I took all of the advice I got from this board and found a travel trailer that is within the specs that everyone recommended: under 5K dry weight and 26ft box length.
Looking for any final thoughts on whether this would be a good match and also whether a Hensley would be worth the $$. (might have to do a seperate post on this) If I did buy a Hensley (novice to towing, so I just know they are great) could I use the same one forever or do they change with the tow vehicle/trailer?
Here is the specs on the two:
2010 4WD Tahoe with heavy duty towing package
GVWR: 7300
Payload, base 1741
Trailer towing maximum 8200
This is going to be very close to maxing you out...if not over.
You are looking at about 900 lbs of tongue weight or even more..That gives you only about 800-900 lbs of payload left in your Tahoe.
Since this is a bunk house model, I am going to assume that you have kids and more than 2 passengers in the Tahoe..
Kids, and lots of extra gear and weight..
Also, 30 footer and short wheel base Tahoe.
Like I said...doable but - very close. Having towed with an Expedition...too close for me...very poor performance.
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The length I listed was ball to bumper, does that make a difference? What about a Hensley? I'm fine with buying more stuff to add to the mix like an expensive hitch, etc. I just can't store another vehicle just for towing.
So frustrating if I still can't tow this. I looked for weeks to find a model that would fit the specs I was given here: 26ft box and under 5000 dry weight and if that still doesn't work I may just give up. This whole process has been so difficult. I read about how these ultralights are towable by SUVs, I feel like I have an SUV on the larger size and then feel like I still can't tow anything large enough to make it worth the purchase in my mind.
Sorry for the vent, I do appreciate the help. But I've just about given up on this process. Camping is starting to feel like it is not worth all this aggravation. This is the largest tow vehicle we can get and I really don't want to buy a small trailer where I'm making up beds all the time. I did that when I was younger and my mom was miserable, always making and unmaking beds.
The dealerships tell me I can tow this and more, but then I come here and feel like I should just buy a pop up. I'm not looking to pull it through the rocky mountains, mainly just Wisconsin/Michigan.
I think you will be ok with the trailer you are considering. A Hensley hitch will make for a very stable and pleasant towing experience. If you were to change trucks or trailer in the future, you would still use the same hitch. The only thing that may or may not need changing would be the stinger depending on the receiver or coupler height of the new vehicles.
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook Titan 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch
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All I can say is take your time and look for something that Tahoe can safely tow. I know its frustrating, I went through the same thing. I also have a 2010 Tahoe with the z85 towing package and I would not tow that trailer with the Tahoe. I ended up trading in my silverado 1500 for a bigger pickup to tow my camper cause my RV dealer said the same thing about a trailer i picked out and let me drive home 9hrs oneway putting my wifes life and mine in danger just to make a sale.
that TV Has a GCVWR Of 14000 lbs. On a Scale with me and a passenger my Tahoe weight's in at 6240 lbs. with a full tank of gas..
Leaving you 7760 lbs. for a travel trailer at the max limit of your Tahoe. Also the GVWR leaves you with around 1010 lbs of pay load.. Thats real world numbers not some sticker or manual. Also that 5.3L is gonna only get you around 5-6 MPG with that trailer your looking at.
with only 1010lbs of payload left any trailer you pick with the same hitch weight your looking at is going to max out the payload very quickly..
Do yourself and family a favor... pick another trailer or trade that Tahoe in...
I recommend looking at some Hybrids they give you lots of room and don't have to worry about making beds or picking up
Look at a Jayco X18D Or A Jayco X23F
Don't give up on your search ..
Look through this post and you'll see my set up and how dangerous it was
PAyload is your problem, and I doubt it is 1741 pounds. Open your driver's door and locate this sticker and note what your lists for my 2051:
Tahoe, short wheelbase, family of 4 or 5 might be hard to load up much cargo weight. Let's say closer to 1500 pounds of payload, 600 for family and stuff, 800 pound tongue weight. Good enough.
With 540 pounds dry weight, you might get to 850 pounds, but that's 60 pound propane tanks full, dual golf cart batteries, and a lot of heavy stuff in the front outside storage. Go for it and enjoy RVing!
A & A parents of DD 2005, DS1 2007, DS2 2009 2011 Suburban 2500 6.0L 3.73 pulling 2011 Heartland North Trail 28BRS 2012 VW Passat TDI
comments in red using your info and more comments below the quote
you have 'most' of the info necessary, but need the 'actual' weights
by axle of the Tahoe
Ditto on the 'P' class tires (passenger) and especially for such
a looooooooooong trailer for such a short wheel base TV. Next higher
class tire is 'LT', but it is a system and the wheels must be able to
support the next higher class tire's pressure
Ditto the recommendation for a higher or different type of WD Hitch
system. The HA projects the pivot point to effectively change the
behavior of the trailer (reduces the moments...lever arm...on the TV's
tail)
ellen109 wrote: I took all of the advice I got from this board and found a travel trailer that is within the specs that everyone recommended: under 5K dry weight and 26ft box length.
Looking for any final thoughts on whether this would be a good match and also whether a Hensley would be worth the $$. (might have to do a seperate post on this) If I did buy a Hensley (novice to towing, so I just know they are great) could I use the same one forever or do they change with the tow vehicle/trailer?
Here is the specs on the two:
2010 4WD Tahoe with heavy duty towing package
GVWR: 7300
Payload, base 1741
Trailer towing maximum 8200 7,300 GVWR - 1741 Payload = 5,559, this is your 'curb' weight of the Tahoe
5,559 Curb + 8,200 MTWR = 13,759, this is your GCWR
Of course, these are my generalizations based on how I think most all
OEMs derive their ratings
Best to go out and weigh your Tahoe loaded up to what you would normally
pack, ready to go camping. That will then give you the actual weight
of the Tahoe to plug into the below diagram to figure out what your
actual MTWR (max tow weight rating is)
Keystone Passport 2650BH
Shipping Weight 4876
Carrying Capacity 2324
Hitch 540
Length 29' 4 Wow!?!...good you have the 4 door Tahoe, there was a 2 door Tahoe in past years, which has an even shorter wheelbase
Width 8'
Height 10' 7 Need the GVWR and it should be 4,876 Dry + 2,324 Carry Capacity = 7,200 GVWR
Once you weigh your Tahoe, then plug in to this diagram to do the
simple math. There are other ratings to consider and why you need/should
weigh it axle by axle. F/R GAWR will become issues, mainly the rear
GAWR of most any 'half ton' class TV
Not done yet, then you need to know HOW2 setup correctly. A 4x4 will
have a better chance, but then with that 4x4, it weighs more than a 2WD
version, which reduces the real MTWR
Does your Tahoe have auto-ride? Meaning auto ride height and the air
springs
-Ben Picture of my rig
1996 GMC SLT Suburban 3/4 ton K3500/7.4L/4:1/+150Kmiles orig owner...
1980 Chevy Silverado C10/long bed/"BUILT" 5.7L/3:73/1 ton helper springs/+329Kmiles, bought it from dad...
1998 Mazda B2500 (1/2 ton) pickup, 2nd owner...
Praise Dyno Brake equiped and all have "nose bleed" braking!
Previous trucks/offroaders: 40's Jeep restored in mid 60's / 69 DuneBuggy (approx +1K lb: VW pan/200hpCorvair: eng, cam, dual carb'w velocity stacks'n 18" runners, 4spd transaxle) made myself from ground up / 1970 Toyota FJ40 / 1973 K5 Blazer (2dr Tahoe, 1 ton axles front/rear, +255K miles when sold it)...
Sold the boat (looking for another): Trophy with twin 150's...
51 cylinders in household, what's yours?...
It tows great - no sway (and no anti-sway gadget). Good acceleration and 9 to 10 mpg at 60 to 65 mph. I expect to get flamed by the weight police for saying this, but the way I look at the numbers you're in pretty good shape. You've got a little more weight, and a little more capacity to handle it.
Your at your maximum capability for that combination but your good to go. Pulled a 6,000# TT with a '05 Tahoe for years no problem. Your Tahoe is higher rated with a 6 speed transmission versus the 4 speed on the '05.
Your not going to win any uphill races with that 5.3l but it pulls great at rpms >3,000. Put over 50,000 miles towing with that '05 and no issues at all with the engine or transmission. That Tahoe is still on the road running like new with over 140,000 miles on it. Great SUV
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