Safely towing a NEW travel trailer??

[mistrbill]

Hi all;
I am new to myrvspace.com but have a serious dilemma. We are planing to purchase a new KOMFORT TT to replace our 15 year old EXCEL. We tow with a 2003 GMC Yukon XL Denali and have had no problem towing, but we want to know if we can SAFELY tow the newer, heavier, longer trailer.

We contacted GMG headquarters for engineering input and ended up with them referring me to our local dealer. I don't want to buy a new vehicle unless there is no way to use the one we have.

Specs on all three are;
Denali = 6.0 Engine, 4 speed auto transmission, 3.73 ratio differential, tow package.
EXCEL TT (old)= 24' long, dry weight 4530#, hitch weight 550#
KOMFORT TT (new)277TS =31' overall length, dry weight 7143#, hitch weight 945#.

Anyone that can help me would be appreciated. Is it safe to tow as is? What could be done to make it safe, helper springs, equalizer hitch or whatever?/
Thanks
Mistrbill

[tcwal]

There are several things you need to find out about your Denali in order to answer your question. First you need to know the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) and GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) of the Denali. This should be on a sticker on the side of the Driver's door on on the Driver's door frame. You also need to now the Curb Weight (empty weight) which you should be able to get from your dealer or the GMC website. Your trailer hitch should be marked with the maximum weight limits and the maximum hitch weight. You will also need to know the GVWR of the trailer and the loaded tongue weight.

I'd start by comparing the trailer's tongue weight to the hitch weight rating of your vehicle's hitch. If that's OK, compare the trailer GVWR to the tow rating for your vehicle's hitch. If your still OK, Add the Denali's curb weight, the weight of you and your passengers, the weight of any other cargo you will carry in it, and the tongue weight of the loaded trailer. Compare this to the GVWR for the Denali. If you are under the GVWR, add the weight you calculated to the GVWR of the trailer and compare this to the GCWR of the Denali.

If all these numbers checkout OK, you are probably within the manufacturers recommended maximum limits. I'd try to find out what GM recommends as the maximum trailer towing capacity for the Denali with the 6.0 and 3.73. Most of the recommendations I've seen recommend not exceeding 80% of the maximium towing capacity. Keep in mind that moving the load is not as big a problem as stopping it and you may not find out there is a problem until you really need to stop in a hurry. My gut feeling is that the Denali is probably not enough tow vehicle for the size trailer you are considering.

Good Luck and Safe Travels!

[beejay]

For what its worth, I would be a little concerned about the 3:73 gears. Your engine is sufficient but the higher gears may give you problems in hill country.

[bobvaughn]

I have been towing with this combination since 2000 and have never regreted buying my tow vehicle. If you have ever had to merge onto I-95 or I-75 you will understand that when you romp down on it you can get up and go....On I-95 at US17 in SC. the two merge for about 5 miles. I had to get up to above 75 mph in order to merge....there was just no other way....and I tow a 34' travel trailer......I have had two tow vehicles with the 4:10 rear and decided I could no longer afford to feed those vehicles and that was when gas was less than a dollar.....I saw a Chevy Kodiak 4500 towing a 20 trailer the other day talk about over kill.....I think if you check you can tow 9200 lbs of trailer....

[campinqt]

www.trailmanor.com lists every tow rating for every vehicle out there. I keep it book marked