Towing an Acadia - need some help

[Gary RVRoamer]

I want to get a new GMC Acadia SUV, but none of the towbar manufacturers have a base plate for it. Gonna make it hard to tow! They all say the same thing - nobody else has asked for one, so we don't make them [yet]. Well, duh! It's a new model that is just beginning to appear at GMC dealerships this month.

Anyway, if some of you with spare time would email Roadmaster, Blue Ox and Demco to inquire about base plates for a 2007 GMC Acadia, it would help get their attention and maybe I will be able to get Acadia base plates in time to head out of Florida come April.

Contact email addresses below. You don't have to buy one - just ask about an availability date.

info@roadmasterinc.com

info@blueox.us

sales@demco-products.com

[Gary RVRoamer]

I want to get a new GMC Acadia SUV, but none of the towbar manufacturers have a base plate for it. Gonna make it hard to tow! They all say the same thing - nobody else has asked for one, so we don't make them [yet]. Well, duh! It's a new model that is just beginning to appear at GMC dealerships this month.

Anyway, if some of you with spare time would email Roadmaster, Blue Ox and Demco to inquire about base plates for a 2007 GMC Acadia, it would help get their attention and maybe I will be able to get Acadia base plates in time to head out of Florida come April.

Contact email addresses below. You don't have to buy one - just ask about an availability date.

info@roadmasterinc.com

info@blueox.us

sales@demco-products.com

[paz]

RV Roamer - Have you been able to determine that the Acadia is towable 4 down? I have also seen the Saturn Outlook, which appears to be based on the same vehicle as the Acadia, but I haven't seen any information on towability of either. Although the Acadia and Outlook seem like they are a somewhat heavier than the Saturn Vue I am currently towing, the Acadia or Outlook might be a vehicle I would be interested in at sometime in the future.

You are probably correct that the best way to hurry along the availability of baseplates is for the suppliers to receive as many inquiries as possible. Let's all fire off some emails.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I spoke with a GMC factory rep today and she confirmed that the Acadia is "dinghy towable" in either the front drive or the AWD version. My local dealer called with the same information a bit later but also said we would want to remove a fuse. You do that on some GM vehicles and not others - depends on the instrument panel design.

[paz]

RV Roamer - Thanks for the follow-up on the towability of the Acadia. It seems like a nice SUV.

[DonavonP]

The Buick Enclave is also an Acadia/Outlook and is towable 4 down according to my car salesman (Eric Thovsen, Harpel Bros.) It's suppose to be available in the summer of 2007 as a 2008 model. Suppose to be a very nice vehicle. More cargo volumn than the Trailblazer EXT.

Write up by the car connection

GM Torque/Horsepower charts - see 3.6 Acadia

[Gary RVRoamer]

Yeap, the Enclave & Outlook use the same 6 speed automatic and therefore should be towable as well. The Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX will also use that tranny (it is a joint Ford/GM development) and are also towable.

We RVers are going to get a whole new set of really nice vehicles as toad choices!

[The Clock Meister]

I would suggest that you talk directly to Blue Ox. I bought a Nissan Versa last July, got one of the first made. Blue Ox made up a base plate under their "Fit Program" for me. It was well worth spending several days going up there and back even though there is not a whole lot to do in the area for entertainment.

Call and ask for Mandy, she oversaw the whole process for me and did a fine job.

Chris

[GaryKD]

Gary,
Before making the purchase, consider looking in the owner's manual. Towing will be covered and the process required to be successful. This is usually the only place the manufacturer states, in writing, the vehicle is towable, under what conditions and the process required to maintain the warranty.

Gary is a great name. Good luck with your purchase.

[Gary RVRoamer]

I have spoken directly to GMC on the phone and went over the towability question with them. Both the FWD and AWD versions are flat towable or dolly towable. The dealer also confirms it.

I am also in direct phone communication with both Blue Ox and Roadmaster concerning the base plates. The "Fit Program" is not really a viable option for me, since I am in Florida and Blue Ox is 1500 miles away in Pender, NE and Roadmaster even further in Washington state. I'd have to invest 15+ days and a lot of bucks to drive there, get fitted and return. The free base plates and tow bar would help offset the costs, though.

Word is that they are working on the Outlook now and will probably have an Acadia base plate design by mid-late March, assuming minimal differences between Outlook & Acadia. Based on that, we closed the deal on an Acadia yesterday and will take delivery sometime next week, as soon as the car actually arrives at the dealer. The one we bought is still on a car carrier somewhere in the Southeast.

[diesellabs]

Congratulations, Gary....You will need to keep us all posted of your experience with the Acadia, both as a driver and as a toad. Just read the Car & Driver review of the Acadia today and it looks good. Assume the Outlook (and eventually the upscale Buick) are comparable.

[The Clock Meister]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by RV Roamer:


The "Fit Program" is not really a viable option for me, since I am in Florida and Blue Ox is 1500 miles away in Pender, NE and Roadmaster even further in Washington state. I'd have to invest 15+ days and a lot of bucks to drive there, get fitted and return. The free base plates and tow bar would help offset the costs, though.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I understand the time/mileage issues you are looking at for the fit program.

I left here on a Sunday afternoon and drove all night, arriving at Blue Ox in Pender at 8:00 A.M. Spent about an hour with them and took the loaner car to a motel where I crashed for the rest of Monday and through the night.

It took them until Wednesday afternoon to finish my car. They said that they ran into more work than expected on it, but did a fine job. When I saw the instructions for installing my baseplate, I certainly would not attempt it myself, and imagine that it would cost a pretty penny to have it done.

http://www.aemfg.com/pdfs/BX1838.pdf

Yes, it did take up most of the week, but I managed to have some fun. As you say, the base plate and tow bar offsets quite a bit, but it was also important to me that it be installed correctly and safely - which they certainly did.

Chris

[Gary RVRoamer]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">It took them until Wednesday afternoon to finish my car. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually that's fairly quick. Obviously they had a "near fit" on hand and only had to do some mods to adapt it. It would be 3-5 days if they were starting from scratch. I'm hoping that's the case with the Acadia - the Outlook bracket should be close to OK and may need just a tweak or two.

I usually do my own, but I'll probably have the Acadia brackets professionally installed, since it is a new vehicle & bracket. That way they can consult with the manufacturer if they run into any wrinkles. We have an excellent hitch shop in Ocala (The Hitching Post) and they have a good relationship with both Blue Ox and Roadmaster.

[The Shadow]

I have a feeling that you will also see a Chev version of the Outlook, Acadia and Enclave in the next year as a replacement for the Trail Blazer.