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Post by Suburban Fam on May 6, 2019 22:23:29 GMT -5
We are looking for a trailer for our family of 6 (4 youngins) and currently looking at the 23BHKSE (https://www.kz-rv.com/products/connect-se-travel-trailers/C231BHKSE.html). Would be towing with a ‘15 suburban 4wd LTZ without the tow package unfortunately. Would plan to add a wdh and trailer brake system. Tow rating is 6000 and trailer uvw: 5295. Would plan to tow dry. I know payload is also a major factor also. GCWR is 12000. Curb weight is 5775. Max tongue weight 1000.
Is this doable? I know we are close to the max. Let me know what you guys think.
Thanks in advance
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Post by Suburban Fam on May 6, 2019 23:08:58 GMT -5
Forgot to add the engine is a 5.3L V8 with 3.08 axle ratio.
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Post by johnr on May 7, 2019 6:56:05 GMT -5
To me, your vehicle isn't enough to tow that camper. Add two adults and four children to the vehicle, you're creeping close to 12,000. That's without adding all of your camping supplies on top of it. I think you'll be overloaded. Every chair, every pot, every plate adds weight, and you can get 700 pounds without much effort at all.
Now you'll hook this up and pull that trailer around the block and say to yourself that it does just fine, and it probably will pull just fine. The overloaded safety factor comes into play when controlling the trailer. Stopping that 6 ton combination in an emergency situation will be nearly impossible to do. Your vehicle doesn't have the weight or brakes beefy enough to do the job. High lateral winds could also cause you to lose control.
If it were me, I'd want a better tow vehicle just to protect the family.
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Post by jlo415 on May 7, 2019 7:56:47 GMT -5
I had a 2014 F150, 4x4 SuperCrew, 145" WB, 5.0 liter, 3.55 rear, 6 speed automatic w/tow mod. (I am also using an Equalizer E2 weight distribution hitch.) Previously had a small pop up trailer I was pulling with it then moved up and bought a 2018, C241RLK. (GVWR for this trailer is rated at 6,500lb, UVW is 5,310lb.) Towing guides for the F150 as equipped list it at 7,700 pounds. I carry quite a bit in my trailer so I am always assuming that I am on the upper limit of the weight rating its designed to carry. I used the truck to pull the Connect for a year and a half. In that time I towed the trailer 4,850 miles for 18 camping trips. I honestly felt like I didn't have enough truck for the trailer and just in the last year traded the F150 in on a F250 (6.2L gasoline, 3.73 rear) . What a world of difference. The F150 handled the trailer, but it always felt like it was struggling, especially going up hills. The truck would spend a lot of time in 3rd & 4th gears with the engine screaming at high RPM's going up moderate grades. You mentioned your axle ratio is only 3.08. In my opinion thats really low for towing a trailer the size you are looking for. If your vehicle would have come with a towing package, you would have had a higher ratio rear in its well.
If we only camped on occasion, staying with in a few hours to home, I probably would have kept the F150. However we do a lot of camping trips in a year sometimes venturing out pretty far from home. Next month we are heading west from Pennsylvania to South Dakota and back. Even though the F150 was rated to haul what we were towing, I couldn't see how it was going to hold up to years and years of towing what was so close to the upper weight range it was designed for. I will also add that you will feel a LOT safer towing a trailer when you have more than enough vehicle for it. When you need that unexpected braking or accelerating to get into moving traffic , you'll be very glad you have it.
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Post by Suburban Fam on May 7, 2019 11:34:07 GMT -5
Thank you for all the info! Would a trailer like the sportsmen le which weighs in around 4,600 be more doable? Or would that still be pushing safety/capabilities?
Sorry new to all of this. Thanks again.
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Post by jlo415 on May 7, 2019 13:24:54 GMT -5
Less is definitely better as far as weight of the trailer when you're questioning the ability of the tow vehicle. When we decided we wanted to buy a pop up, I bought the smallest one they made because the only vehicle I had to tow it was a 4 cylinder Subaru Outback. (Naturally something with out a tow package factory installed.) I added the Class 3 ball hitch myself. Trailer brakes for the pop up at the size it was are not required in Pennsylvania, but after a few trips I could definitely feel the weight of the pop up pushing me as I would brake. I then went in and hard wired a brake controller to the Subaru. Not the easiest task on a vehicle thats not equipped with a plug in wiring harness to add one. That greatly helped with the braking issue but I realized I was severely under powered for pulling the pop up despite the fact that the owners manual indicated I was well with in the ability of the car.
So I traded in a vehicle and bought an end of lease, 3 year old F150. That truck pulled the pop up like it wasn't even there. You can probably see where I am going with this. a year and half latter we got the itch to go from a pop up to a travel trailer and bough the Connect 241RLK. You can connect this part of the story to what I had added earlier.
I have come to accept that camping is all too often a progression for many of us. You start out buying a camper that you have a vehicle to tow it with. Then you buy a bigger vehicle for the camper you have because you realize its too small. Only then, you buy a bigger camper and all of a sudden realize the tow vehicle is too small all over again. The progression is Camper/Vehicle/Camper/Vehicle.
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Post by Edd505 on May 8, 2019 14:48:26 GMT -5
ever hear anyone saying they had too much truck?
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Post by nvguy on May 8, 2019 23:14:36 GMT -5
I have to agree with the others, you are just to close to maxing out your tow vehicle. Remember, you need to add the weight of people and stuff inside the tow vehicle and deduct that from the capacity.
I don't like talking people out of buying an RV, but towing that close to capacity is going to work your tow vehicle hard and make driving a chore. End result is you and the family wont be happy.
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Post by Edd505 on May 10, 2019 15:21:01 GMT -5
I'll add I pulled a 4500lb dry 5W with a GMC 1500 5.3 V8 extended cab, long bed, once. Not enough truck ..................
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Post by eshunn on Oct 25, 2019 10:26:57 GMT -5
We just had the similar experience you are going through. We picked the 2020 313RL and pulled it home with my F150 Eco boost/trl package and all. Reaching max tow wieh=ghts. Then I saw how much stuff went into the trailer the week prior to our first real outing with it. Then thought of my family and the others on the road. SO, we went and bought a 2019 F250 and there are no concerns with pulling the trailer or how it will handle. Our first trip out was an enjoyable drive and the Dad was much ore confident that he had done all he could to keep his family safe and those others on the road as well.
Besides the F250 6.7L gets better gas mileage than the F150 ecoboost and will last much longer.
going out again next week on a longer trip to Kentucky!
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