Canada get some variations of the US models. They have many different models than we have here. I would suggest, as another has posted, to sit in any unit and see how it will work for you. When considering anything I would be very concerned about weight. The less it weighs the easier it will be to tow. Look closely at construction. Staples get used a lot but I like to see some screws occasionally. Look at the drawers and cabinets on the inside to see the construction.
We like your town. We go through there almost every year on our way to Pembroke. This year we are planning on the Stratford Festivel on the way up.
2003 Newmar Mountain Aire, Workhorse W22, 2008 Saturn Vue, Falcon 5250, & US Gear Unified Tow Brake
did a Google search and there is a GMC Sierra Nevada edition available in Canada.
seems to be a cosmetic/suspension package, so it appears to still have the 4spd. tranny. no info on which rear end but if it's a 4x4, it would have a tow capacity of 5500lbs.
no Chevy version that i could find.
Dan- Firefighter, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever, 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
Yes the max trailer tow weight is 5500lbs. The GVWR of 7000lbs is the gross vehicle weight or the most your vehicle can safely weigh. You can find your available payload by weighing your truck w/ family and all contents and then subtracting that from the GVWR. (A sticker in your drivers side door will probably have a payload but that doesn't include fuel, passengers, luggage etc). The GCWR is the gross combined weight rating or weight of truck + trailer all fully loaded. The tongue weight is usually 13-15% of the trailer weight. Your best bet when shopping is to look at the GVWR of a trailer and look at 15% of that to know what the max tongue weight would be. You can subtract the tongue weight from your payload also.
Here is a quote of mine from a recent thread on this very issue:
anaro wrote: Since you aren't getting that one. Here are a few suggestions to help you in your search. Check the payload sticker on your truck door. Remember payload includes anything you put in or on your truck. This includes passenger, gear, pets and tongue weight. THe payload will get you everytime. It got me. I had a TV that was rated to tow 9100 lbs. I saw a rated hitch capacity of 910 lbs. I bought a TT w/ a 7700 lbs GVW and an 810 lb TW. What I failed to understand was my available payload was only about 800 lbs and that the hitch weight would increase with anything you put in the TT in front of the wheels. Also the dry hitch weight did not include propane, and battery, not to mention the actual WDH itself (probably about another 70lbs). Being over on these weights gave me horrible handling (this truck towed lighter smaller trailers no problem). I was white knuckling it, fighting to keep it on the road and dreading being passed by even a small car. I made it 1 year before upgrading from an Armada to an F250 diesel. What a difference a correct match makes. I don't care about cars or trucks passing me (actually now I pass some of them)
Really the best thing to do, is to look at the GVWR of a TT and see if it fits in your rated tow capacity. Then look at 15% of that GVWR and see if it's still in your payload and hitch capacities. This allows for a worst case scenario of the trailer at max weight w/ a max TW of 15% (optimal tongue weight is 13-15% of TT weight). A prime example of all of this would be the F250 I just bought. It is rated to tow up to 12,500 lbs and has a class 5 hitch w/ an acceptable hitch weight of 1250 lbs w/ WDH. The limiting factor on this truck is a small payload of 1876 lbs (I have a long bed, crew cab 4x4 all taking away from having a higher starting payload). From that 1876 lb payload we need to subtract about 600lbs for our family, dog and gear we put into our truck (bikes etc). This leaves an available payload of 1276 lbs. This would mean an 8500 lb loaded trailer would be the max we could actually tow because a 15% tongue weight of 8500 lbs is 1275 lbs. That said, having towed at max capacity of a vehicle, I would not want to do it again. I hope this helps you understand how to find a better match for your tacoma.
I don't think a TT is an impossibility for you, I think you just need to find the right one.
There are probably more out there but this is a start. The other not so economically friendly version is to trade your truck in on a goo used heavy duty truck and then get the trailer you really want. Good luck.
The reality is the truck is here for a while so I will spend the time looking at all the combo's I can find. Toronto RV show in early March will give me a chance to look at them in person and see. Lucky for me I really am not in a hurry so I can look.
Worst case another year of the popup and save the money.
I like a lot of the roo's hybrids are nice the 183 has 3 beds which would eliminate the need for bunks.
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, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur
, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever
, 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
