Santa Fe 2010 towing possibilities - how to start?

[Carmageddon]

Hi,

I am in Saskatoon, and we are newcomers here - sk didn't work out for us and I got a job offer in Halifax, so we need to move.

I have a 2010 Hyundai santa fe 3.5l that can tow up to 3500lb and 250 on the hitch (what does this mean? What is a trailer package?).

I would like to try and find a used travel trailer that I can use for this trip and generally travel later after we stabilize.

Is it possible to find something large enough for 4ppl + our crates (about 20 crates I guess) but that the car could still tow (will install transmission cooling, what else needed?)?

If not (and one trailer dealership Claims that not really, the car can barely take the smallest one without risking blowing up the transmission or something like that.

What can you advise on this car's possibilities? What upgrades can make it safe enough? If not, what about an enclosed cargo trailer? Although I don't understand why are trailers so heavy..
What hitch should I buy? Do I have any benefits of WD hitch? I read something about that in the forum..

Thanks!

[996Pilot]

A 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe is NOT a tow vehicle -- PERIOD.

[pianotuna]

Ship the cartons by rail. Drive the vehicle.

[pianotuna]

Ship the cartons by rail. Drive the vehicle.

[Lessmore]

That's a very long move. Your Hyundai is a 2010 and that's 7 model years, going on 8 model years (soon). This is around 4300 kms (Saskatoon to Halifax for example) and that's enough of a challenge for a new car, let alone one that age. If it was me, I would not recommend towing a trailer with a vehicle that old, front wheel drive that many miles/kms. Nothing against Hyundai's, but pretty well any car that age. I know moving is expensive, one of our family member recently moved from Manitoba to Newfoundland.

Same deal, also a 2010 car, different make. They shipped their car via either transport truck or train...can't recall which, don't know the cost. I would check it out. To me you want that older vehicle to survive, get you back and forth to work, etc...once you get to NS.

If you're towing a trailer that many kms/miles, I would think they could be hard miles. Just my opinion. Good luck, hope the Maritimes works out well.

[Lwiddis]

"one trailer dealership Claims that not really, the car can barely take the smallest one without risking blowing up the transmission or something like that."

Good dealer. He/she is honest about the Santa Fe's capabilities.

[agesilaus]

That dealer is right, a permissible tongue weight of 250 pounds translates to a 1250 pound weight trailer assuming there are no other loads on the hitch like a weight distributing hitch.

So you can haul a 1000 pound or so trailer where that is it's fully loaded weight. If you have 500 pounds of boxes to carry that means the trailer cannot weigh more than 500 pounds or so.

In other words forget about pulling a trailer with that vehicle.