... I don't have any issues at all with it, but your Blazer is shorter and narrower and has a lot less power... I could see you getting down the road in a pinch, but I don't think you'll have any enjoyment towing with that combo.. I know I wouldn't...
I used to pull a 21' Roo with a 2000 Chevy S-10 4.3 V6. It had a tow rating of 5400lbs. I put a HD transmission cooler on it. The Roo weighed about 4000 lbs. fully loaded. The S-10 would pull it ok on flat ground. Any hint at all of a hill or any wind at all and it did not do well at all!!! I would highly recommend against it, especially going across country as you plan to do. I know it isn't what you wanted to hear, but I thought you should hear of a similar situation.
pmfinnegan2
1998 Dodge Ram 1500 Sport
318 5.2L V-8, 3.92 Rear end
HD Transmission Cooler
2006 Max-Lite 24RS
Equalizer Hitch, Prodigy Brake Controller
Wife, 6 year old Daughter, and 2 year old son
hmmmmm. will it pull it? Well yeah, but will it be a comfortable pull. Hmmmmm, not so much! I use to have a Blazer, It has great power, but any hill with that weight is gonna be a strain. But what I would be most concerned with is the Blazers wheel base is short as Mitch posted. In my opinion the trailer will be more in control than the Blazer. Not a way I want to travel. I pulled a U-haul trailer with my blazer, it wasn't fun. But the one thing only you can answer is can your Blazer with that many miles on it, take the wear and tear of pulling a travel trailer that is pushing the tow weight not even loaded with your stuff? Bella
Sounds like you will go way over on Blazer GVWR and possibly on GCWR. Semper Fi has the right idea. If you know your values you can make a smart choice. If you can't get weights go with 80% of tow rating just to get in the ballpark. That's what I did and I just make it on my truck GVWR when I'm ready to go. I'm well under GCWR, but if I had a trailer that hits maximum towable rating I'd end up over my truck GVWR with what I bring. I'd get a short & light trailer to keep from spoiling your Blazer. Also if the trailer length is shorter you will have less likelyhood of the tail wagging the dog. Good luck, keep us posted on your decision!
05 F150 FX4 Supercrew, 5.4, 3.73 LS, Jordan Ultima 2020 Brake Controller,
04 TrailCruiser 30QBSS, Battery Disconnect,
Dual Cam HP, Ultra Fab Power Tongue Jack, Bal Lockarm Stabilizers
tt is the similar, tv is a 6cyl ford. in the mid east it tows like nothing but I have had just the tv in the mountains and would not even think of towing with this rig, it was working with just the van I would think twice about being close to the limit in the west
I had a 99 GMC Jimmy that I bought new. I think its tow rating was actually 5500 or 6000 lbs. We towed a 2500 lb starcraft pop-up with no problems. 3 years ago we bought a 21' Surveyor TT which had a dry weight of 3300 lbs, and was about 4300 lbs loaded. I had a transmission cooler installed on the Jimmy. We went camping with it once just out of town (about 200 miles) and it struggled in even moderate hills, and would run close to overheating. We sold it the next week. I kept that jimmy in great shape and was really surprised with its poor performance. I think you may have a new TV in your future.
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