Quote:
Originally Posted by Badbart56
The relatively short wheelbase on the Armada and other similar SUV's is not your friend when it comes to towing. It may seem to be a big SUV but it only has 131 inches WB and that isn't great for handling.
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The "old towing guides" (before the days of XLite, UltraLite and Half Ton trailers) used to suggest the following "rule of thumb":
Maximum trailer length of 20' for a 110" wheelbase and 1 added foot of trailer for each 4" of additional wheelbase. Using this, the 131" wheelbase of an Armada would work out to about a 25' maximum trailer length. (110=20 and the extra 21"=5')
I've heard all kinds of excuses why this no longer applies, everything from "today's vehicles have electronic sway control" to "trailers now have wide spaced axles" to "that rule of thumb was for older style suspension systems and doesn't apply to modern vehicles".... Use it or not, but it served us well for many years, back when we were pulling vacation trailers with the family station wagon.....
To me, a 131" wheelbase is a "marginal tow vehicle" for a trailer longer than about 25-26 feet. Then you start adding the trailer weight, payload, GCWR, GVWR, RAWR and then "omit the WD hitch/sway control" and, well, you get a trailer on its side laying next to the highway with the rear of the tow vehicle hanging off the ground by the safety chains..... JMHO