Thoughts on a 2019 Sequoia towing an Escape 21?

[B737driver]

I am a newbie that has not yet bought a tow vehicle or trailer. I have read many of the posts in this discussion and have read extensively on towing on numerous sites. I have a good "book" knowledge of towing but haven't towed anything for 40 years. I've used various tow calculators reccommended here: Changin' gears, RV Tow Check and Truck and trailer weight calculator. The results appear to support the ability of the Sequoia to tow with a 15-20% safety margin. Here are the numbers of the TV and the trailer:


Sequoia 4WD
GVWR - 7,300
GCWR - 13,600
Curb wt - 5,730
GAWR front - 4,000
GAWR rear - 4,280
Cargo cap. - 1,275
Tow cap. 4WD - 7,100
Tongue max. - 650


Escape 21
GVWR - 5,000
UVW + options & - 3,650
propane

GAWR front - 3,015
GAWR rear - 3,015


I expect to have 800-1000 lbs of personal gear which will be split between the TV and the trailer as needed. Any help is greatly appreciated.

[tuffr2]

My knee jerk response is you will be fine.

But then I saw the 1,200 lb cargo capacity which is on the low side. And the more I looked the less I liked your numbers. The Sequoia will be maxxed out as far as cargo. I am actually surprised at how low it is for such a big SUV.

I lugged a 5,000lb trailer around for a few years. I knew I was towing what felt heavy with my Honda Ridgeline.

How/why did you settle on the Sequoia? I am thinking you need a bit more cargo capacity.

Oh, I just drove through Cincinnati on my way to Columbus coming from Florida. The 1st thing I did was stop for Skyline Chilli...yum yum.

[T Money]

You'll be pretty over the cargo cap. You'll also struggle at any sort of mountain. That 5.7 guzzles gas and loses power at elevation. I recommend an Expedition EL.

[ttavasc]

I tend to agree that the lower cargo limit on the Sequoia is going to be a problem. One of my neighbor's tows an Escape 21 with a Ridgeline, but he's got over 1500 payload. You could load up the Sequoia with all the passengers and cargo you expect to carry when towing plus a full fuel tank and run it over a CAT scale. Subtract that value from the GVWR of 7300 to see how much cargo capacity is left for tongue weight. That would allow you to more realistically size a trailer that fits within the available capacity.

When we had our RAM 1500, which was even lower payload than your Sequoia, we had to compromise on a bit smaller camper or get a bigger TV. At the time we opted for the smaller camper. The Escape 17 is a bit lighter with a GVWR of 4000. We towed our single axle 195RB over 25K miles during the 4+ years we had it and it worked out great.

[sweetandsour]

We have an "18 Sequoia that we tow a 6000# tritoon. I won't say it "struggles" but its definitely not a vehicle that I would recommend for a tow vehicle on long trips. Fuel mpg drops from 18mpg to 8.5-9 while towing.