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Old 02-28-2019, 06:31 AM   #1
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GVWR TT or Tow vehicle?

I could probably just use the search function BUT......., that won't make me more a part of this community so I will just ask.

My TT has a GVWR of 5200# and my tow vehicle has a GVWR of 5000#. The dry weight of the TT is 4200#. I will be traveling with three other people. I am 190#, fiancé is 120#, son is 160# and my daughter is 100# That is 570# in flesh. Am I supposed to be including flesh weight into my calcs here? If so that means my tow vehicle is already at 4200# plus 570# or 4770# leaving me with an allowable gear weight of 230# because my tow vehicle is the limiting factor here.

Tell me that isn't so. PLEASE.

Or better yet, tell me I can pull 5000# in trailer on top of some more stuff in the tow vehicle. 2018 Chevy Traverse premier.
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Old 02-28-2019, 07:12 AM   #2
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A Honda Ridgeline can not tow a 5,000lb travel trailer on the highway and it's cargo capacity was 1,491 lbs. The wheelbase was too short to control the trailer at highway speeds.
(The Ridgeline could tow my 2,600 lb. runabout boat perfect)

The Honda Ridgeline, could however tow the travel travel trailer thru the back roads to the local state parks easy as long as top speed stayed around 55 mph. Above 55 turned into a white knuckle intese driving experience. It had me at 175 and DW at 120 lbs. as the only cargo in the Ridgeline.

So, if just camping local you will be ok. If camping where you need to use the highway then 'No'. Your tow vehicle will not do that very easy.

That is why a family of 4 fits into the crew cab trucks nicely and why they sell about 4 million trucks a year in the US. When I traded the Ridgeline in for a F-150 I had the perfect match for this trailer. This same trailer now could be towed comfortably at 72 mph with no sway from semi's or wind.

Oh, and to boot you are over loaded with you current tow vehicle but you already knew that.
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Old 02-28-2019, 07:16 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rktect23 View Post
I could probably just use the search function BUT......., that won't make me more a part of this community so I will just ask.

My TT has a GVWR of 5200# and my tow vehicle has a GVWR of 5000#. The dry weight of the TT is 4200#. I will be traveling with three other people. I am 190#, fiancé is 120#, son is 160# and my daughter is 100# That is 570# in flesh. Am I supposed to be including flesh weight into my calcs here? If so that means my tow vehicle is already at 4200# plus 570# or 4770# leaving me with an allowable gear weight of 230# because my tow vehicle is the limiting factor here.

Tell me that isn't so. PLEASE.

Or better yet, tell me I can pull 5000# in trailer on top of some more stuff in the tow vehicle. 2018 Chevy Traverse premier.
Ok, Load it like a boxcar, drive it like a stockcar! Feel better?
Now you have not told use what the GCVWR of the vehicle is. But from the numbers you posted, you only have room for 230 LBs of TW, which is 10% of a 2,300 lb gross weight trailer....
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Old 02-28-2019, 07:31 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by Rktect23 View Post
I could probably just use the search function BUT......., that won't make me more a part of this community so I will just ask.

My TT has a GVWR of 5200# and my tow vehicle has a GVWR of 5000#. The dry weight of the TT is 4200#. I will be traveling with three other people. I am 190#, fiancé is 120#, son is 160# and my daughter is 100# That is 570# in flesh. Am I supposed to be including flesh weight into my calcs here? If so that means my tow vehicle is already at 4200# plus 570# or 4770# leaving me with an allowable gear weight of 230# because my tow vehicle is the limiting factor here.

Tell me that isn't so. PLEASE.

Or better yet, tell me I can pull 5000# in trailer on top of some more stuff in the tow vehicle. 2018 Chevy Traverse premier.
This is pretty simple, and the news isn't good. Your TT is going to put up to 780 pounds of tongue/hitch weight on your TV. That is part of your TV's payload.

And yes, 'flesh' weight, plus all cargo, are included in your total payload. If that total exceeds the payload capacity of your TV, it's not safe. (Your TV's payload capacity is roughly the GVWR minus the dry curb weight.)

Sounds to me like you'll be WAY over the safe payload capacity of that TV.
Good luck!
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Old 02-28-2019, 08:54 AM   #5
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Ok. So I get it. I know I have seen many people pulling large trailers on long distance trips though. I have options though. One is to rent.

I just looked up truck rentals. Basically I can get a 1 ton Ram 3500. Crew cab. It says payload is 6000#.

How much better is my situation with this $1300 per week option?
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Old 02-28-2019, 09:00 AM   #6
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Ok. So I get it. I know I have seen many people pulling large trailers on long distance trips though. I have options though. One is to rent.

I just looked up truck rentals. Basically I can get a 1 ton Ram 3500. Crew cab. It says payload is 6000#.

How much better is my situation with this $1300 per week option?
Well, a 3500 is a LOT of truck. You won't even know that trailer is back there. I'm thinking you could safely tow that trailer with most current model 1/2 ton trucks, including your passengers. Like an F150 EcoBoost.
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Old 02-28-2019, 09:01 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rktect23 View Post
I could probably just use the search function BUT......., that won't make me more a part of this community so I will just ask.

My TT has a GVWR of 5200# and my tow vehicle has a GVWR of 5000#. The dry weight of the TT is 4200#. I will be traveling with three other people. I am 190#, fiancé is 120#, son is 160# and my daughter is 100# That is 570# in flesh. Am I supposed to be including flesh weight into my calcs here? If so that means my tow vehicle is already at 4200# plus 570# or 4770# leaving me with an allowable gear weight of 230# because my tow vehicle is the limiting factor here.

Tell me that isn't so. PLEASE.

Or better yet, tell me I can pull 5000# in trailer on top of some more stuff in the tow vehicle. 2018 Chevy Traverse premier.
The towing capacity of that vehicle is listed at 1500 lbs. Don't even bother hooking up to that TT. If you have the trailering package it moves up to 5000 lbs. Still to much even for local towing IMO. You want to be at 70-75% of your tow capacity to try and even be close to your real world limits like payload. The yellow sticker in the drivers door will tell you your specific limits. You don't need a 1 ton dually to pull it, a regular crew cab half ton will do the job nicely. You can do whatever you want it just isn't good for your tow vehicle and certainly won't be enjoyable.
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Old 02-28-2019, 09:08 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rktect23 View Post
I could probably just use the search function BUT......., that won't make me more a part of this community so I will just ask.

My TT has a GVWR of 5200# and my tow vehicle has a GVWR of 5000#. The dry weight of the TT is 4200#. I will be traveling with three other people. I am 190#, fiancé is 120#, son is 160# and my daughter is 100# That is 570# in flesh. Am I supposed to be including flesh weight into my calcs here? If so that means my tow vehicle is already at 4200# plus 570# or 4770# leaving me with an allowable gear weight of 230# because my tow vehicle is the limiting factor here.

Tell me that isn't so. PLEASE.

Or better yet, tell me I can pull 5000# in trailer on top of some more stuff in the tow vehicle. 2018 Chevy Traverse premier.
Is this really a 2018 Traverse Premier? I went into these calcs really sceptical, but... a quick googling on the specs for a 2018 Traverse shows a curb weight of 4300lbs and a GVWR of 6100lbs*. Which would be good, because 6100# - 4300# of car - 570# of flesh = 1230# leftover. And 1230# of tongue weight is 15% of what gives us 8200lbs. So you should be good with just a 5000lb trailer.


*Now, as the internet is never wrong, you should go confirm the GVWR and payload numbers as printed on the stickers on your door jamb instead of on some random internet posting..
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Old 02-28-2019, 09:39 AM   #9
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The sticker says 1498 pounds of people and cargo
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Old 02-28-2019, 09:40 AM   #10
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https://www.gmfleet.com/content/dam/...wing-guide.pdf

From that, a properly equipped (trailer package?) a 2018 Traverse is rated to tow a 5000 pound trailer. You're right to be concerned and looking at other factors, like payload.

Ahh, yes, a trailering package, see page 278 of your owner's manual:
https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam...ers-manual.pdf
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Old 02-28-2019, 10:22 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rktect23 View Post
I could probably just use the search function BUT......., that won't make me more a part of this community so I will just ask.

My TT has a GVWR of 5200# and my tow vehicle has a GVWR of 5000#. The dry weight of the TT is 4200#. I will be traveling with three other people. I am 190#, fiancé is 120#, son is 160# and my daughter is 100# That is 570# in flesh. Am I supposed to be including flesh weight into my calcs here? If so that means my tow vehicle is already at 4200# plus 570# or 4770# leaving me with an allowable gear weight of 230# because my tow vehicle is the limiting factor here.

Tell me that isn't so. PLEASE.

Or better yet, tell me I can pull 5000# in trailer on top of some more stuff in the tow vehicle. 2018 Chevy Traverse premier.
Someone on this forum “telling” you that you can tow a trailer does not mean you can or should. You can find any answer you want on the internet. You will have your fiancé and children in the vehicle and you’ll be sharing the road with other drivers. Accurately determining the weights is imperative. That responsibility falls on you.

As far as renting a truck for $1300/wk, at what point would the rental cost exceed the cost of simply buying a TV capable of towing the trailer?
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Old 02-28-2019, 10:46 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by Rktect23 View Post
Am I supposed to be including flesh weight into my calcs here? If so that means my tow vehicle is already at 4200# plus 570# or 4770# leaving me with an allowable gear weight of 230# because my tow vehicle is the limiting factor here.

Tell me that isn't so. PLEASE.

Or better yet, tell me I can pull 5000# in trailer on top of some more stuff in the tow vehicle. 2018 Chevy Traverse premier.
Sorry Charlie, but you bought an SUV for hauling "flesh", not a tow vehicle. So no, you cannot tow a 5,000 pound trailer of any kind without being overloaded because your tow vehicle has a max towing capacity of 1,500 pounds.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chevrolet
2018 Chevy Traverse
Weights and Capacities

Curb weight: 4,362 lbs.
Gross vehicle weight: 6,160 lbs.
= max gross payload of 1,798 lb.

Towing Capacity: 1,500 lbs.

The weight of passengers, cargo and options or accessories may reduce the amount you can tow.
Towing capacity of 1500 lbs. is the max trailer weight your Chevy can PULL, but assumes you do not exceed any other weight capacity of the SUV, including payload. Payload capacity available for trailer hitch weight is the common limiter as to how much trailer you can tow with most tow vehicles, but for your Traverse the limiter is probably the 1,500 pounds tow rating.

If you wanted to tow a 5,000 pound trailer without being overloaded, Chevy made a 2018 SUV that will do it. Tahoe with the 5.3L V8 engine has GVWR of 7,100 and tow rating of 6,600, or with the max trailering pkg, 8,600. The longer Suburban would also do it. But not a Traverse.

Here are the specs for the a shouda/woulda /coulda 2018 Tahoe.
https://www.chevrolet.com/previous-y...iveTypeOne=2WD
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Old 02-28-2019, 10:57 AM   #13
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The sticker says 1498 pounds of people and cargo
In that case... 1498# available for people, stuff and tongue weight, less 570lbs of people gives 928lbs available for tongue weight. 928 is 15% of what trailer weight, gives you 6186lbs... which is significantly greater than your 5000lbs GVWR trailer. So from a payload standpoint you'll probably be ok. The last thing to check is the receiver sticker on the tow vehicle's hitch. It'll tell you the hitch's max tongue weight with a WDH. If that's greater than your expected tongue weight, the only thing left will be to load it all up and verify it all with a CAT scale...
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Old 02-28-2019, 11:03 AM   #14
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Sorry Charlie, but you bought an SUV for hauling "flesh", not a tow vehicle. So no, you cannot tow a 5,000 pound trailer of any kind without being overloaded because your tow vehicle has a max towing capacity of 1,500 pounds.



Towing capacity of 1500 lbs. is the max trailer weight your Chevy can PULL, but assumes you do not exceed any other weight capacity of the SUV, including payload. Payload capacity available for trailer hitch weight is the common limiter as to how much trailer you can tow with most tow vehicles, but for your Traverse the limiter is probably the 1,500 pounds tow rating.

If you wanted to tow a 5,000 pound trailer without being overloaded, Chevy made a 2018 SUV that will do it. Tahoe with the 5.3L V8 engine has GVWR of 7,100 and tow rating of 6,600, or with the max trailering pkg, 8,600. The longer Suburban would also do it. But not a Traverse.

Here are the specs for the a shouda/woulda /coulda 2018 Tahoe.
https://www.chevrolet.com/previous-y...iveTypeOne=2WD
Actually I thought about the Tahoe but didn’t pull the trigger then. Might trade up though. But the 1500# you speak of is in error. The traverse premier comes with an upgraded tow package including radiator for cooling allowing for 5000# which is 200# lower than the previous traverse premier model that ended 2017.
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