Good morning everyone.
I placed this also under Pop up section in hopes that I could get some answers today. Thanks for reading this post.
We have a 1999 S10 V6 Chevy Blazer with 160,000 miles on it that can pull that can pull 5000 lbs.
We have used this vehicle for the last 4 years to pull our 1998 Grandview SP. Last week we decided to stop at the weight station and truly get a accurate weight of our trailer with everything we leave in it, except food, water and clothing, we also had a new roof placed on.
The sticker says 2295 dry weight, but it actually weighted 3300 lbs!
This was a big surprise for us, our vehicle weights only 4300 lbs.
So we are at a delima right now, we are thinking of purchasing a 2002 Ford Econline 150 van, V8 4.6L engine with 49,000 miles to replace the Blazer, mostly becuase of the weight issue and we also feel that our popup is to heavy to pull with a vehicle that only weights 1000 lbs more, and also the mileage and strain on the transmission.
Are we over reacting? Is is a good rule of thumb to have a vehicle that is half the weight of your towing equipment? The van can pull 6000 lbs. We feel that the van and people we have in it will be safer and much less strain.
We just feel that we may be overweight with towing/and the kids in the back seat and need some advice. We will be making our decision on the vehicle later today.
Thanks in advance,
Mary & Terry
* This post was
edited 02/26/08 06:20am by TMapplegate *
[red][/red][red]Terry:D Mary:B, Chris:C and Nick:p, Indy and Daytona
We may not have much.... But together we have it all.....
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As far as the vehicle being 2x what the trailer weighs.... thats not going to happen very often. Maybe with a pup, but thats about it. Semis do it all day long and the load is about 2-3 times or better of what the tractor is. I personally don't like the 4.6. I think it is fine in a car (Mustang) but it is under powered in the F series trucks and vans. Don't forget, there is more weight to the van and the motor is in proportion to the weight. Once you throw a few thousand pounds behind it I think you will be disappointed.
How does the blazer tow now? Do you feel that the pup is controlling the truck? You have virtually no frontal area to deal with.
The dry weight is with nothing in the pup. If you have supplies in the pup then you must take them out to get your true "dry" weight. I personally wouldn't worry about dry weight.... I would worry more about loaded weight.
What is the tongue weight of the pup? You might benefit from a WD hitch and sway control. You might be overpowering the suspension giving you a poor towing experience.
What is the maintenance history of the vehicle. I personally don't worry about mileage if I know the vehicle is maintained properly. I traded an Expedition with 198,000 on it and it was perfect. No problems, no issues, and I would not hesitate to go anywhere with it.
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My $.02 worth here...if I had been towing with a vehicle for 4 years and felt comfortable with the vehicle and the way it drove I would be inclined to keep on until the tow vehicle gave up the ghost. That having been said, I agree with the above post that the 4.6 is pretty weak. I have a 5.4, it pulls 7500# pretty well, but it does love gas. I would still opt for the bigger engine.
You got a good heapin' helpin' of REALITY, but luckily, you're still well within your limits.
It's not uncommon for a trailer to weigh way more than its advertised dry weight, because the dry weight is for the bare trailer with no options. Add in your stuff, and 1000lbs is easy to do on a trailer that size. As long as you aren't exceeding the trailer's GVWR, you're fine.
As others have said, people commonly tow trailers that weigh many times as much as the tow vehicle every day. Every 18-wheeler on the road, for example. Those big super-deluxe 5th wheel travel trailers weigh as much as 2 times the pickup truck pulling it. My trailer loaded up weighs about the same as my truck.
Either way you decide, you will be perfectly fine. I wouldn't worry about the 4.6L engine in the van, because you're towing a popup, and most of the strain is caused by wind resistance. A popup behind a full size van will produce almost no wind resistance.
Wind resistance can really hurt, as I found out recently. Towing a 900lb flatbed trailer into a stiff headwind with the steel mesh ramp up, I got WORSE gas mileage and had a harder time towing than I usually do with a 4000lb enclosed utility trailer.
I think you may be over reacting. If it were truely dangerous to have the trailer weigh more than the TV then you would never see any vehicle with a tow rating more than the dry weight of the vehicle itself. Since you stated that your tow rating is 5000# and your loaded weight of your trailer is 3500# you shouldn't have anything to worry about as long as you're properly setup for towing. Maybe a WD hitch and make sure that 12-15% of the trailer tongue weight is on the ball of the trailer and that goes a very long way to help with the "tail wagging the dog" scenario.
The other thing to consider is the wheelbase of your TV. If you feel that it's too short for the trailer then a new TV may be in order. In your particular case I wouldn't base it on the weight of the trailer since you're well under you limit.
I don't think there's a magic bullet out there that says the trailer has to weigh less than the tow vehicle. Mine often weighs more or at least equal. Before I got the TC, the trailer would weigh about 2500 lbs more. If you do go to another vehicle, I wouldn't do it based just on that. If you go to a van, just don't forget that they weigh a lot more than a little SUV so you do need to get the right axle ratio and at least the 5.4 engine. the little engine is for people who just go get groceries once in while, not those who actually use the van for anything.
Brian
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