Have been lurkling here for about 6 months trying to learn more. You guys and gals are awesome!
Never thought I'd actually post, but here goes....
MY wife and I have tent camped many/numerous times. We now have 4 boys (triplets plus 1) and want to camp in a trailer. Tent camping is not cutting it anymore, especially in Texas with no A/C.
Questions: Our current vehicles are 1/2 2004 suburban 5.3L, 3.42 rear end (I think) and second vehicle is a 1998 1/2 ton Chevy truck, 5.3L, also with the light rear end. No towing package on either.
We are looking at the following 3 models and would VERY GREATLY appreciate any comments and help as to 1) Can we safely tow this? and 2) any comments on these models for a family with 4 boys under the age of 8?
Jayco Jayfeather Exp model 23B: 23' 7" long and 4060 UVW; 4950 GVWR
Jayco Jayfeather Exp model 254: 26' 9" long and 4520 UVW; 5900 GVWR
Jayco Jayfeather EXP model 29A: 30'11" long and 5345 UVW; 6500 GVWR
We are excited but don't want to get more TV that is appropriate and don't want to get ourselves in trouble. the truck is 10 years old and we may be looking at getting a differet vehicle.
Thanks in advance for your time and help,
Thanks!!!!
Joe, Melissa and the 4 boys
I have heard that you can't have too much Tow Vehicle! I would also go with the 'Burb, as it will give you room for seating the boys. You didn't mention if the P/U had extra seating?
The over-all weight of the 'Burb will also give you a better feeling of stability with the larger trailers.
JMHO
DH Bill / DW Claudia / DD Jenn / DS Chris The Paps! Sophie, Abby, Brandy, Kahlie and Annie
2000 Winnebago "Minnie" 31C, Ford V-10
Purchased April Fools Day, 2008 The Pets
Having owned a 23B while living in Texas, I can tell you that AC in a hybrid is far from perfect. There's just too much heat coming in the tent ends to make the AC efficient in the direct sun. Unless we were parked in a shady spot, we had to fold up the bunk ends during the day to cool down the interior to a comfortable level. Once the sun went down, we were OK. Not trying to discourage you, since otherwise we liked our hybrid fine--just be aware.
Have been lurkling here for about 6 months trying to learn more. You guys and gals are awesome!
Never thought I'd actually post, but here goes....
MY wife and I have tent camped many/numerous times. We now have 4 boys (triplets plus 1) and want to camp in a trailer. Tent camping is not cutting it anymore, especially in Texas with no A/C.
Questions: Our current vehicles are 1/2 2004 suburban 5.3L, 3.42 rear end (I think) and second vehicle is a 1998 1/2 ton Chevy truck, 5.3L, also with the light rear end. No towing package on either.
We are looking at the following 3 models and would VERY GREATLY appreciate any comments and help as to 1) Can we safely tow this? and 2) any comments on these models for a family with 4 boys under the age of 8?
Jayco Jayfeather Exp model 23B: 23' 7" long and 4060 UVW; 4950 GVWR
Jayco Jayfeather Exp model 254: 26' 9" long and 4520 UVW; 5900 GVWR
Jayco Jayfeather EXP model 29A: 30'11" long and 5345 UVW; 6500 GVWR
We are excited but don't want to get more TV that is appropriate and don't want to get ourselves in trouble. the truck is 10 years old and we may be looking at getting a differet vehicle.
Thanks in advance for your time and help,
Thanks!!!!
Joe, Melissa and the 4 boys
Joe,
First off WELCOME to posting on the Open Road Forums!!!
One thing that stuck out at me I highligted in red...Too many folks do what I did too...buy a TT based on the CURRENT TV and then end up upgrading the TV only to WISH they had gone with their 'real' favorite TT...if you know what I mean...
If you are serious about getting a new vehicle...I'd highly recommend doing that FIRST.
BUT before you even do that...how do you decipher all this tow rating stuff?...
Well the easiest way I can explain it is to do one small exercise.
Load up the TV as you would for camping. People, fuel, gear, games, food, firewood, EVERYTHING you would normally carry inside the TV...now go to a CAT scale and get weighed. You want individual front and rear axle weights.
With this simple weight you can tell how far you are as you sit BEFORE you add tongue load. Look on the drivers door or door jamb for a sticker that shows a couple of weights.
GVWR - this is the most your truck can weigh with all passengers, gear, AND tongue weight applied.
GAWR (front and rear) - This is the most your axle is rated to carry with the springs from the factory.
With your ACTUAL scale weight you now know a lot more than before. Compare your total weight from the scale against the GVWR...how much room is left before exceeding the GVWR?
Remember TONGUE load...well on a ball pulled trailer you need 10-15% of the LOADED weight to appear as tongue load for 'natural' anti-sway characteristics. Too little tongue load and your TT will be prone to sway. Too much is not a bad thing other than you may overload your axles, tires, receiver or GVWR...so a balance is needed.
A good number to shoot for is 12-13% as a starting point in your quest for a stable and optimal tongue load.
Let's look at your TT's of choice...they range from a GVWR of 4950 - 6500.
That means on the lightest unit you would have 495 - 743#'s as tongue
On the heaviest you would have 650 - 975#'s
I figured 10-15% as the range above.
Of that weight for this exercise let's assume ALL of it will appear on your rear axle even though a small percentage will be 'shifted' rear ward to the TT axles...
So...again taking your scaled weight ticket...add the tongue load first to your total Burb weight and see if you are still below GVWR.
Next take the tongue load and add it to your REAR axle weight...are you still below GAWR-RR?
Next...take a look at your receiver rating in WD mode...can it carry the projected tongue load in WD mode?
Lastly...take the TT GVWR and add it to your Burb weight...does this total fall below the Burb GCWR?
"max" tow rating...I'm not sure what yours is on your Burb...but if you can find it that would help...BUT (big but)...know that the 'max' is a rating for a STRIPPED DOWN vehicle...each pound over STRIPPED reduces the 'max'.
How do you figure what your 'real' tow rating is based on YOUR loaded Burb?...well on that door sticker you may find a PAYLOAD listed...if it is there...simply subtract the payload from the GVWR on the door sticker and that will be your curb or STRIPPED weight.
Once you know your STRIPPED or curb weight...that is what your 'max' is based on...simply take your scaled weight and subtract the curb weight from it...the delta (minus 150#'s for the 'allowable' driver) is how much you must REDUCE your listed 'max' tow rating by.
An example with made up numbers:
Curb weight is 5800#'s
Scaled weight is 6950#'s
"Max" tow rating is 7000#'s
Scaled - Curb (-150) = 6950-5800 - 150 = 1000
Real tow rating = "Max" - 1000 = 7000 - 1000 = 6000#'s
There is one thing for sure that I can tell you...the CLOSER you come to ANY of your ratings the more performance will be impacted.
Balancing ALL OF the ratings is the point...you simply can't pick one that you like or are under...and you will almost certainly bust your trucks GVWR ahead of any other rating. In fact in extreme cases one could bust GVWR with a LARGE family and have no room for tongue load...
I hope my long post helps to understand the ratings...I know I didn't ansewr your direct question about 'which' TT would work...I simply picked up on the fact that you were 'thinking' about a new TV...if you are...again...I'd highly recommend getting that FIRST but know the ratings before you buy...many 1/2 ton SUV's (I owned one for 2.5 months before trading due to undersized) simply lack PAYLOAD capacity...
For a growing family of 6...your choices are really limited...I know the 'stigma' of a full-sized van is hard for some to swallow...but a good used 3/4 ton V10 van is hard to beat to move people AND trailer. The payload of these 3/4 ton vans is hard to beat...comfort and safety while towing with a large family today is getting harder and harder to do withOUT a full-size van.
The new 3/4 ton burbs only come with a 6.0L V8 and Ford stopped making the Excursion...but there are great deals to be found on used Ex's right now...which if you are dead set on an SUV...is about the only one IMO...well okay a 3/4 ton Burb with an 8.1L is a close second...but you will find fewer 8.1L burbs out there on the market...Ford's marketing to soccer mom's won out with largest of large SUV's out there...plus the 1/2 ton burbs were there to counter the 3/4 ton Burb market I suspect for those soccer moms...
The above is good advice and needs to be followed. The 3:42 in the Burb is going to be the killer on you. Make sure you look up the proper numbers for your vehicles configuration and go from there.
NCH
2000 Ford F350 4X4 PSD,CC, DRW
4:10's, BTM Muffler, Isspro Gauges,
Coolant Filter,CCV Mod
FTVB , Ford AIS
6.0 Cooler,SCT2 W/DP's 40 tow & 80 econo,Zoodad mod
2005 Keystone Hornet 30BHSS
Reese Dual Cam
Family of 4 saved by Grace!!! MY TRUCK OUR TRAILER
I tow a 30' Jayco (5200# UVW, 7600# GVWR) with a 2003 1/2 ton Suburban. I have a Reese WD hitch and a crappy POD brake controller. I haven't hooked up the friction sway control arm yet because it's rusted in the tight position. The Suburban still has "P" rated tires on it. It does have the tow package/trans cooler installed on it. 5.3l engine with 3.73 gears.
I've been on some windy days and trucks passing me and me passing trucks. I do have to correct for some sway and only once have been pushed out of the lines of my lane. Both hands must remain on the wheel on really windy days and I'll drive a few MPH slower. I know I'm at the limit for my vehicle and as items come up for replacement I'll upgrade to better equipment.
As the trans heats up I can definitely feel it shift differently. At the beginning of the trip it will shift more often, once on the road for 20 minutes it will stay in lower gears much longer. Going up small grades here in the Midwest it will downshift into 2nd gear to maintain 60mph. If you plan on going into the mountains regularly, you need a bigger engine than the 5.3l. This is not the perfect tow vehicle for this, but for the small trips and willingness to drive slower that I have, it works. I have a pic of my rig in my first post if you want to get a visual.
Based on your selection, make sure you have the transmission cooler. If you don't, have it installed or get a new TV. They are just a couple of lines that connect to your existing radiator. I would not pull any of those trailers with either of your current vehicles without a transmission cooler.
I am pretty partial to the Jayco brand. Borrowed my parents pop-up for two years and just bought the 99 Jayco 304 BH this spring. The only build quality issues I am having to deal with on this age trailer are the queen bed frame was cracked (probably from too much weight on it) and a small leak in plumbing under the sink. Everything else is expected maintenance issues such as re-caulking due to age. But it hasn't leaked yet.
I think that the TT's you have mentioned will work well with your 'Burb. Make sure you get a good reciever and brake controller added to your vehicle to make it perform it's best. Good luck!
2006 Hornet 28BHDS-Bunk House, Dual Slides
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 HD
5.7L Hemi, Factory Towing Package
Reese Brake Controller, WD Hitch and Sway Bar
Offline
I would also go with the 'Burb, as it will give you room for seating the boys. You didn't mention if the P/U had extra seating?
).jpg)
Online
