Newbie Towing Question

[keeley]

<p style="text-align: left;">Hello and thanks for letting me in!  I'm a retired divorced man with two small dogs.  Have decided to sell the old homestead here in frozen Minnesota and join the ranks of the RV community, primarily in the southwest.  I've looked at a number of different trailers and have come around to thinking the fiberglass types are best for me.  Have looked at both Casita and Oliver, though not in person.  Seems that the Oliver is the class act with the double hull construction.  I currently have a Chevy Trailblazer with the in-line 6, 300 CID, 270 HP with the trailer towing package, (7 qt oil, transmission cooler, hitch, etc.).  Here are the specs from the vehicle: GVWR 5750, OAWRFT 2950, OAWRRR 3200, MAXTRLR 5200, GCWR 10,500, VEHWT 4600.  Does this seem to be acceptable to haul a Legacy Elite II?

 

 

 

 

</p>

<p style="text-align: left;">Thanks for your input</p>

[Try2Relax]

Welcome. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it would. Even with a stripped down and empty Elite II you would be right up against your max trailer weight and also your combined weight.

 

In most setup cases, the trailer would end up weighing more than your trailblazer which would very quickly end up being a case of the tail wagging the dog, at the worst possible time.

 

One of the other numbers to look at, which you don't list, is what hitch weight the vehicle would be able to handle. My Elite II is about 800lbs at the hitch.

 

Being single with two small dogs, if you don't want to change your vehicle to something larger, maybe you could look at an Elite as they are quite a bit lighter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[donthompson]

Hitch weight or the weight on the tongue of the hitch will vary depending on many factors including what's in your Oliver and how the load is distributed. Like many Oliver owners, I've spent time at the CAT scales. I determined that my hitch or tongue weight was 500 lbs. when my camper weighed in at 4,920 lbs. Fully loaded for a camping trip with the black, grey and fresh water tanks partially full, I weigh in at about 5,100 lbs. I have to keep the tongue or hitch weight at 660 lbs. or less to tow it with my Touareg. One thing to pay close attention to is how level your Oliver is when it's hitched to your tow vehicle and ready for travel. You want it as level as possible!

[SeaDawg]

No experience with the Elite II. We have towed our 2008 Elite I with a Volvo Xc90, a short bed Silverado, and the most miles with our current Dodge Ram 1500, a 2008 4wd.

We have weighed our trailer and tongue, long ago, at a cat scale. All the vehicles are up to spec. Best towing experience in the mountains is the Dodge. The Volvo was just OK, and wouldn't want to do any challenging mountains with it and the trailer, honestly.

The 2005 Silverado was the most nimble, and fun, but no 4x4 , and only two seats. Hence, the Ram.

Sherry