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Old 03-13-2018, 02:20 AM   #1
6ofus
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Passport and Suburban

Hello all

We are not a current Keystone owner but are looking at a Passport 2810bh. We have been looking at Jayco’s for about a year now but a recent trip to an RV show now has us looking at the Passport. Same floorplan as the Jayco, just a lot lighter.

Right now we own a pop up but would like to move to the dark side. Our current tow vehicle is a Suburban GVWR 8000#, which fits our large family of 6.

I see a lot of good reviews for the 2810bh but I am curious if anyone here on this forum tows a Passport 2810bh with a suburban and if not a 2810bh, what do you tow with your suburban?
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Old 03-13-2018, 03:34 AM   #2
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Hi and welcome to the hard sided camper club! We're glad to have you.

In reading your initial post, I think you may be confusing GVWR with maximum towing capacity. Per Wikipedia, GVWR is the maximum operating weight/mass of a vehicle as specified by the manufacturer including the vehicle's chassis, body, engine, engine fluids, fuel, accessories, driver, passengers and cargo but excluding that of any trailers. On the other hand, the maximum towing capacity published in vehicle brochures is an estimate, as the specific towing capacity will be defined by how the vehicle is configured and equipped.

As we don't know what year your Suburban is or how it's optioned out, I'll only assume it's a current generation 4 wheel drive. Curb weight is around 5800 lbs and the GVWR is around 7300 lbs. This is where my next thought is going...

I have three words for you, payload, payload, and payload. Your Suburban has roughly 1,500 lbs of payload capacity. In this number is your trailer's tongue weight on the hitch, the hitch weight itself, all passengers in the vehicle, all cargo in the vehicle and anything else that you put into the Suburban at time of travel.

Your trailer has a GVWR of 7200 lbs. With a 15% accepted tongue weight, that takes away 1080 lbs of payload immediately. Subtract another 100 lbs for your WDH and you're nearly 1200 lbs into your payload capacity. You see where I'm going with this I hope...

Other specifications need to be looked at too including your rigs GCVWR, GAWR, tire ratings, and your TV's GVWR. I think most of us will agree that they supersede the advertised "maximum towing capacity" of any given truck.

Suburban's are wonderful tow vehicles...don't get me wrong. I know as I owned another variant of the GM full size SUV several years ago (see my signature). But for large families such as yours, it may not be practical (or safe). Payload got me too, especially after I upgraded to a very heavy Hensley hitch.

You'll soon hear from experienced members on this forum that have will also give you great opinions and advice. Listen and form your own opinion of course. But do your due diligence as they say. It'll save you lots of $$$ in the long run. Good luck and safe travels.
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Old 03-13-2018, 03:54 AM   #3
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Lots more info needed. Year and payload listed on your door post sticker. Also the GVWR on your vehicle. Not just the advertising brochure. How much do the 6 of you weigh today, and what do you estimate they will weigh in 2 yrs? How much stuff would you take with you to camp? Will you stay in Illinois or travel about? Lots of questions.
Welcome to the forum from Kansas City. MO. I'm from Belleville IL originally. Glad you are here.

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Old 03-13-2018, 07:50 AM   #4
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I totally agree with the previous post!
But the most important statement was " do you own due diligence", absolutely DO NOT take the car dealers nor especially the rv dealers word that "Oh yea, that Suburban will tow that just fine!", #1 they DO NOT care if it will, #2 they DO NOT know whether it will or not, they are there to SELL no matter what it takes.
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Old 03-13-2018, 09:00 AM   #5
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+1 on T T's post.

.
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Old 03-14-2018, 02:37 AM   #6
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I agree with what has been said so far. I will say that RV salespeople are somewhat more knowledgeable than car salespeople these days. There was a time when large dealerships had pickup specialists, but those days are all but gone. When shopping for a larger pickup we had a GMC salesman in Florida who when asked if the DEF still was poured under the hood had not the faintest idea what we were asking. There was a time when large dealerships had pickup specialists who knew a little about their product. Not a soul we have talked to on any lot knew a thing about engines, load capacity, not even color availability.
I will say that at smaller RV dealerships one has a better chance to find a knowledgeable salesperson than at a car dealership. I will admit that they may still send you down the road with a Toyota TURD towing a 38 foot bumper pull.
Bartlett, Tennessee....Illinois....or New Hampshire?
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Old 03-15-2018, 08:23 AM   #7
6ofus
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Quote:
Originally Posted by busterbrown View Post
Hi and welcome to the hard sided camper club! We're glad to have you.

In reading your initial post, I think you may be confusing GVWR with maximum towing capacity. Per Wikipedia, GVWR is the maximum operating weight/mass of a vehicle as specified by the manufacturer including the vehicle's chassis, body, engine, engine fluids, fuel, accessories, driver, passengers and cargo but excluding that of any trailers. On the other hand, the maximum towing capacity published in vehicle brochures is an estimate, as the specific towing capacity will be defined by how the vehicle is configured and equipped.

As we don't know what year your Suburban is or how it's optioned out, I'll only assume it's a current generation 4 wheel drive. Curb weight is around 5800 lbs and the GVWR is around 7300 lbs. This is where my next thought is going...

I have three words for you, payload, payload, and payload. Your Suburban has roughly 1,500 lbs of payload capacity. In this number is your trailer's tongue weight on the hitch, the hitch weight itself, all passengers in the vehicle, all cargo in the vehicle and anything else that you put into the Suburban at time of travel.

Your trailer has a GVWR of 7200 lbs. With a 15% accepted tongue weight, that takes away 1080 lbs of payload immediately. Subtract another 100 lbs for your WDH and you're nearly 1200 lbs into your payload capacity. You see where I'm going with this I hope...

Other specifications need to be looked at too including your rigs GCVWR, GAWR, tire ratings, and your TV's GVWR. I think most of us will agree that they supersede the advertised "maximum towing capacity" of any given truck.

Suburban's are wonderful tow vehicles...don't get me wrong. I know as I owned another variant of the GM full size SUV several years ago (see my signature). But for large families such as yours, it may not be practical (or safe). Payload got me too, especially after I upgraded to a very heavy Hensley hitch.

You'll soon hear from experienced members on this forum that have will also give you great opinions and advice. Listen and form your own opinion of course. But do your due diligence as they say. It'll save you lots of $$$ in the long run. Good luck and safe travels.
Thank you all for the replies, it really does help. I should know this by now but it's better to ask twice and be safe.

Info on our truck: 2009 Chevy Suburban with tow package. Sticker inside door says GVWR 7400#, GAWR FRT 3600#, GAWR RR 4200#, Model K10906, Tire Size P265/70R17.

5.3L V8 4WD with cooling package, Axle Ratio 3.42, GCWR 14,000#

Family of 6, DH and I and 4 teenagers. Most of our camping with be with 4 people as two teens will be staying behind for other obligations. We camp local but do venture to Wisconsin as well. We would like to try to head out West (Yellowstone) and down South (Folly Beach) for a big trip one day which would include all of us. Our big trip would be once a year, if that. This is the reason for keeping the Suburban since it fits us all nicely.

"notanlines" we are from Illinois.

Hoping this info is helpful.
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Old 03-15-2018, 01:18 PM   #8
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Your vehicle is spec'd close to what I had original stated. My Yukon XL Denali had rear air suspension, two aux trans oil coolers, 20" rims, "xl" rated passenger tires, and performance brakes/rotors. I was below all the manufacturer specs in terms of GAWR, GVWR, Tire loads, payload, and GCWR when I first bought my 7,600 lb GVWR trailer. Unfortunately, I had a harrowing experience on a trip home across Michigan on July morning. Crosswinds at 30mph did me in, even with a Midgrade Blue Ox Sway Pro WDH. A trip that normally took 3 hours took 5 as I couldn't drive faster than 45 mph. White knuckle all the way as the wife screamed at me. No hills on this trip, BTW. So, I found a compromise. An expensive Hensley Arrow premium sway elimination hitch. It worked 100% but I was now over my payload capacity of the Yukon. The hitch is double the weight of a traditional WDH.

My point is this. My kids were 1, 2 and 5 respectively. That kept my payload down. I couldn't imagine having 2-4 teenagers in the 2nd and 3rd rows and not exceeding payload. And as our children get older, we tend to bring more "things". This includes bikes, kayaks, electronics, more clothes, more food, more towels, more chairs, etc, and everything else that is "required" for a camping vacation. It all adds up quickly.

So, after that summer of upgrading to a Hensley, I came across my current RAM 2500. It solved my payload issues and now we can bring anything we want without question or reservation. Our long trips are more enjoyable and even spacious for the growing kids as I have the Megacab.

If it was just you, your SO, and a small child, it could be doable with the proper hitch. But realistically, you'd want a larger TV with your current family size. Another option would be to take along a second passenger vehicle, especially if most of your trips are local. And, if any of your teens are drivers, that helps tremendously with the longer commutes.

Another option would be to find a smaller trailer, maybe a hybrid variety that can sleep 6 comfortably with all the benefits of a hard sided camper.

Good luck.
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Old 03-16-2018, 08:20 AM   #9
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Pulle a 33 ft Jayco for years with an 2008 Suburban with trailer tow package, no problems but did upgrade the tires to LT tires, sidewalls are a lot stiffer and reduce sway. Incidentally we had 4 teenagers, used a weight distributing hitch with antisway, don't know if we were overloaded but travelled thousands of miles with the crew, locally we have a good number of 7% grades and the truck went up like a trooper. As long as the TV is in good shape you'll be fine.
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Old 03-16-2018, 09:09 AM   #10
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Pulle a 33 ft Jayco for years with an 2008 Suburban with trailer tow package, no problems but did upgrade the tires to LT tires, sidewalls are a lot stiffer and reduce sway. Incidentally we had 4 teenagers, used a weight distributing hitch with antisway, don't know if we were overloaded but travelled thousands of miles with the crew, locally we have a good number of 7% grades and the truck went up like a trooper. As long as the TV is in good shape you'll be fine.
I flew with a fighter jock that always showed up hung over, used half his oxygen "recovering" before takeoff. Flew high altitude sorties on full O2 until he ran close to empty, then flew LAVT's (low altitude visual training) tactics back to home field. He never had an accident, managed to "make it happen" on every sortie, even with all the odds stacked against him.

That was aviation "back in the day". We don't encourage the "silk scarf flowing in the wind" type of flying any longer.

I can remember towing our 20' Jayco up the mountain passes in Colorado at 15 MPH in first gear and "coasting down the other side" at 60-80 MPH on snow covered roads. We survived, never had an accident, never had a blowout, even though some spots there was no guardrail and a 1000' drop-off in the middle of a 10 MPH switchback.

That doesn't mean that I'd want to fly with someone like that now and I wouldn't take those same kinds of risks with my family today that I did back before I knew how significant the risks were to my family and to others on the road. Additionally, we seldom saw another vehicle on the road back then, so there were fewer people to run into going down those mountains. Today, it's bumper to bumper traffic most times. More crowded highways mean more potential for others to be "in the way" when I have an emergency and more potential for others to be "overloaded, under towed and getting into trouble that causes them run into me as I try to be safe......

Times have changed, conditions on the roads have changed and much of "what we did in the good old days" is just plain not recommended on today's crowded highway system. There's a lot to be said about the old adage: Better safe than sorry.....
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Old 03-16-2018, 02:23 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by wawagoose View Post
Pulle a 33 ft Jayco for years with an 2008 Suburban with trailer tow package, no problems but did upgrade the tires to LT tires, sidewalls are a lot stiffer and reduce sway. Incidentally we had 4 teenagers, used a weight distributing hitch with antisway, don't know if we were overloaded but travelled thousands of miles with the crew, locally we have a good number of 7% grades and the truck went up like a trooper. As long as the TV is in good shape you'll be fine.
Ok, I'll bite. Signed up on keystoneforums.com just a few minutes prior to posting their single roque reply.. Hmmm. Just saying.
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Old 03-19-2018, 07:25 AM   #12
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Another option would be to find a smaller trailer, maybe a hybrid variety that can sleep 6 comfortably with all the benefits of a hard sided camper.

Good luck.
I see where you are going. I would love the hybrid and actually the hybrid would be perfect but I do not want to camp with canvas where there are bears! Yes, I know everyone does it but it I would not be able to sleep. We also don't want canvas because we would like to start bringing our dog on trips with us.

Thanks for all the replies!
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Old 03-19-2018, 07:47 AM   #13
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Many of today's "hybrid" trailers have shed the canvas but keep the weight advantages of the "hybrid design". While the canvas types are still available, many have incorporated "hardwall technology" into the bed slides. These trailers are just as secure and just as comfortable as their "hardwall counterparts"....

One example of how living space is maximized by "bed slides" is the Outback brand. You can see some photos of one of the Outback floorplans in this link: https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/201...URS-5000970497 Note that there is an obvious "lack of canvas" in the bed slide. Other brands, other companies beside Keystone produce "hybrid trailers without canvas".

There are alternatives available, don't give up just yet......
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Old 03-19-2018, 08:32 AM   #14
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Our son had a hybrid that had 3 bed slides, 2 queen & 1 king, plus the dinette made into another king bed, all canvas slides, the biggest drawback other than being canvas was you were already tired from driving all day & then still have about an hour of setting up to do getting all the beds out & just as long or longer in the morning packing it up. The hardsided hybrids appear to be a lot less work & probably a lot warmer/quieter/bear proof than the canvas.
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Old 03-19-2018, 09:38 AM   #15
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Is a TT really bear proof ?
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Old 03-19-2018, 09:40 AM   #16
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I have the exact set up you are asking about
- 2015 Suburban 5.3L with 3.42 rear
- Passport 2810BH
- Equal-Izer WDH

I have myself, DW, five kiddos (12 and under) as my payload plus gear.
We pulled it down to central Texas last week when the wind was blowing 25+ and it did well. Only felt a wag or two during some big gusts.
I pull the TT at 55-60 mph. Trans never peaks above 195 degrees and gas mileage is around 8mpg.

The Burb tows 8400lbs. My research was to buy the 2810BH (5400lbs) + WDH + family + gear and be 1000lbs under my 8400 limit at all times.
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Old 03-19-2018, 09:52 AM   #17
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Is a TT really bear proof ?
Probably not, but it sure is anxiety proof....at least for me it is

Any other model suggestions on the hard slide?
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