I tow a C21RBH with a 2002 Toyota Highlander V-6. The trailer weight is over the stated towing capacity, but I'm within GCWR and both GAWR. Get passed by the 1-tons all the time, but have towed nearly 2,000 miles with no problems. Head winds make me slow down to 55 mph, steep grades are OK but speed drops unless I'm willing to "punch it", which I'm not. Towed in caravans with full size SUV's and kept up with them fine. They were all surprised how well the TV did, considering the strong crosswinds that day. I have a carefully set up WDH, sway control, brake controller, tranny cooler, etc. (Guess the question is - who's safer - my level set-up or the idiot with the Tahoe that's scraping its rear bumper pulling a 30 footer but it's within tow weight rating).
If possible, get your WDH and sway (you will need it anyway), and arrange for a test tow (proper set up is paramount - read all the instructions and insist that the dealer follows them). I found that at lower speeds, towing the hybrid is not much different than the heavy pop-up we had. At higher speeds it's a whole different game though. The trailer itself makes the biggest difference however. A properly designed trailer, with lower center of gravity, decent suspension (torsion instead of springs) and proper toungue weight is what you must focus on. Some of the trailers you mention are also narrower, which is an addedd benefit as well. Also, I recently saw a line called the X-Finder which looks very interesting for folks looking for small campers.
Dennis
2008 Trail Cruiser C21RBH
2002 Toyota Highlander
And one more thing, make sure your hitch receiver is rated for WDH, as some are not. Try to get a receiver rated for more than you plan to tow. The highest rated receiver I found for the Equinox on etrailer.com was 4,000 lbs with weight dist. The other receivers listed were rated for 3,500 lbs are NOT rated for WDH.
Thanks for the advice. We have solved our TV problem. On our weekend trip to look at TT we, on a whim, stopped by our chevy dealer. We traded in our 6 mo. old 2008 Equinox. They gave us $500.00 over High blue book for our Trade. Took $5000.00 off of our New Trail Blazer. In all we ended up saving $800.00. In other words we paid $800.00 less than we paid for the Equinox. We now have a TC of 5400 lbs. We are still looking for the same size trailer but now feel safe about towing it.
So in addition to the tow package that came with the Trail Blazer, I need to purchase - Electronic braking system, WDH, Sway bar, and a hitch reciever that is rated for the wieght of my trailer? I heard yesterday that buying air shock or air bags is good or neccessary to tow the trailer level? Am I actually gonna have any money left to buy the TT? LOL
So in addition to the tow package that came with the Trail Blazer, I need to purchase - Electronic braking system, WDH, Sway bar, and a hitch reciever that is rated for the wieght of my trailer? I heard yesterday that buying air shock or air bags is good or neccessary to tow the trailer level? Am I actually gonna have any money left to buy the TT? LOL
does the new TV have a towing package? you'll need a brake controller either way.
if not, it'll cost you some to upgrade it. you'll not only need a hitch receiver but you'll need a aux. trans cooler installed. that's what normally comes with a factory tow package along with 7-pin plug. you may have to have it wired for the 7-pin setup. a good WDH, like the Equalizer or Reese Dual Cam has built-in sway control. so you don't need a separate sway bar.
forget air shocks/bags. with the WDH, you shouldn't need them, especially on a new vehicle.
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
We had a 2003 Envoy, so from what I know, you should be pretty good to go. The hitch was standard, along with the 7 pin plug. You might have to put a fuse in under the hood to make the 12v feed live. We only towed a small pup with the 4-pin, so we never needed that. Our Envoy also had a transmission cooler as standard equipment. I'm not sure if they are still included, so check that out. As mentioned above, air shocks or bags should not be needed, but a good WD/sway control hitch will be. We also didn't need the brake controller, but that should be a plug & play with the right cable.
Me~Jim, 44
DW~Patty, no comment
DS~Dave,19
DD~Megan,17
DD~Emily,11
200lb. English Mastiff~Gulliver,8
2005 Expedition Eddie Bauer
2002 Palomino Stampede 235 SL
A RV mechanic told me he could put an equalizer and a P3 BC on but I didn't need it for the wieght I'm towing. He said the Equalizer was over kill and the P3 was way way more BC than I need. He said the P3 is so sophisticated that I'd have to tune it way down and even then I'd be smokin' the brakes and tires.
Chevy Trail Blazer TC-5400lbs. Trailer under 4500 GVWR.
AZcamper69 wrote: A RV mechanic told me he could put an equalizer and a P3 BC on but I didn't need it for the wieght I'm towing. He said the Equalizer was over kill and the P3 was way way more BC than I need. He said the P3 is so sophisticated that I'd have to tune it way down and even then I'd be smokin' the brakes and tires.
Chevy Trail Blazer TC-5400lbs. Trailer under 4500 GVWR.
check your owner's manual towing section. i'll bet that it recommends a WDH for the weight you are towing.
a Prodigy is available for under $100 and it's idiot-proof. i don't know much about the P3 but the Prodigy is simple to use and adjust.
You went thru the trouble of changing vehicles. Why skimp on the weight dristributing hitch and brake controller? It's not overkill regardless of what that mechanic says. The Trail Blazer has a very soft suspension and will squat even with a modest tongue weight. The WDH (Equalizer or another god brand) will help balance the TV and improve handling and safety.
BTW - plan on spending a LOT of money outfitting your new trailer (think of all things you need/want - It's like outfitting a small apartment - TV, pots, pans, kitchen tools, cutlery, silverware, plates, bowls, linens, tool box, wheel chocks, bike rack, grill, lights, chairs, tables, hoses, extension cables, fuses, elec adapters, etc, etc, etc)
I emailed the company that makes the equalizer, presented my wieghts, this is their response:
It really depends on your performance. If you’re noticing when you tow that you have a good amount of squat (more than an inch) on your rear axle, or if you notice that you have some sway, you’d definitely benefit from our hitch. Another thing to consider is the tongue weight you’re working with. If your tongue weight doesn’t exceed the ratings of your hitch and you have no other performance concerns, you wouldn’t really need our hitch. If your tongue weight alone was too much for your receiver to handle, but under the limits of the weight distribution rating of your receiver, you would definitely benefit from our hitch.
That being said, if your tongue weight doesn’t exceed 600 lbs loaded, you can use our 6,000/600 hitch. If it does, you’ll want to go with our 10,000/1,000 hitch.
I think I will be putting the 6,000/600 hitch on for safetys sake. I've been on many of the roads that I'll be towing on(car, truck and Harley) and they can get pretty crazy with High crosswinds, curves and steep grades.
Offline
, 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
Air shocks or air bags will not help your towing one bit and will disguise problems. A weight distribution hitch is all you need.
