Future Passport 239ML Owner

[Tbos]

One suggestion, when you decide to upgrade the truck go much larger than you think you will ever need. Once I had a more capable truck I bought a bigger trailer. That larger trailer led to us thinking about going full time. That led to buying the 1ton dually a year before we bought the 5th wheel. With all the fun and memories you’ll make with your growing family I can imagine you wanting a full bunk room trailer in the future. In the meantime enjoy and be safe out there.

[skids]

One concept that I see may be used incorrectly. Do not assume that 12% of the trailer weight is loaded on the hitch, it is a recommendation for towing stability. Anything loaded near the front of the trailer like batteries, propane, junk in the passthrough, and especially water in the FW tank will greatly bias the loads to the hitch rather than the trailer axles. This could result in much more than 12% of the loaded weight. Watch that gross rear axle weight against the maximum recommended.

[bim6180]

Originally Posted by skids

One concept that I see may be used incorrectly. Do not assume that 12% of the trailer weight is loaded on the hitch, it is a recommendation for towing stability. Anything loaded near the front of the trailer like batteries, propane, junk in the passthrough, and especially water in the FW tank will greatly bias the loads to the hitch rather than the trailer axles. This could result in much more than 12% of the loaded weight. Watch that gross rear axle weight against the maximum recommended.

Yes, thanks for pointing this out. The trailer's Dry hitch weight from the factory is about 10% of unloaded weight, which led me to believe that the trailer is pretty evenly distributed. Obviously the full tank of propanes and batteries will change the %, but yes, I'll keep that in mind and make sure it doesn't go over my rear axle weight limit.

[bsmith0404]

The passport has a spread axle design which helps with load distribution. You will see an increase in hitch weight as you load it, but it won’t be as significant as other trailers with standard axle placement.

[jsb5717]

Many on here, including me, have been towing for over 30 years. When I started it was by guess and by golly. I had driven semis and school buses so I wasn't afraid of the size. I also didn't have any access to this kind of information and frankly, didn't know I needed it. I, for one, learned a lot of this the hard way and I've had my share of white knuckle towing. Now that I'm older and wiser it's amazing (and by amazing I mean scary) how many people I see towing trailers with under rated TV's.

When I first started towing a trailer my daughter was 1 year old so I can appreciate the precious cargo you're going to take with you. That was over 35 years ago and I feel fortunate that my ignorance didn't get us into trouble.

I think it's great that you are analyzing this in an effort to keep your family safe. The numbers have been bantered about and the best advise I can give is to do all you can to drive as safely as you can. I can almost guarantee you that you will experience some white knuckling with your set up...those semis and large motor homes create quite a draft. Be careful and be safe.

[JRTJH]

There is a "misconception" among novice RV buyers and many (maybe most) experienced RV owners don't discuss it very often. That's the "misconception" that tow ratings are established by the automobile manufacturers and apply "across the board" to all types of trailers, from flatbed car haulers to large "flat sided RV" trailers.....

To believe that you can hitch a 5000 pound travel trailer with a 10' x 25' (250 square foot) flat sidewall that catches crosswinds and is pushed by passing vehicle "air dam/wake" with the same towing characteristics as a 5000 pound flatbed trailer with a pallet of ready mix concrete bags and a "rounded sidewall" with an area of around 40 square feet and expect that both trailers will respond behind a tow vehicle the same way, tow the same, respond to emergency driving situations the same and provide the same "safe towing experience" is "utter hogwash".....

The size, shape, weight and how it's hitched to the tow vehicle are "utterly important" in how well any vehicle will "safely tow a trailer"....

To believe that vehicle manufacturers publish "best in class data" on horsepower, payload, passenger space, comfort, and other "beneficial information" and then, somehow are publishing "more accurate data" on trailer towing capacities..... Well, nothing could be further from the truth...

Look at how all the manufacturers conduct their "towing tests" using a 16' flatbed trailer with "appropriate weight for the test" loaded onto that trailer and you'll see why there's always the footnotes about "maximum frontal size" and a disclaimer in the small print that says something like: "Decisions related to your specific towing requirements are your responsibility, not the manufacturer's" and "Consult your dealership for information" Tthe sad part is the salesman is usually less informed and less experienced than the buyer.)


I guess I wasted all that effort to say this: Just because there's a 7200 pound maximum trailer weight rating on a vehicle doesn't mean it can safely tow any trailer that weighs less than 7200 pounds.....

[flybouy]

But, but John!
The salesman said the "whatever" it was I drove on the lot will tow the "whatever) it is he's selling.

And he's a nice guy, gave me a free coffee, gave me a free pen, even gave me a free key ring so I'm sure he wouldn't lie to me!

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by flybouy

But, but John!
The salesman said the "whatever" it was I drove on the lot will tow the "whatever) it is he's selling.

And he's a nice guy, gave me a free coffee, gave me a free pen, even gave me a free key ring so I'm sure he wouldn't lie to me!

YUP!!1 Just keep them out of the service side until AFTER the walk. I wont lie and have been chastised for it more than once. That's one reason I have tongue scales in my tool box

[JRTJH]

Maybe this example will "hit home" ???

Tow a 25' sailboat with the mast folded down, on a trailer, behind a vehicle....

Now, raise the mast, unfurl the sail (225 sq ft) and hit the road with the same sailboat, same trailer, same tow vehicle...…

I doubt the "towability" of that rig will be anywhere close to "comparable".....

It's the same with the "test mule" used to certify tow ratings (mast down) and towing a travel trailer with a large sidewall surface (mast up, sail unfurled)….

[flybouy]

Easiest way to "feel" the effects of drag and the effects of speed to drag. Roll down the vehicle window and stick your arm out perpendicular with your Palm facing down or up. Then rotate your hand so the palm is facing forward . Do this at slow speed say 30 m.p.h. then repeat at double the speed.

Palm down is like a flatbed trailer with a low heavy load. Palm forward is the drag of the "box" going down the road.

[Bill-2020]

Are you getting the 2020 version or 2020 1/2 version with the rear cargo door? I bought the 2020 1/2 because the rear cargo door was a huge plus for us.

[RickReichert]

"Maximum frontal size" is an often-overlooked part of the equation. JRTJH and flybuoy nailed it.

[johnsoa2]

I will aslo chime in as a relatively newbie. We are on year 3; 2 trucks and 3 campers later... LOL.
Our neignbor is about 6 months ahead of us and gave us great advice when truck shopping before our initial purchase. He has a small 16' Jayco hybrid and HAD a Nissan V6. We are up in PA so lots of "hills". He said towing that little Jayco with a V6 was a a "white-knuckle" experience. He traded in his V6 for a V8 that same summer he purchased his Jayco, after his 2nd trip. The truck purchase was not in his plans but a necessity. So, with his advice, we went with a GMC Sierra V8. Our first trailer was the Passport 175BH...it towed like a dream. We traded it in for the 2400BH. Towing it was.never a huge problem, but driving down 81 with lots of semis....Definitely required a constant tight grip on the steering wheel, and recall we have a V8 that can handle 10,000lbs. .And, please Just be cautious while you still have the V6... You may need to upgrade your truck sooner than you were thinking.
I am pretty sure your rv sales guy said "no problem... "

[sonofcy]

Originally Posted by RickReichert

"Maximum frontal size" is an often-overlooked part of the equation. JRTJH and flybuoy nailed it.

Right, I found that spec buried in the owners manual. At the time I was towing a pop up. TV was a 3.0L V6 Mitsubishi in a Dodge Shadow body. I was ok on the frontal, and the trailer had wide tires so it towed like a dream. Now fast forward about 35 years and at a RV dealership with a Jeep Patriot and it's 1.25" hitch receiver. We were there just to see what the market was like since we had not RV'd for a while (lived in vacation country) and the pesky salesman said he would check our TV to see if it would handle the off road pop up that was much bigger and heavier than what we had before. Keep in mind the Patriot had a 4 cyl engine with a snowmobile transmission and a 1.25" hitch receiver. He came back and said 'no problem your GVWR is xxxx lbs' I should have asked his boss to fire him but I just addressed him in an appropriate manner and left. For you newbies, the TV GVWR has nothing to do with the towability other than to subtract that number form the TV's GCWR to determine the GVWR of the RV. I would bet heavily that the salesman didn't even know what GCWR is. The Patriot was inadequate as a TV for several reasons, frontal area too bg, hitch receiver too small, engine and transmission inadequate, TV and RV GVWR exceeded the GCWR. Complete no brainer but the salesman was either ignorant of the facts or a blatant lier. We had decided to buy a new truck if we were going to proceed as I knew the Patriot couldn't tow anything.

[bim6180]

Originally Posted by Bill-2020

Are you getting the 2020 version or 2020 1/2 version with the rear cargo door? I bought the 2020 1/2 because the rear cargo door was a huge plus for us.

Yes, I got the latest 2020 model With rear storage door. That’s one of the reasons we picked this camper.

Finally towed it home yesterday in a rainy and windy day. Obviously empty with two full propane tanks, batteries, and all of my tools. The canyon towed great and never felt unsafe going 55-60 mph on the highway. Can’t wait to go camping come spring / summer. Will take it to cat scale soon to get the baseline weight, but my tongue weight on my scale is 500 lbs, which is around 11% of the approximate empty weight plus tanks, battery and tools. So far everything is as expected.

[Jbrobson1958]

I had a 199ml that I towed with 08 1500 4.3 Silverado. Great in Illinois, ran way too hot in South Dakota. Not everyone can upgrade tow vehicles as needed. That said I am surprised by how many diesel 2500/250s I see pulling big 5ers that are obviously over the payload of the truck.

[Gunny Mike]

What kind of terrain are you planning on traveling through?I used an old 72 ford station wagon with a v8 400 to tow a 33' prowler but only over flat terrain. You also see others using small vehicles for those parks where you have to leave the park for 24 hours. If you are stretching it with your weights with the TV you might want to stay away from mountain driving.

We were 5 days away from picking up a Montana 5th wheel and towing with a F250 and thank goodness somebody on the forum made a comment about being over our payload Weight. Wife wasn't happy when we went back to a TT. It's good you are doing your homework.

[jsb5717]

Originally Posted by Jbrobson1958

...I am surprised by how many diesel 2500/250s I see pulling big 5ers that are obviously over the payload of the truck.

Ditto that. Overloaded is overloaded regardless of the truck you're driving. I see way too many 3/4 ton trucks towing rigs in the 1 ton dually range.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by jsb5717

Ditto that. Overloaded is overloaded regardless of the truck you're driving. I see way too many 3/4 ton trucks towing rigs in the 1 ton dually range.

"But the dealer said!".

[bim6180]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

"But the dealer said!".

I've learned a long time ago to take anything that a dealer / salesman say with a grain of salt. Always do your own research, or in this case, do your own calculation to make sure you're within spec