blt2ski
Kirkland, Wa
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Me Again wrote:JIMNLIN wrote:A 31'-33' TT on a mid size suv with P tires may not make for a fun towing experience. Thats a long tall wall for side winds and passing semis to push on.
Now if the suv was on a '08 3/4 ton chassis 6.x engine and 3.73-4.10 gears with LT E tires with 5xxx fawr and 6xxx rawr then it would be a great handling combo in the wind on on the interstate around semi trucks.
AKA as a rare 2500 Chevy Suburban! One has to go back to 2001-2006 models however to get the 8.1L with Allison transmission, with is a towing beast and likes gas.
Burbs DID NOT get the Allison behind the 8.1, they got a 4L85E 4sp auto.
With this in mind .....
Having 4 kids myself. Back in 92 when I bought a TT, we six weighed about 750-800 lbs. Once I had 4 adult sized teenagers, we were closer to 1200 to a bit over that! How much payload does your Armada have?
Realistically you will want something with 2500-3500 lbs. Which is going to put you into a 25-35 series 8lug van, crew cab pickups. I would not pull my old 25' 7000 lb total with my teenage kids, with my current GM 1500.
The chassis itself is fine with a couple, 700 lbs of hitch weight, I'm at it's 2000 lb payload limit.
Get a bigger tow rig! Then look at one of those trailers!
Marty
92 Navistar dump truck, 7.3L 7 sp, 4.33 gears with a Detroit no spin
2014 Chevy 1500 Dual cab 4x4
92 Red-e-haul 12K equipment trailer
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Grit dog
Black Diamond, WA
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Echo the rest of the comments, a bit over your skis on all accounts.
Would I hitch up a 7500lb trailer to an older Armada and tow it? Absolutely, but I wouldn’t personally enjoy it, the vehicle would be maxxed out on capability and I’d presume I’d be relying on my years of experience doing sketchy sht with trailers to keep er rubber side down.
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SteveAE
Bend, Oregon
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Sometimes, tow capacity isn't the whole story.
While the vehicle may be able to tow the trailer on the interstate just fine (all be it, probably slowly going uphill), you might want to investigate how well it do the much more critical task of slowing/stopping it....especially on steeper grades.
Perhaps you could rent/borrow a similarly sized/weight trailer for a few hours to see how it would work? Not on I-5, but up and down some long, steep, hills (i.e.; West or North/East entrances to Death Valley).
When we started RV'ing, we towed our 22' trailer with an older (2006) Toyota Tundra. And while we were within the tow limit, and didn't mind being passed by bicycles going uphill, it really sucked to have brake fade dropping into Death Valley (or similar). Switched to a 1 ton diesel and instantly learned that there was a night and day difference in the towing experience between being on the edge vs. having lots of margin.
Anyway, something to chew on and hope this helps.
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MitchF150
Puyallup, WA
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I don't recall you stating any of your vehicles weight ratings?
It's not all just about the hp/tq of a vehicle. Sounds like you are going to have a full load of humans as well. No prior experience towing anything at your vehicles max ratings before and first time rv'er..
My 2013 F150 is what I feel is maxed out towing a #7000 26' TT. It can tow more, but I won't enjoy the tow if I did that. Right now, it's comfortable and there are only 2 of us in the cab.
Lots to consider for sure.. I know when I was a kid, the last place I wanted to be while "camping" was in the trailer with mom and dad! ![[emoticon]](https://forums.motorhome.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/smile.gif "smile") I always put up my little pup tent or just plain slept outside.. Yes, I know that's not what is done these days, but there you go!
Good luck! Mitch
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/XG8H0uzm.jpg?1)
2013 F150 XLT 4x4 SuperCab Max Tow Egoboost 3.73 gears #7700 GVWR #1920 payload. 2019 Rockwood Mini Lite 2511S.
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mkirsch
Rochester, NY
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Exact weight ratings are irrelevant. You only need a general idea of what the Armada is capable of towing to know that this isn't a great idea.
Putting 10-ply tires on half ton trucks since aught-four.
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Thermoguy
Graham, WA
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I always see people talking about dry weight and loaded weight then think they can get away with hauling the trailer with empty tanks. This is inaccurate and when considering weights, you need to consider all tanks full. I most often tow into a campground with my fresh water full. More often than not the fresh water is full every time I tow even if I know there is water at my site. I seldom have a site with full hookups, so I have to tow out of the location with my grey and black full - maybe just to the dump, but often to a dump off site or down the road. I am capable of hauling with all 3 tanks full, so its not an issue for me, we like to boondock so I will have full tanks when I leave. But, just because a campground has services, what do you do if they are out of commission or unavailable when you are there. Best to be within your limits so it is not an issue.
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Huntindog
Phoenix AZ
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Before even looking at the weights, A TT that size has a LOT of sail area. Perhaps a large pop up would give you the room you need, without the large sail. Probably be lighter as well.
Huntindog
100% boondocking
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Durb
NW
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I towed a 25 ft. OAL 6,000# trailer with a 2008 Nissan Titan which I believe was pretty much the same as an Armada. This was in the state of Oregon so every trip greeted me with mountains. The engine was willing and eager to spin up although fuel economy was poor. My WDH incorporated anti-sway so I didn't have issues towing. The mirrors were poor. I upgraded the truck to an older 1 ton Ram because I wasn't confident in the durability of the Nissan and the brakes were of small diameter and poor; plus the rear differential was about the size of a soccer ball. I wouldn't have wanted the trailer to be any longer.
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ktmrfs
Portland, Oregon
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I think once you take GVWR and cargo rating, subtract 2 adults, 4 kids, cargo you will find that your allowed remaining cargo and GVWR will be well below what any real 33ft trailer is.
Fact: I have a 2500HD 3/4 ton diesel and tow a 32 ft "super light weight trailer". yes, "dry weight" seems reasonable, but once loaded, tongue weight with full propane, batteries, some water another story, almost 9,000lbs loaded, 1400lb tongue weight. With DW and I and 1 daughter and 2 grandkids and SOME stuff in the bed, we have used up the 2600lb cargo capacity and are at 10,000lbs GVWR. With myself and son and 1 dirt bike and gear...... same picture at 10,000lbs.
Now for the towing experience. I have reese Dual cam WD hitch. yes, this combo with the truck makes a great towing rig, but I'd NEVER NEVER think of towing the same trailer with something like an armada, tundra, burb, etc.
And a final note, several camping friends of ours started out with mid 25ft trailers and tow vehicles like the OP has...... it didn't take them more than a few trips to decide they had WAY overestimated the towing capability of the vehicle and decided they made a BIG mistake. Either way downsized trailers or went with better tow rigs.
* This post was
edited 01/14/23 09:54pm by ktmrfs *
2011 Keystone Outback 295RE
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time2roll
Southern California
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Trackrig wrote:One of the items I find interesting when a mfg states a towing capacity, is they never mention whether their rating is good for a trip to a camp ground 100 miles away on flat ground, or going across the US crossing the Continental Divide on very long trips over several months.
The Armada will probably do fine to a campground a 100 miles away, but it doesn't have the transmission, rearend or brakes for longhaul traveling.
Bill I never worry about distance as much as the max towing is with only a 150# driver... absolutely nothing else in the base no options vehicle.
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