What to tow our outback with

[Mlholloway580]

Hello,
We just bought our first camper and we’re excited! We towed it home with a 95 Chevy 1500 and it worked harder than we expected and sucked the gas. We’re looking to buy something newer and more comfortable for our family of 4. Our camper is a 2007 keystone outback 21rs. We would love to have recommendations on vehicles to easily and safely tow this size travel trailer. Thanks!

[Carrottop]

What year is your Outback. This will give us the weight and we can better recommend a tow vehicle.

[Mlholloway580]

What year is your Outback. This will give us the weight and we can better recommend a tow vehicle.

It is a 2007

[Mlholloway580]

Dry weight is 4600 lbs

[Carrottop]

right here are the specs.
Hitch Weight375 lbsDry Weight4585 lbsCargo Weight1935 lbs

[Carrottop]

These are specs only and the only way to determine the true weight of the trailer is to take it to a cat scale and weigh it.

For the tow vehicle you need to take these things into consideration:

1. Towing capacity of the truck (usually is not the problem when selecting a truck)
2. GVWR (Gross vehicle weight rating) this is maximum your truck or trailer can weigh with all its cargo
3. GCVWR (Gross combined weight rating) this is the maximum the combined truck and trailer can weigh together
4. GAWR (Gross axle weight rating) this is the maximum weight the axle rear or front was designed to carry.
5. Payload This is probable the one that gets most people and is often overlooked. (this includes the tounge weight of the trailer the hitch and all the cargo and passengers that are in the truck)


If you look on the inside of the drivers door (usually) you will find two stickers one white and one white and yellow that will tell you all the information above. Once you have that you can start to calculate what you need in a truck. I do have an excel spreadsheet that can do the math for you when you have the numbers above for a truck and you already have your trailers numbers. It will then tell you if you are over.

lets say for example you are looking at a newer F150 and it had a payload capacity of

1700 lbs
-500 lbs for tounge weight (guess)
-85 lbs hitch (average)
-500 lbs cargo
- 600 lbs passengers
this scenario would leave you with only 15 lbs of payload capacity. Again this is just an example to illustrate what you need to consider. The more information you give us the better recommendation we can give you. When shopping for a tow vehicle check those stickers first and if possible take photos and post on here with the specs on the truck you will get lots of good feedback.

Good Luck

[sourdough]

Your 95 worked harder than you thought it would towing and sucked gas if I understand correctly. The newer engines/drivetrains would probably work less when towing due to engine upgrades but I'm afraid they all suck gas. You didn't mention the mileage but if you got 9mpg you were doing good.

Looks like the trailer is going to be a little over 6500 gvw. That's doable with a newer 1/2 ton equipped for towing and a larger payload capacity. As was mentioned in a prior post look at the numbers inside the door to see what the truck is capable of carrying. DON'T go by the tow rating. Also, if you pull the trailer at 6500 lbs. you want a good wdh with sway control and I'd recommend LT tires to help with the sway.

[busterbrown]

Previous advice is good. In reality, any properly-equipped late model 1/2 ton with a 6 speed auto trans will pull much better than that 23 year old 4-speed GM truck. Gearing is much of the equation. When you do shop for a TV, remember, lower (higher number) is better. Think 3:73 and 4:10 vs 3:23 and 3:42.

Make sure you have a good set of firm (preferably LT) tires, a good brake controller, a transmission oil cooler, and a WDH with proper sway control.

The other advice I can give is to load most of your cargo into the trailer when traveling. 500 lbs of cargo in your truck bed seems like a lot as I read in a previous post. This helps keep your payload numbers down as that's the Achilles heel of any 1/2 ton. generally speaking, most 1/2 ton trucks will have around 1500 lbs. Anything more is a specialty built truck with HD towing and/or payload packages. These trucks are much less common to find on dealer's lots.

Good luck with your TV hunt. Remember to ask lots of questions along the way. Experienced members on here will give you sound, honest advice.

BTW, congrats with the "new to you" camper.

[Gegrad]

Yep, all good advice above. Any properly equipped, newer 1/2 ton will handle that trailer just fine. As stated, check the sticker to make sure you aren't looking at one with a 1200 lb payload capacity (they are far more common than you think!). You may have to look around to find one- took me a while to find mine. Also, stick with 2WD unless you just HAVE to go offroad- will give you 200-400lb more payload, and better fuel economy. A good WDH is a must, along with good tires and a brake controller.

I am afraid all gassers will suck fuel though. :cool3::cool3:

[travelin texans]

One thing to remember, absolutely positively 100% DO NOT take ANY salesmens word that "Oh yea! You'll have no problems towing that with this!", do your own homework, they DO NOT know if it will tow it or care as long as they sell something.

[Tbos]

When looking keep in mind that most salesman don’t even know that payload sticker is on the truck. I agree a newer 1/2 ton with the proper gearing should tow it well.


2016 Passport GT 2810BHS, 2016 F350 CC DRW

[Carrottop]

IF you look at my configuration my trailer is almost the same dry weight and payload capacity as your trailer. I tow mine with a 09 F150 5.4 with a 6 speed transmission. Mind you my truck has all the heavy duty towing equipment and it tows just fine, I hardly notice it. I use an equalizer 4point hitch and that eliminates any sway and manages the weight distribution as well. I think as previously mentioned if you find a later model truck it will tow that trailer no problem just be wary of the payload and ensure you have enough room there. I am sure the newer trucks are even better equipped than mine as it is getting a little long in the tooth. It depends on your budget and preference. Shop around and take your time until you find the right truck to fit your needs.

[Chief Mole]

:wlcm: from the Midlands of South Carolina. :camping: