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Old 04-08-2013, 04:47 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tuffr2 View Post
Agree 100%. SUV's are designed for smooth soft rides and are not usually designed to carry heavy loads. Lowing the trailer onto a truck will lower a truck 2" while it will lower an SUV 4" to 5".
Agreed in general, we looked at a Jeep wrangler unlimited but quickly looked away based on its lack of towing ability. On the other hand our Ford expedition and land rover LR4 both EASILY handle a 7,000 GVWR trailer and are rated for 9,000 plus. We chose to limit ourselves to 7000 GVWR trailers to be on the same side.
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Old 04-08-2013, 10:35 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by SmokeyWren View Post

His Highlander has a 5,000-pound "tow rating". But tow rating is not the same thing as actual max trailer weight without being overloaded. The tow rating assumes absolutely nothing in the SUV but a skinny driver. With a normal small family plus snacks and drinks and some traveling "stuff", a 3,500 pound max trailer weight is a lot more realistic.
I have been learning about the WD and sway control devices. Originally, I thought these devices required replacing the tow vehicle's trailer hitch, but not now.

Another issue I'm now wondering about is trailer hitch dynamics. I acquired the Toyota factory one that connects into the bumper frame. Should I be concerned that it is not connected to the rear axles?, or more over them?

Also, I understand it is better to load extra weight (suitcases, bicycles, other stuff) into the trailer over the wheels than to load the back of the SUV. This is true because 10-15% of the load will transfer to the tongue as opposed to 100% when in the back of SUV. Right? (Bikes would be off the back of trailer.)

What about a roof rack over the passenger compartment, which would seem to distribute the weight more over all axles?

This forum has been helpful. Looking forward to a new way of traveling,

David
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Old 04-08-2013, 11:11 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by Dsironi View Post
Another issue I'm now wondering about is trailer hitch dynamics. I acquired the Toyota factory one that connects into the bumper frame. Should I be concerned that it is not connected to the rear axles?, or more over them?
No.

I hope you mean that you bought the Toyota receiver that bolts to the frame of the Toy, and the receiver sticks through the bumper. The shank of the hitch would go through the bumper into the receiver. A hitch frame that bolts to the bumper and not to the frame of the Toy will have very little weight capacity. And by no means do you want to tie anything to the rear axle.

Quote:
Also, I understand it is better to load extra weight (suitcases, bicycles, other stuff) into the trailer over the wheels than to load the back of the SUV. This is true because 10-15% of the load will transfer to the tongue as opposed to 100% when in the back of SUV. Right?
Right. If you are close to the GVWR of the SUV, then you don't want to add any weight to the SUV.

Quote:
What about a roof rack over the passenger compartment, which would seem to distribute the weight more over all axles?
A roof rack hauling anything at highway speeds will kill your MPG. So the first thing I do is get rid of the cross-bars of any stock roof rack, and then never use the roof rack to haul anything when traveling. Maybe haul something home for a few miles from a mattress store or Home Depot.

My 2013 Toyota Venza has a roof rack, but without the optional cross bars. My 2005 and 2009 Honda Odyssey minivans both had the roof rack with cross bars. The cross bars are still stored in my barn.
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Old 04-09-2013, 11:44 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by Dsironi View Post
We are considering a light weight travel trailer (Scamp, Casita, Jayco, ?). We will tow it with a 2012 Toyota Highlander, 6 cylinder with tow package. Does a two axled trailer tow easier than one?
What brake options should we be aware of?
How big a help are load balanced hitches?
Does $8900 for a 2012, clean Starcraft AR One, 14RB sound like a good deal?
Thanks
Both one and two axle should tow ok, if they are set up properly. There are plenty of things to consider in setting up a trailer with a tow vehicle. It is best to go to an experienced RV dealer to get advice. Do not exceed GVWR on either your Tow vehicle or your trailer. Keep your hitch weight more than 10% of your trailer weight but not more than 15%. If you tow more than 5K, use weight distribution hitch for sure. Think about spending the extra bucks on something like the Husky CentreLine weight distribution hitch. The idea is to help stop sway better if you are towing a TT. 5th wheelers are best for towing!

Have fun!
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Old 04-10-2013, 09:43 PM   #19
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Originally Posted by Dsironi View Post
We are considering a light weight travel trailer (Scamp, Casita, Jayco, ?). We will tow it with a 2012 Toyota Highlander, 6 cylinder with tow package. Does a two axled trailer tow easier than one? Our first camper was a 15' single axle towed with an '89 Isuzu four banger. Always kept the rpm's above 3K on the highway, lots of stirring of the stick in the hills but if it got below 3K you nearly started over. With the single axle I don't think there were any differences at that size but it does require sway and load distribution for reasons not apparent, addressed two lines later.
What brake options should we be aware of? Electric brakes on the trailer and get a good controller. You may have a supplied connection for a controller.
How big a help are load balanced hitches? Don't leave home without it!! The camper we had did not load the hitch so one short trip I only put on the sway control and not the distribution bars. We found an unexpected benefit for using the load distribution bars. The drive axle distance to the towed axle was ideal for setting up an harmonic vibration that made the trip really uncomfortable. When we checked the camper the toilet paper and the paper towels were unrolled. After that I always used the load bars with the slightest amount of load on them.
Does $8900 for a 2012, clean Starcraft AR One, 14RB sound like a good deal?
A good deal is one agreed by the buyer and seller.
Tim

Thanks
Good luck
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Old 09-13-2013, 03:02 AM   #20
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A two axle trailer is much better than one axle. Towing forward is not a big deal but when you are backing up, two axles are MUCH easier to control than one.
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