Tow Vehicle for Imagine

[Stan Laurel]

Hello - I guess I will be the first poster here. I am planning on purchasing an Imagine TT for my family of 3 (hoping they come up with a smaller version since the only one I can find sleeps 10). I will be pulling the trailer with a '15 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel 4X4 with air suspension. Once I get new tires, it looks like it should be more than up to the task. Comments welcome!

 

[geberhard]

Well that is plenty of vehicle. I drove one for work for a couple weeks doing some bench marking. I liked it. I just picked up My Imagine last weekend. I am using a 2015 Nissan Armada right now. We will see what I get next. I get a new vehicle about every 8-9 months.

 

[Mandtscan]

Sounds like more than enough vehicle to me. We pick up our 2800 bh Saturday and I'm towing with a 2010 Toyota Tundra. From what I understand, the dry weight is only about 50% of its towing capacity. So I imagine (no on intended) you will be just fine.

~Matt

 

[Hunter]

Sounds like more than enough vehicle to me. We pick up our 2800 bh Saturday and I'm towing with a 2010 Toyota Tundra. From what I understand, the dry weight is only about 50% of its towing capacity. So I imagine (no on intended) you will be just fine.

~Matt

How does your Tundra Pull it? i have been using my in-laws dually and i am picking up a truck in April. Looking at the crewmax. Have you done any 7% grades? Any insight would be helpful.

Ben

 

[Mandtscan]

Hi Ben,

The Tundra pulls it just fine. I have gone up and over a few mountain passes (not sure of the exact grade). Stability was good, tork was enough and the engine and transmission stayed cool. I was very impressed. I didn't try to get over the pass quickly and many times turned off overdrive and just cruised at about 55 mph and the engine stayed at about 3,300 rpm. Don't expect much gas mileage though. I usually get about 15-17 and I dropped to under 10 average when I towed it.. But hey, we don't buy these for the gas mileage.. Lol. All in all, I would say you are very safe as long as you get the crew max with the 5.7L V8. Good luck sir!!

~Matt

 

[Kordog]

One of these would do the trick just fine!!

 

[NachoFirme]

Checking in here with another tundra, I'm over the tow cap and it can pull up and down 6% grades all day, coming back from ocotillo I was passing semis and other people towing trailers climbing a grade and my truck stayed in 3rd gear at 3400rpm for over 12 minutes, needles never moved on my dash temp-wise.

 

[mbaker]

Checking in here with another tundra, I'm over the tow cap and it can pull up and down 6% grades all day, coming back from ocotillo I was passing semis and other people towing trailers climbing a grade and my truck stayed in 3rd gear at 3400rpm for over 12 minutes, needles never moved on my dash temp-wise.

Hi NatchoFirme: I wanted to use a Tundra (nice trucks) but couldn't get enough payload capacity for towing a fifth wheel, too bad Toyota doesn't consider that important. Looking at your picture, I'm thinking you might need some air bags in the back...should level things up.

Ben

 

[Pburleson]

New to the GD forum. My wife and I are contemplating the purchase of a 2800 BH. Doing some research on our TV which is a 2011 Audi Q7 with the factory tow package. It is rated for 6600 lbs. tow weight and 660 lbs. tongue weight. This unit is close to both weights for our TV. We don't use our current TT for long trips. Most are less than 150 miles one way. Looking at the Air Stream forums there are several towing that weight and more with no issues. We would definitely use a WDH. Does anyone currently use the same setup or are there issues that I am not seeing?

 

[N9740b]

New to the GD forum. My wife and I are contemplating the purchase of a 2800 BH. Doing some research on our TV which is a 2011 Audi Q7 with the factory tow package. It is rated for 6600 lbs. tow weight and 660 lbs. tongue weight. This unit is close to both weights for our TV. We don't use our current TT for long trips. Most are less than 150 miles one way. Looking at the Air Stream forums there are several towing that weight and more with no issues. We would definitely use a WDH. Does anyone currently use the same setup or are there issues that I am not seeing?

Most are coming out of the factory around 6000lbs. Add propane and battery and you are at 6100lbs, maybe 6150lbs. That only leaves 450-500lbs, which is very difficult to stay within (one case of soda/beer is 20lbs). Looks like your Audi payload is about 1280 lbs, subtract your tongue weight from that allowing you about 600 lbs left in the vehicle, that is passenger weight and any cargo in the car itself. That is also assuming zero water to or from the campsite.

Also, "6600 lbs and 660lb tongue weight" is only 10% tongue weight, that is the very MINIMUM for a stable trailer that won't sway, and even at that depending on CG it may sway regardless. If you can't get to 12% tongue weight and stay within limits it may be too close. Some use 15% as a good starting point. Many of these tow ratings are geared towards boats which are more aerodynamic and tend to have their trailer tires closer to the back of the trailer.

Either way good luck!

 

[bosborn]

I am new to the GD forum and would love a little reassurance on my tow vehicle - this seems like the right thread.

I currently have a Wildwood X-Lite 231RKXL with a dry weight of 4975 and a GVWR of 7433 and I have had no troubles pulling this trailer, even up grades as steep as 11%. I am about ready to buy a 2800BH. Its sticker notes that it has a dry weight of 6100 and a GVWR of 7495. The 2800BH is four feet longer than my current trailer and as you can see its a bit heavier.

My tow vehicle is a 2010 F-150 SuperCrew cab with a 4.6L 3V motor, 145" wheelbase, a 3.31 axle ratio, a tow capacity of 8100lbs, a GVWR of 6900lbs, a GCWR of 13,500 and a payload rating of 1,681lbs.

It appears to me that I should be fine pulling the 2800BH, but would be interested in others thoughts. Thanks in advance!

 

[N9740b]

While 3.3 rear axle isn't ideal for towing, but you're within your ratings, and should be fine. You have good payload numbers for a 1/2 ton, so you should be able to load and go without too much worry, assuming those are payload numbers off your door jamb sticker. How many people in your truck? Looks like your truck is about 5300 empty? Your rear axle weight limit should also be on that door sticker.

Set it up correctly so you don't need one, but then have a good WD/anti sway hitch if you don't already have one. You'll need to be about 1000 lbs tongue weight to keep it above 12.5%. It will be easy to get that tongue too heavy and that will start eating into your truck payload numbers. Not much storage aft of the axle in the 2800.

For example with 1000 lbs of gear on top of a 6300ish empty weight (including propane and battery) a 15% tongue weight would be about 1200 lbs, leaving you 480 for people and cargo in the truck once hitch weight is accounted for (about 100lbs). Only 700 lbs of stuff and you're still at 1150 lbs (with hitch) tongue weight at 15%. If you more actively mange your tongue weight to 13% or so you'll have more payload capacity obviously.

 

[CMJ2800BH]

I am pulling my 2800BH with a GMC 1500 crew w/ 5.3 and 3:42 gears, 9400 tow capacity and 1600 payload. I am right at or a little over my payload (depending on how much crap I have in the truck bed and or an extra kid), under all other capacities including rear axle and TV tires. I did put extra load tires on the truck for stiffer sidewalls which helped with the "feel" going down the road. It pulls it fine, you know its there, but nothing scary. Trans temps run in the mid 190's, have seen 200 degrees once. I haven't been in mountains, only hills of Georgia, so cant help you there. But it does kick down from 5th gear to 4th on anything but slight inclines, maintains speed very well in 4th gear going up.

 

[bosborn]

Thanks for the info. I have a 10K four point Equalizer hitch and all numbers are from the door sticker or vin lookup. I also have a high end after market transmission cooler that kept temps steady with my old trailer even on sustained and steep climbs. Should I consider air bags to keep level or is that overkill? - or something I will only know after a trip or two? Any recommendations of a tongue scale to check if I am overloading the front?

With my old trailer I carried things like an extra folding table, chairs (recliner camp chairs that are fairly heavy), and occationally firewood. I was thinking I might be able to move those to the trailer assuming that those just add to payload weather they are in the bed of the truck or the front of the trailer. I could probably put those into the "bike storage" area under the bunks which puts them behind the axles.

Thanks for all the info, this forum is impressive.

 

[CMJ2800BH]

I have the Blue Ox with the 1,000 pound bars. My dead tongue weight (just a scale under the tongue jack, trailer not hooked to anything) is 960 pounds. Front pass through on the trailer slam full of stuff. With the hitch set and ready to go the truck sits about dead level with no modifications to the suspension. If I have extra load in the truck I can move stuff back to the bunk storage area, but haven't had to do it yet.

 

[CWSWine]

Here is what I would do. Before signing on the line I would look at the door jam and get the max payload off the yellow sticker. Then I would go to this site and put that number in and guess at the passengers and etc weights and see what weight TT that vehicle can tow. http://towingplanner.com/Calculators/TowingPayloadEstimate

Remember do not use dry weight of the trailer but add between 1000 and 1500 lbs to the dry weight. Yes, it is easy to get that much of weight in RV....

 

[bosborn]

Here is what I would do. Before signing on the line I would look at the door jam and get the max payload off the yellow sticker. Then I would go to this site and put that number in and guess at the passengers and etc weights and see what weight TT that vehicle can tow. http://towingplanner.com/Calculators/TowingPayloadEstimate

Remember do not use dry weight of the trailer but add between 1000 and 1500 lbs to the dry weight. Yes, it is easy to get that much of weight in RV....

Wow, that is a cool website with some great tools! It was easy and very informative.

Based on the results (entering a variety of weights to keep in mind that my kid is going to grow and may have a friend or two along) it shows that on average I can tow a loaded trailer of 6,500 to 10,000 lbs which is what I had guess-timated. The brochure for the 2800BH states its GVWR is 7495 and one of the calculators showed 7,600. I think I will be okay as long as I do not overload the front portion of the trailer and get that tongue weight up to high. I also worked through the other calculators and all show me within specifications and it gives me something to pay attention to when I have a tongue scale. Wish someone had shared this tool with me when I bought my other two trailers - not that I was out of spec with them, but this really makes evaluating various variables easy.

Thanks for sharing that!

 

[CWSWine]

Wow, that is a cool website with some great tools! It was easy and very informative.

Based on the results (entering a variety of weights to keep in mind that my kid is going to grow and may have a friend or two along) it shows that on average I can tow a loaded trailer of 6,500 to 10,000 lbs which is what I had guess-timated. The brochure for the 2800BH states its GVWR is 7495 and one of the calculators showed 7,600. I think I will be okay as long as I do not overload the front portion of the trailer and get that tongue weight up to high. I also worked through the other calculators and all show me within specifications and it gives me something to pay attention to when I have a tongue scale. Wish someone had shared this tool with me when I bought my other two trailers - not that I was out of spec with them, but this really makes evaluating various variables easy.

Thanks for sharing that!

Most sites ask for information that people that don't deal with it have hard time coming up with. This is easy to use and come really close if you are honest with the numbers. I would never use the max weights as gospel, I normally like to keep it toward the lower end or the scale.

 

[N9740b]

Wow, that is a cool website with some great tools! It was easy and very informative.

Based on the results (entering a variety of weights to keep in mind that my kid is going to grow and may have a friend or two along) it shows that on average I can tow a loaded trailer of 6,500 to 10,000 lbs which is what I had guess-timated. The brochure for the 2800BH states its GVWR is 7495 and one of the calculators showed 7,600. I think I will be okay as long as I do not overload the front portion of the trailer and get that tongue weight up to high. I also worked through the other calculators and all show me within specifications and it gives me something to pay attention to when I have a tongue scale. Wish someone had shared this tool with me when I bought my other two trailers - not that I was out of spec with them, but this really makes evaluating various variables easy.

Thanks for sharing that!

You can get a tongue scale online at Amazon for about $140 all in. Not a bad thing to have if you're close to your payload numbers, and it will always be worth $75-$100 used if you want to sell it. For a big trip it's nice just to slide it under there and see where you are at...."oh, I have 200 lbs left, I'll just throw the firewood in the bed"....or "That's close, maybe I should put the charcoal under the bunks".

Some will say if you're that close that you don't have enough truck.....I say no matter what your weights, towing rigs like these takes planning and weight and balance. Every semi does it, every airplane does it. Even if you had an 1 ton, you STILL want the trailer properly loaded. Sway is sway and the trailer doesn't know anything different than it being pulled on a ball hitch....whether that ball is connected to a 1/2 ton or full ton.

 

[Gstepp22]

You can get a tongue scale online at Amazon for about $140 all in. Not a bad thing to have if you're close to your payload numbers, and it will always be worth $75-$100 used if you want to sell it. For a big trip it's nice just to slide it under there and see where you are at...."oh, I have 200 lbs left, I'll just throw the firewood in the bed"....or "That's close, maybe I should put the charcoal under the bunks".

Some will say if you're that close that you don't have enough truck.....I say no matter what your weights, towing rigs like these takes planning and weight and balance. Every semi does it, every airplane does it. Even if you had an 1 ton, you STILL want the trailer properly loaded. Sway is sway and the trailer doesn't know anything different than it being pulled on a ball hitch....whether that ball is connected to a 1/2 ton or full ton.

Well said.

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