Tow Vehicle

[rvhopeful]

Is anyone out there towing an Elkmont 24 with a Ford Edge or equivalent? - we are supposed to be able to tow up to 3500 pounds. (We will put on any necessary safety products as advised). What are your experiences? We are just in the looking stage but really like the idea of the extra space in the Elkmont at the light weight. But we don't want to make a mistake and buy something that's too big for us to tow safely. Thanks for any input.

 

[PopBeavers]

Make sure you allow for the extra stuff that you add. I carry about 1,000 pounds of stuff so my TM 2720 weighs 4,100 pounds ready to go, but the factory published empty weight is 2,742. 4,100-2,742= 1,358.

You probably have less stuff than I do.

Others will likely chime in soon regarding how much cargo you can or can not have in the Ford Edge.

The towing package has a 4 wire plug. You will need a plug with more wires.

 

[Shrimpburrito]

My 2720SL is about 2,800 lbs dry, roughly the same as the Elkmont IIRC. Loaded with factory options like AC, awning, etc. that are NOT included in the dry weight, plus water, food, clothes, camp chairs, etc., our TM weighs about 4,100 lbs. That is obviously more than the Flex's tow rating. And generally, I don't want my trailer to exceed more than 75% of the tow rating. But there are other factors as well, like Gross Combined Vehicle Weight, which is the combined weight of the tow vehicle and trailer. The more you pack in the Edge, the less you can tow. That 3500 lb rating is probably for an empty tow vehicle, and only 1 occupant -- the driver.

Bottom line: I wouldn't tow ANY TM with an Edge ANYWHERE, with the possible exception of the TrailMini. You could quite possibly tow that with an adequate safety margin.

You don't mention where you live. You'll need a more capable tow vehicle if you are towing in mountains vs. the prairie states, for example.

Dave

 

[brulaz]

Our 24' Elkmont weighs in at about 3700# with food, clothing, propane and other gear. So I don't think a 3500# towing capacity is good enough.

Its hitch weight is 620# so your vehicle also needs a hitch rating of maybe 650#.

We use a weight distributing hitch that shifts 200# of that back to the trailer axle leaving about 420# carried by our tow vehicle. Add 330# of people and that leave's only 250# for gear in our half ton (1000#) pickup. We're usually over that unfortunately ... Not sure what the payload capacity of your vehicle is, but the hitch weight of the Elkmont can really eat into it.

 

[PopBeavers]

I found a bit more info

8400lbs is the GCWR... that means that your Edge, your trailer, your passengers and anything in the vehicle/trailer combined should not be over 8400lbs.

 

[Redhawk]

Reading thru other postings, it seems that the general consensus is that you need a TV with at least a 5000 lb tow rating. I'm not speaking for others, just what I read. I think 5000 is even pushing it a bit. At least here in the mountains. Good luck though...hope you can make it work. Would the 22' Elkmont work any better??? I don't know the numbers on it.

 

[Brutus-TMO]

RVHopeful,
here's my 2 cents worth from the school of hard knocks. As long as you have a non-CVT tranny near sea-level, you might be ok. I had a Nissan Murano (CVT) rated at 3500 lbs, so I bought a 2005 model 2720. Dry weight well below 3500 so I'm good-to-go right? It no workie out so good. Took the camper 20 miles away to a nearby campground (at the same elevation BTW) to do a camper checkout and smelled that "burnt tranny smell" from the Murano after we had stopped. After changing my soiled underwear, I headed for various dealers to find the cheapest (new) thing I could find that would safely tow the camper. (Hint: that ruled out SUVs.) Ended up with a Nissan Frontier V6 (they gave me the best trade-in value on the Murano) and never looked back! 6100# tow rating in crew cab and 4WD trim.

After my experience, my advice is to find a 3500 pound something and tow it. Rent it, borrow it, tow it off the dealer's lot, whatever it takes. You will THEN have your answer my friend. Like the veterans here have said, forget dry weight. Add at least another 1000 pounds to be (relatively) safe. Good luck! r/Pat

 

[rumbleweed]

We would love to have you as part of the family, however if we don't discourage you from trying this, you will be unhappy with your TM and the forum. Being able to tow something ( move it around on a flat parking lot) and being able to move your TM to a location safely and enjoy it are two very different things. Look for something much smaller or get a larger TV.

 

[Bill]

rvhopeful -

Try the Search tool on "Ford Edge". There was a discussion a year or two ago. I think it mirrored what has been said above, which I can summarize as "I don't think so". My daughter has a Ford Edge, and it is a great vehicle for her needs. But the Class II hitch is a giveaway that a bigger trailer is not likely to work well.

Bill

 

[rvhopeful]

Thanks!!

We really appreciate all your honest and thoughtful answers to our question about the reality of towing the Elkmont 24 with a Ford Edge. We are senior citizens and don't think the mini would be big enough for us to be comfortable. My husband was eyeing a Buick Enclave on the highway tonight and I have a feeling he may be checking out its towing capacity soon. So, although we love our Edge, we may have to get a bigger tow vehicle. Safety and comfort are our goals. Thanks again for guiding us away from getting into more than we can handle. I hope we can become part of this community in the not-too-distant future.

 

[Bigbit]

We really appreciate all your honest and thoughtful answers to our question about the reality of towing the Elkmont 24 with a Ford Edge. We are senior citizens and don't think the mini would be big enough for us to be comfortable. My husband was eyeing a Buick Enclave on the highway tonight and I have a feeling he may be checking out its towing capacity soon. So, although we love our Edge, we may have to get a bigger tow vehicle. Safety and comfort are our goals. Thanks again for guiding us away from getting into more than we can handle. I hope we can become part of this community in the not-too-distant future.

I have a Buick Enclave and I tow a 24' Elkmont with it. I would not tow anything more than this with it, and living in Southern CA, I have certain self-imposed rules that I follow:

• Never travel above 5000 foot elevation
• Be careful in the selection of routes I take - I use a topo map before every trip to plan my route
• Only use campgrounds with full hookups and tow with all tanks as dry as possible
• Stay to 55 MPH or less (the law in any case in CA)
• Keep the packing to essentials only

Doing this, I have kept my gross trailer weight to under 3500 lbs (weighed at the local truck scale) and my tongue weight to about 550. We use a WDH and sway bar. I keep my brakes in top condition.

If you like the Enclave, I suggest that you consider a loaded Chevy Traverse as an alternative. Same basic body and drive train but with a superior engine and tranny cooling system, and because of this, it is rated for towing to 5200 lbs instead of 4500 lbs.