Max towing safely is only 3500 lbs - prove me wrong

[eyetelle]

I had the dealer install the hitch and a 7 pin harness. They said no problem and included the brake controller as well. The 7 pin harness fits into the OEM hitch assembly under the bumper nicely like it is meant to be there.

Also, do you have the self leveling package? If not does it sag quite a bit fully loaded?

 

[Isthisidused]

Also, do you have the self leveling package? If not does it sag quite a bit fully loaded?

According to the promo literature it should have self leveling installed on the SXP (Canada). From what has been discussed in these forums, it's a special type of shock that adjusts after driving a few miles. I haven't drove far enough yet. If I remember, I'll try to take some measurements, but not sure if there will be a noticeable difference with the weight distribution system.

 

[eyetelle]

According to the promo literature it should have self leveling installed on the SXP (Canada). From what has been discussed in these forums, it's a special type of shock that adjusts after driving a few miles. I haven't drove far enough yet. If I remember, I'll try to take some measurements, but not sure if there will be a noticeable difference with the weight distribution system.

Ok please keep us updated!

 

[jkjkjk]

Anyone have a sense about towing a U-Haul trailer? Ibelieve U-Haul uses 4-pin, no trailer brakes. But Telluride OM says max trailer weight with no brakes is 1,650 lbs. Meanwhile, the empty weight of a 5x10 trailer is 1,250 lbs.

Do folks agree that means limited to a 400 lb load with that trailer?

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[2020Telly]

Anyone have a sense about towing a U-Haul trailer? Ibelieve U-Haul uses 4-pin, no trailer brakes. But Telluride OM says max trailer weight with no brakes is 1,650 lbs. Meanwhile, the empty weight of a 5x10 trailer is 1,250 lbs.

Do folks agree that means limited to a 400 lb load with that trailer?

I agree it doesn’t add up. Which is why I’m hoping there is just confusion from poorly written manual specs.

 

[eyetelle]

Anyone have a sense about towing a U-Haul trailer? Ibelieve U-Haul uses 4-pin, no trailer brakes. But Telluride OM says max trailer weight with no brakes is 1,650 lbs. Meanwhile, the empty weight of a 5x10 trailer is 1,250 lbs.

Do folks agree that means limited to a 400 lb load with that trailer?

Yes sir, you might want to find a slightly Less heavy trailer so that you might be able to tow a bit more. Either that or just throw some trailer brakes on there.

 

[jkjkjk]

Yes sir, you might want to find a slightly Less heavy trailer so that you might be able to tow a bit more. Either that or just throw some trailer brakes on there.

Thank you. Yes, I agree that if this is the correct read, you are right that you can get a less heavy trailer to gain a few pounds useful load. But, I'm not sure about the trailer brakes because even if if you install the equipment on the Telluride, the U-Haul rentals don't come with them.

 

[eyetelle]

Thank you. Yes, I agree that if this is the correct read, you are right that you can get a less heavy trailer to gain a few pounds useful load. But, I'm not sure about the trailer brakes because even if if you install the equipment on the Telluride, the U-Haul rentals don't come with them.

From my understanding, the Telluride has some pretty decent brakes built-in. As long as you're staying within specs, they're saying you should be good to go!

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[eyetelle]

I had the dealer install the hitch and a 7 pin harness. They said no problem and included the brake controller as well. The 7 pin harness fits into the OEM hitch assembly under the bumper nicely like it is meant to be there.

Which dealer?

 

[Isthisidused]

Which dealer?

A dealership in Edmonton Alberta. Northside Kia.

 

[eyetelle]

A dealership in Edmonton Alberta. Northside Kia.

Gotcha.

 

[Bjakub82]

I have a 17 foot travel trailer. I pulled it with our 2016 Sorento ex V6 prior to Telly. I have a weight distribution/anti-sway set up with it. Trailer is about 3400 lbs dry.

What is the rated tongue weight of that travel trailer you are pulling? I am looking at similar trailers that I intended to pull with the Telly and they range between 350-400 lbs.

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[Isthisidused]

What is the rated tongue weight of that travel trailer you are pulling? I am looking at similar trailers that I intended to pull with the Telly and they range between 350-400 lbs.

I would have to check the trailer for exact weight, but 350 - 400 sounds right based on the weight of the trailer. The tongue weight they list is likely before battery and propane added, so don't know how much weight those add to tongue. I will check and post the stats.

 

[2020Telly]

I would have to check the trailer for exact weight, but 350 - 400 sounds right based on the weight of the trailer. The tongue weight they list is likely before battery and propane added, so don't know how much weight those add to tongue. I will check and post the stats.

In my experience, most 17’ footers have a 350-500 dry hitch weight because they don’t have the length that a 21 or 22’ trailer might have to lower the hitch weight on the tongue. So you need a tongue weight of 500 to support the 17’ trailer with cargo.

 

[Bjakub82]

It did good. I would always tow in sport mode. It pulled with not too much effort and I didn't have any issues. It certainly has enough power. With the Telly and Sorento, when I hooked up the trailer, it sagged the back end quite a bit, but once we had the weight distribution set properly, the sag was only about an inch, so a WD definitely helps. I only tested the Telly around the block pulling trailer, but am towing it for the first time on highway this weekend.

Isthisidused, how did the road trip go? I'm very curious how the Telly performed towing your travel trailer. Just to clarify, you have the factory hitch installed, not aftermarket correct? Anything you can share about your experience would be great!

 

[Bjakub82]

I just sent the following message to their headquarters...

Hi James, I'm hoping you can help me.

My family and I have been considering a few different vehicles to tow a trailer.

I currently own a Kia stinger, which I absolutely love, and we own a 2013 Honda Odyssey which we're looking to upgrade.

We are looking at the Kia Telluride (Preferred) and the Honda Pilot.

The pilot is rated for 5000 lb towing capacity and a 500 lb tongue limit.

The Kia Telluride is rated at a 5000 lb towing capacity and a 351 lb tongue limit.

According to the KIA Telluride manual, it's saying that you can never exceed a tongue weight of 10% of whatever it is you're carrying.

So if I work the numbers backwards on that, that means I should only be able to safely carry 3500 lbs. Because 10% of 3500 lb is a 350 lb tongue weight.

I'm trying to understand why exactly you guys would rate a vehicle for a 5,000lb tow with a 7% tongue limit (351 lbs)?

If I was to tow a vehicle loaded like that, it would be completely unbalanced and might cause a crash.

Your tongue limit is always supposed to be 10% of your towing capacity. So 10% of 5000 is exactly 500 pounds. That's all within normal specs within the towing community.

If you're not quite as familiar with the towing world, here's the reasoning....

Manufacturers have a tongue weight limit because if you put too much weight on the tongue...

- Your suspension may not support the extra weight and cause the vehicle to sag to the floor

- It could also tweak the frame then the doors don't close quite right

- The tires can also pop if they're too heavily loaded

- The Trailer hitch may break

Proper trailer balancing is also extremely important. If there's not enough weight on the trailer tongue it can cause major trailer sway.

That's why you guys require (per the manual) the 10% balancing limit. So theoretically, if you've got a 5000 pound load behind you, to properly balance you need 500 lb in front of you on the trailer tongue.

If I was to load up a 5,000 pound load behind me and only put 350 lb on the trailer tongue - that means I would be unbalanced and the trailer could sway and move very unsafely.

I have been all over the internet, I have been on forums, I have talked to the service advisors, I have also talked with dealerships, I've called your corporate office, and no one can seem to help answer this question.

I'm just trying to understand the mechanics or the science behind your combination of specs?

Is the current trailer tongue weight based on the factory-installed hitch or is it based on the frame weight capacity of the vehicle?

I'm just trying to figure out how I can safely tow 5000 lbs. Can you please advise? it'll really help me make a decision as to whether or not the Telluride is right for our family.

Thank you.

Eyetelle, from the email you sent to headquarters couple weeks ago, did you get any feedback? You had some great points in there i'd be curious to see what Kia corporate had to say.

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[eyetelle]

Lol, nothing

 

[Isthisidused]

Isthisidused, how did the road trip go? I'm very curious how the Telly performed towing your travel trailer. Just to clarify, you have the factory hitch installed, not aftermarket correct? Anything you can share about your experience would be great!

Thanks for the reminder! Sorry for long post. I have now done a couple trips. One was 90 min and the other about an hour. Both trips have been good, no issues. I would say it definitely tows better than the 2016 Sorento EX we used to tow same trailer. I like to switch to manual on hills to gear down as the cruise control isn't great on hills.

No issues with swaying or bouncing up and down after going over bumps. The lane assist (keeping vehicle in the lane) helps a lot and makes it easy to tow, especially if there is cross wind. Makes it easier on the arms.

I even towed with about half a tank of water for one trip so that increased the weight. Btw, it's a 17 foot trailer with slide out.

The dealer installed the hitch, 7 way plug and brake controller before we took delivery of the vehicle (and included as part of the purchase) so I assume it's factory hitch.

I took some photos when I stopped for gas, had to take them quickly. Not sure if it has self leveling shocks or not, but there isn't much back end sag. I also have a weight distribution hitch. I will post a pic of the installed hitch when I get home. Hope this helps, let me know if anyone has any questions.

TL;DR the Telly tows great!

 

[eyetelle]

I would have to check the trailer for exact weight, but 350 - 400 sounds right based on the weight of the trailer. The tongue weight they list is likely before battery and propane added, so don't know how much weight those add to tongue. I will check and post the stats.

Hey bud, just curious what the model of your trailer is?

 

[Isthisidused]

Hey bud, just curious what the model of your trailer is?

It's a Viking 17bhs - bunks and a slide out for dining table. Really happy with it so far. Bring able to park in backyard is a bonus too.