Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Tech Forums > Towing
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 09-26-2011, 08:48 PM   #1
trkins33
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: cypress tx
Posts: 2
Towing Question??

Ok guys I have a question for ya. Im going to give you the specs and let me know if you think Im pushing the envelope or not.

Truck: 2007 GMC Yukon Denali, Tow Capacity 7,900, wheel base 130"

Trailer: Total length 35'7", Dry weight 6852, tongue weight 888

I will more thank likely pack light, clothes, dishes, lounge chaits etc, plus have hitch, LP Tanks, tire jack, battery. NO water and no Food etc.

I will be putting a Hensley Hitch on the trailer.

Traveling 3 hours at a time. No majot hills, mostly flat or just hill country.

Your thoughts? Am I pushing it and need to find a lighter trailer or will I be okay.

New Guy Jack.
trkins33 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-2011, 08:49 PM   #2
trkins33
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: cypress tx
Posts: 2
Its the yukon XL sorry forgot to mention...the long one.
trkins33 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-2011, 10:46 PM   #3
Festus2
Site Team
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fraser Valley BC Canada
Posts: 7,015
You forgot to include one of the most important weights and that is the GVWR of your TT. Without knowing what that is, it would be difficult to give you any recommendations. However, we do know the towing capacity of 7900 lbs.--- one other major weight factor to consider.

It is also important to remember that you need to determine what you can safely tow - not just whether or not it will tow it. The driving time, distance and terrain are outside factors. They make no difference in whether or not your truck can safely tow your TT. It matters little if you tow for 3 minutes or 3 hours IF you are beyond your weight limits. Going up hills will also be unsafe IF you are pulling more than you should be -- the same as it would if you would be driving on the flats. Nor does it matter what kind of hitch you have. The hitch type may provide other benefits - less sway - for example.

You might be surprised as to how much other extra weight you might end up with even if you pack "light". I would guess you can count on about another 1000 lbs and dont forget to include the weight of all the other stuff IN the truck - fuel, passengers, etc.
Even without knowing your TT GVWR, it would be my opinion that this would not likely be a safe match. If you take your dry weight of 6852 lbs., add another 1000 lbs of stuff in your TT, and then throw in what is IN the truck, you are probably very close to or have reached your limit with no margin of safety.
I would suggest that you find out what your GVWR is, crunch the numbers then make your decision.
__________________
2008 Cougar 5th Wheel 27RKS
2005 2500 GMC Duramax
Festus2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2011, 02:13 AM   #4
LittleJoe
Senior Member
 
LittleJoe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Ottawa Valley
Posts: 329
The Hensley will really be a benefit for a better TT setup BUT, is the dry weight, the one in literature or did you actually scale it. If it is the weight in literature you will find the finished trailer is no where close to that dry number.

The GVWR on the trailer is a need to know number. The vast majority of trailers are approaching this number when loaded to go camping .
__________________
2011 325SRX , Mor-Ryde Pinbox
2004 Ram 3500DRW 6spd,4x4,QC.LB ,340L aux tank
1999 Concours
2014 FJR
2014 Jetta TDI
LittleJoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2011, 04:27 AM   #5
SteveC7010
Senior Member
 
SteveC7010's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Northville NY in the Adirondacks
Posts: 2,128
In other forums, this is a very common question so I will just summarize here.

As a general rule of thumb, properly equipped 1/2 ton pickups can be safely used on TT's up to 6,500# GVWR. There are variations, and everybody knows someone who tows a 10K# trailer with an old Chevy S-10, but the bottom line from experienced folks, many of whom learned the hard way is what it is. Even if the 1/2 ton truck will pull the heavier TT, safety and control quickly come into play.

So, if you report a dry weight of 6852, the GVWR is probably around 7,800 or so. This is usually determined by the capacity of the axles used by the manufacturer plus calculated frame strength of the TT.

Those that own trailers in this weight range will all tell you that a 1/2 ton truck is not enough truck for the TT. Many of them started where you are, tried the combination and and found it lacking. Reasons? Broken axles from too much tongue and payload weight. Blown transmissions from pulling excess weight up too many long steep hills. Bent frames, inadequate TV brakes, and more.

As far as what folks carry, they may promise to never carry any liquid in the holding tanks, but real life is different. Some day it is guaranteed to have to travel with full tanks. It is just plain inevitable. Full tanks should be included in any calculations done to match up a TT and TV. Same for food, clothing, and all the other gear that we all seem to carry. (Liquid matters big time! At 8.5 pounds per gallon, my trailer can hold over 1,400# of fresh and dirty water. I believe it would be a disastrous mistake to discount holding tanks when sizing a truck.) If you do travel consistently with empty tanks, but sized the truck to include full tanks, then you have given yourself, your family, and others on the roadways a very nice safety margin.

Another way to look at it is a percentage of safety margin between the TV's capacities and the TT's GVWR and tongue weight. I have heard numbers quoted from 10% up to 35%. There's no perfect answer, but I like 15-20% as a minimum. So if your truck is rated to pull 7,900 and the GVWR of the TT is 7,800# you have less than 1% safety margin. There's nothing extra in case you need it. Remember that TV's lose capability when elevation increases so traveling in the mountains is almost immediately ruled out.

Tongue weight matters too. For proper towing, TT's should have about 12% of their weight on the tongue. A 7,800# GVWR trailer should put about 936# on the tongue, but the number could be a lot higher. What is the rated load capacity of the truck? Well, if you put two average adults plus camping gear (we all toss more stuff in the TV than we should!) and then add up all the weights, you may well be at or over the truck's capabilities. Truck axle ratings matter a lot from this point of view.

Guy came into a forum a couple of years ago and wanted to know if his Jeep Commander would pull a particular trailer. One of the gents did some calculations and quickly determined that the Jeep's rated payload was barely enough to include 4 adults and some luggage. Much as the car was rated to pull the dry weight of the TT, hooking it up and actually traveling with it would likely have broken the axles or springs (or both).
__________________

'11 Cougar 326MKS loaded with mods
'12 Ford F250 SuperCab 6.7 PowerStroke Diesel
Amateur Radio: KD2IAT (146.520) GMRS: WQPG808 (462.675 TPL 141.3)
SteveC7010 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2011, 07:15 AM   #6
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,846
Ford's Excursion is much the same as that Jeep. Even though the Excursion has a "massive" tow capability given its diesel engine and HD transmission coupled with truck axles and tires, many of them have a payload of 1100 lbs or around that amount. Put people in the seats (sometimes up to 9) and suitcases in the cavernous rear storage area, and there's nothing left for tongue weight even though the vehicle is rated to tow 14,000 lbs.

I'd urge conservative caution trying to operate the OP's rig in question.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2011, 12:30 PM   #7
The Sod Father
Senior Member
 
The Sod Father's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Souderton PA
Posts: 185
Jack, I am in a similar combination as you. My Expedition EL is pulling about 7,500 lbs fully loaded for a few days of campering. I am within my towing capacity as specified by Ford.

My nemesis is tongue weight. I carry two batteries and have a very full storage compartment. The Hensley also adds about 190lbs directly to the tongue - about 70lbs more than a typical hitch. All that weight puts a hurtin on the rear suspension of the Expedition. Therefore, I need to be really careful with what is IN the Expedition so I am not over my GCW. Ergo, I do not carry firewood or suitcases in the back of the Expedition. We usually have 5 passengers and a dog. I also stopped carrying fresh water in my Bullet since the fresh tank is so close to the front of the trailer. It is a pain, but until I upgrade my tow vehicle, that's what I am faced with.
__________________
2008 Ford Expedition EL
2011 Keystone Bullet 31BHPR
Tracking straight and true with a Hensley Arrow
Tekonsha Prodigy playing the role of brake control
The Sod Father is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 08:39 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.