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Old 10-09-2010, 09:10 PM   #1
jimmyriley
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Default Newbie TV and TT questions

I’m a newbie to the camping world and looking to purchase a TT. I haven't camped since i was a kid and want to start again. I’ve spent many many hours reading numerous posts on the forum but want to run my numbers by the more experienced.

I will get WD with Sway Control, a Transmission Cooler, and Brake Controller prior to purchase.

Most TT I’ve looked at are in the UVW of 4000-4500lbs with hitch weight included. Most have tongue weights listed at about 400-550lbs. I would prefer the max TT GVW at about 5000lbs once loaded. I am looking at Ultra Lites in the 23-25 foot range. So far, there are about 10 different TT’s the wife and I like and now just need to widdle down the list a bit. I am aware that I will need to get tongue weight at 13-15% while towing. I was recently directed to look at the TM and am impressed with what I read and see and now leaning towards one.

Current TV Specs:
2007 Trailblazer SS 6.0L LS2 V8, 2WD, 4.10 Rear End, Khumo STX KL-12 265/50R20 111V with Load Range XL and the max cold pressure of 50PSI listed on the sidewall. Rear Axles are semi floating and the suspension is with 5-Link Coiled springs. Also has Air Bag Leveling System.

Curb Weight Front- 2306
Curb Weight Rear- 2022
Total Curb Weight- 4328
CCC- 1673
GVWR- 6001

Hitch Specs:
Max Trailer Weight- 6800 w/WD
Max Tongue Weight- 912 w/WD
GCVW- 11,500 w/WD


Here are a couple of questions:
- Is my TV safe to pretty much tow any size Elkmont or TM?
- Any WD w/ sway control better than the other? I noticed that some trailers have swing hitches and may have difficulties with WD setups.
- Seems like a lot of the forum indicate issues/dislikes for the type of toilet and or its system. Are the newer models being upgraded due to numerous issues?

I appreciate and welcome any feedback you can provide. I can say for a fact that I am impressed with all the help the more experienced are providing to other forum users within the site.
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Old 10-10-2010, 09:57 AM   #2
brulaz
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Your TV should be fine. I'm impressed with the 1673# carrying capacity.

I doubt if you need sway control. We don't with our full upright Elkmont, but our TV has a 144" wheelbase which helps.

A WDH would be good though.

The upright Elkmonts (not sure about the folding trailers) can be purchased with a standard RV toilet, as opposed to the recirculating variety.
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Old 10-11-2010, 07:45 AM   #3
mtnguy
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Jimmy, as Bruce noted in his reply, he has a 144" wheelbase TV pulling his Elkmont. Wheelbase is important when considering a camper, especially a conventional full sized unit. A general rule of thumb is to divide the wheelbase of the TV in inches by 5 and that will equal the maximum recommended full sized camper you should tow in feet. So, Bruces' 144" wheelbase should be able to tow up to a 28.8' camper with relative safety. I am not familiar with the Trailblazer wheelbases, so do some calculating to see what length trailer might work for you.

Of course, fold down Trailmanors wouldn't fall into this calcuation, as they don't have the side area to be affected as much by wind and passing semis. But even with a fold down Trailmanor, a longer wheelbased vehicle would be good to prevent a jack-knife position in a hard braking situation.
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Old 10-11-2010, 10:41 AM   #4
PopBeavers
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Have you read this thread:

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...t=Trail+blazer
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Old 10-20-2010, 08:22 PM   #5
BigBear
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I have a Chevy Trailblazer with the inline six cylinder rated at 5200 lbs towing which is rated for less tower capacity than your trailblazer with the V8 at 6800 lbs. I have a 2007 2720SL trailer which weighs about 3500 lbs loaded. Your heavier duty trailblazer should probably be able to tow the bigger and heavier trailmanor which probably weighs closer to 4000 lbs loaded. I moved up from a ford explorer V6 with class 2 hitch and the 3500 lb towing capacity and found that with no wind I could easily tow at 70 mph on straights and curve with the trailblazer whereas I found that I could tow only comfortably around curves with my Explorer at a top speed of about 60 mph. I did experience one area that was exposed to the wind along the Columbia valley for an hour with my trailblazer where there was a strong side wind and found that I needed to slow down to 60 mph to feel comfortable driving. I am still working so only use my trailer for one month a year and find the trailblazer a good size for driving with or without the trailer. If I was retired and going to use the trailer more I might have bought a slightly larger tow vehicle such as a chevy tahoe and perhaps then I would not need to slow to 60 mph under high winds however these occur very seldom, maybe only less than 5% of the time. In general I think your tow vehicle would be fine and you probably would not even notice the wind because of your higher towing capacity and stiffer suspension. You definitely need some sort of weight distribution hitch however or you will bounce all over the place. I have a steep drive way and when I backed up the force was so high that I bent the swing hitch bracket and subsequently had to get rid of the swing hitch and simply weld it up to make it stronger but apparently very few others have had this problem and I suspect it is largely as a result of my steep driveway and the excessive force that this puts on swing hitch with the 750 lb equalizer bars. I hope this info helps a bit. I am not an expert but this is my experience with my chevy trailblazer
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Old 10-20-2010, 09:15 PM   #6
Wavery
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Barry C Anderson View Post
I have a 2007 2720SL trailer which weighs about 3500 lbs loaded.
Have you ever had your trailer on the scales? My bet is that you may be over 4000# loaded for camping. Not that it matters a whole lot for you. However, a lot of prospective buyers (that read these threads) get the wrong impression about the weight of a fully loaded camper and make serious decisions on seriously flawed guesstimates.

Our (soon to be someone elses) '98 2720 weighs 4000# loaded. I'll find out what our (Nu2us) '04 2720SL weighs in a few weeks bit I'll bet that it is well north of 4000# loaded.
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Old 10-20-2010, 09:59 PM   #7
BigBear
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Default never weighed

No I would like to have weighed it, so you may be right. I travelled with a bike hitch and 2 bikes, airconditioner, awning, two propane tanks to upper cupboards food and clothing and other equipment barbeques and heaters etc so yes I could be more than 3500 but only kind of a guess. I will have to weigh it.
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Old 10-20-2010, 10:11 PM   #8
BigBear
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No I would like to have weighed it, so you may be right. I travelled with a bike hitch and 2 bikes, airconditioner, awning, two propane tanks to upper cupboards food and clothing and other equipment barbeques and heaters etc so yes I could be more than 3500 but only kind of a guess. I will have to weigh it.
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Old 10-21-2010, 07:06 AM   #9
PopBeavers
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I weighed my TM 2720 once and it was 3,380 on the TM axle. I did not weigh the tongue, but many report numbers anywhere between the upper 300's and close to 500. My guestimate is that my fully loaded 2720 weighs between 4,000 and 4,100 pounds as I tow it down the road.

The only weigh to be lighter is to not carry water (I carry 46 gallons) and take less stuff.

It is my opinion that the amount of stuff you take is proportional the the amount of space that you have. In a bigger TM, any space beyond what my 2720 has would be consumed by my wife.

I can go backpacking with my daughter for 4 days and we each carry 35 to 40 pounds. It sometimes amazes me what the TM weighs by comparison.
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