Towing need advice on purchase of travel trailer

[drmiles]

Looking to buy a travel trailer. The Trailer dealership says my hummer can pull anything without trouble. Book says 6,800 lbs.

Lite weights start @ 4,500 -6,800 dry weight.
Nicer trailers dry weight start @ 6,800 lbs and up.

Can I pull a 7,000 lb trailer loaded with water and food?

How much difference would there be in pulling 7,000 lbs and 9,000 lbs ?

Looking @ Thor Jazz vs R-vision Trail Cruiser,
(heavy 7,000lbs vs 4,800lbs)

Jerry

[drmiles]

Looking to buy a travel trailer. The Trailer dealership says my hummer can pull anything without trouble. Book says 6,800 lbs.

Lite weights start @ 4,500 -6,800 dry weight.
Nicer trailers dry weight start @ 6,800 lbs and up.

Can I pull a 7,000 lb trailer loaded with water and food?

How much difference would there be in pulling 7,000 lbs and 9,000 lbs ?

Looking @ Thor Jazz vs R-vision Trail Cruiser,
(heavy 7,000lbs vs 4,800lbs)

Jerry

[PARAGON]

Jerry,

Personally, I've never pulled a travel trailer with my H2 but manufacturers go to great lengths to "balance" travel trailers so that they pull well. All of those Jazz's have a tongue weight in the 700lb range. If you have rear air suspension, this shouldn't be a problem for you. If you get some electric brakes installed and have a good controller, IMO, you can pull these w/o much problem.

Of course, the H2 is specified from GM with a maximum GCWR of 14K lbs. and this is the number that determined the trailer weight rating. The ratings from GM does not take the air suspension into account. These numbers are the safe numbers GM published and, obviously, you can pull more than 6,800lbs w/o much trouble.

I would suggest getting a good brake controller installed and then going to the dealer and test pulling a few of the trailers to see what you are comfortable with.

[drmiles]

Thanks, going out to test pull today..

[Steve 2]

We will be taking a few trips from Florida. first up to North Carolina, around July. The big one will be from Palm Beach county accross the south to New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and who knows where else. In the interim we will be traveling around Florida, west coast and the keys primarily. Being retired I can go anywhere for as long as I like. By the way my truck does not have an air compressor so the equalizer hitch was needed.

[PARAGON]

Let us know what route you end up going.

[drmiles]

Looking to buy a travel trailer. The Trailer dealership says my hummer can pull anything without trouble. Book says 6,800 lbs.

Lite weights start @ 4,500 -6,800 dry weight.
Nicer trailers dry weight start @ 6,800 lbs and up.

Can I pull a 7,000 lb trailer loaded with water and food?

How much difference would there be in pulling 7,000 lbs and 9,000 lbs ?

Looking @ Thor Jazz vs R-vision Trail Cruiser,
(heavy 7,000lbs vs 4,800lbs)

Jerry

[Steve 2]

I am pulling an R-vision Trail-lite 30 foot trailer. The trailer loaded weighs about 6500 lbs loaded. I have an equalizer hitch and a Prodigy brake controler, I highly recommend both especially the equalizer hitch with sway control. I have pulled the rig about 800 miles so far in Florida and southern Georgia in 90 degree temperatures. The truck pulls like a dream on flat ground. I keep my speed down to 60-65 mph. I average (believe it or not) 9.8 to 10 mpg. The only negative I noticed is the tranny temp goes up to about 200 degrees. I was told by two service reps from 2 different dealerships not to worry, the temps are normal. Good luck with the purchase maybe we will meet on the road.

[Big Z]

Dig out your manual and read the ratings. Stay away from the 6000 pound loaded rig, and you might enjoy it a little! Don't go over the gross combined weight rating!

And search the site about towing, there's some good info.

[PARAGON]

The transmission is fine. It's the same heavy duty version that is used on the 2500 series trucks that have a 6.0L in them. The temp increase is normal when pulling and it has it's own cooler.

I have not read or heard anything negative about the Borg-Warner transfer case.

An equalizer hitch is not necessary if you have the air suspension. They serve the same purpose. The weight distribution design will not be utilized (no weight on the bars) because the truck will keep the rear end level. Sway control, on the other hand would be great in helping reduce the effects of wind on the trailer. You can get a simple sway control setup without having to pay for the not needed equalizer setup.

[JMV1210]

Attached is a picture of the info on my box trailer, based on all I have read on the forum, I assume GVWR (7000 lb) means it’s over weight for the Hummer? What I don’t understand is how this trailer weighs almost as much as the H2…. That is if I am reading the label right….

[drmiles]

Brake controller and Equilizer hitch are a must,and I have air suspension. But what about the Tranny, and transfer case pulling all that weight?

My transfer case had to be replaced after a trip towing a 3600 lb trailer @ 90 mph, about 400 miles. Not sure if its releated or coincedence.

[drmiles]

Couldn't decide on a trailer. Have decided not to try the 7500 lbs and heavier.

Now trying to keep the UVW (unloaded vehicle weight) below 6,500lbs. Sure narrows the selection. Lite weights have lite weight construction cheap feeling, but lite. Good sturdy oak is heavy. Tried going shorter, but you loose the private bedroom.

Really like the Sportsman 29', model 2903, 6,080 lbs dry weight. But no veiw out the back, oh well keep looking.

[Dug]

computers suck

[DennisAJC]

Dug,

Are those the 2 wheel drive bikes? I've seen one or two but I never knew it was made here.
Are we neighbours?

Got any action pics?

[DennisAJC]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KenP:
Happiest day of a boat owner is when they buy it. Or is it when they sell it? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

For $135,000.00 CAN, You can have it Ken! I'll even throw in a DVD player fer yer porn.


Twin 5.7 engines, loaded w/ its own generator, air cond/heat, sep. shwr in head, 2 staterms, full enclosed bridge, inflatable mounted w/ Sea Wise w/ davit & 8hp O/B, Sea-B-Que

[Dug]

action pic-

[Dug]

Dennis this is the bike . The one on the left 1970'ish.

[drmiles]

No offense intended!
If the equalizer hitch is properly tensioned it disperses weight evenly on the truck. Every time the truck hits a large bump in the road the rear air bags compress then rebound producing a bouncing. The torsion bars will lessen that bounce. Thus not being HAZARDOUS, but advantageous in smoothing out the ride, the two systems work synergistically with each other. That’s all I was trying to point out.



"<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> So, on vehicles with air suspensions, not only is weight distribution not necessary, it can be hazardous since, in effect, the two systems will be fighting against one another instead of working in conjunction. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Yetti]

That is the crazest trike I have ever seen.
If it could float it would like half an Argo.