Towing Concern

Hi all,
I recently came across TrailManor and am very interested in buying one. The problem which might not be a problem at all is I own a 1995 Nissan extended cab pickup with a V6. It is in very good condition just over 130,000 miles and I just finished a valve job and it runs great. I have a Reese bolt in hitch rated at 5,000 lbs and the vehicle is rated it 3,500 lbs towing capacity. I used to two a ski boat all over California and never gave it a thought. So my question is how will my towing experience be with a TrailManor camper? I will probably put a new radiator and add a transmission cooler to my truck. Also electric brake control and if necessary some air bags or whatever is the best solution for a little extra weight.
Please give me some feedback.
Eventually we will get a better tow vehicle so if I have to go slow until then its OK. I would rather buy the bigger TrailManor and go slow until I can get a newer tow vehicle. I am getting pretty excited about the purchase. Years ago we had a Winnebago and we sure miss going camping. Thanks to all.

[TrailManorMan]

"Towing concern " is a good way to think, 3500 lbs. capacity I doubt is enough for a "big" TM. And barely enough for a small TM, that said the weights are empty and you won't pull empty

[Padgett]

First question is "how many of you are there ?". If just 2, one of the smaller ones is fine. Second there are a number of things that can be done to reduce weight but depend on the kind of camping you do. I just bought a 2720SL and really did not notice towing it as much as when towing a small car on the dolly and my Jeep has a v6.

That said there have been real improvements in tow vehicles (TVs) this century, both More Power, and More Gears.

Of course being in Atlanta the biggest challenge around is Monteagle pass, everything else is pretty flat and near sea level.

Besides it may convince you to upgrade a bit. Am biased but there are a lot of 2011-up Grand Cherokees with the factory towing package like mine around. See the thread on tow vehicles.

ps don't want to start a holy war but if you want speed, get a V8, if you want torque, I'll take a six any day.

[Bill]

OK. Speed? That's OK, but not really a concern since you shouldn't take your TM over 65 mph. Torque? That's more important, since it talks about how fast you can merge into traffic. But how about stopping capability? How about maneuverability in an emergency? How about rear axle load capability (GAWR-R)? Air bags or helper springs don't change this one, by the way. How about hitch weight?

We've talked about all this before, and though horserpower and torque get all the attention, don't forget the others - they are important, too.

Bill

[Padgett]

Agree and why I bought a GC after having been all GM since 1978: big 4 wheel disk brakes and independent rear end with ABS and traction control. Factory class IV towing package. 2238 lbs curb weight on rear (is almost 50-50) with a GAWR of 3700 lbs. 245x70x17s to match. Handles the 2720SL like a dream, was running 65-67 (mainly because I needed to familiarize myself with it and getting new tires) on cruise with air on NP. And can open the tailgate with the garage door down. Reminds me of my old Jags in a lot of ways except can rev a lot higher.

Is there anything worse than a convert ?

[scrubjaysnest]

We have the 4.7L v 8 in both the GC and the ram. For speed both have no trouble pulling the TM in the sweet spot of 62. Both have plenty of stopping power and the grunt for pulling in the mtns above 10,000 feet. GC doesn't pull the TM much, it spends its summers resting. For moving the TM is tight spots the GC is better.

I tow just fine with a vehicle rated to pull 3500lbs, but I am sensitive to adding weight and tow a 2720.
Use the search feature to find a number of discussions about towing and towing vehicles.

I put a deposit on 2000 3023 yesterday. The price was pretty good and the condition was real nice. It has Reese WDH too. I ordered what I need to install electric brakes on my Nissan. I'll just have to drive slow till we get a different vehicle. We are supposed to inherit a dodge Dakota 4door V8 later this year.

[Padgett]

Don't need to drive slow on the flats, just will take a while to get there but the HP needed to maintain a speed is a lot less than the torque needed to get there. My RV has 115 hp for a 6300 lb vehicle and cruises at 65-70 (26-2800 rpm in 5th) just fine.

Key is to leave a lot of room between you and the car in front so you do not need to do anything sudden and downshift on hills before you need to. Lugging an engine under load is a quick way to overheating.

First TM I looked at was a 1999 3023 with front bed but was "rode hard and put away wet".

As I said earlier I just need to tow with my Nissan for a few months and really don't know how many trips that will be. I installed a Trailer Brake controller this weekend, what a pain that was but I think its good to go. The unit is currently stored 34 flat miles from my house so I am going to pick it up Friday and work on it for a week or so. I really want to look at the electric brakes and hope they are OK if not I will replace them ASAP. Can't wait to start using the camper, very excited. I plan to take it back 34 miles but there is a lot of places to camp in that area so we will just pick it up on the way. I am talking to a Asphalt contractor about putting in another driveway on the side of our house but that is a whole other problem.
Thanks for all the answers. I'll let you know how my Nissan does next week.

I also bought a automatic trans cooler and a new radiator.