Successfully towing my 3822lb Camper this weekend

[tazzytazzy]

Hello. Can I ask you a question as I am totally new to towing and just got my 2021 Telluride with tow package, about a month ago. So mine comes standard with a 7 pin hitch. I am looking at purchasing a Winnebago 2106DS Friday. The dealer is asking me what type of receiver I have, where I have a harness for connecting, and what the tongue weight is. He's telling me I'll need trailer brakes for $1,000. I was under the impression that I could buy a hitch (Another $1,000), and simply plug one into the other and go. Can I have you tell me how you set yours up? Thanks, Scott

Since this is your first time, take it slow. Drive slow. Give plenty of room ahead of you. Look far ahead to look for breaking and possibly coasting to save gas and having stop/start as much. Sometimes driving 5mph slower than traffic when coming to a red light may avoid you having to come to a complete stop. The good thing with the tandem axle, you'll get less trailer sway. This also means, you won't notice a flat tire on the trailer and this will lead to fires! Be sure to replace the newly provided tires within 1-2k miles if they are made in China. These tires explode or fail within 5-10k miles and have gained the nick name of "China bombs" (I hated typing that). Also, use a TPM for the trailer. Yes, they are extra $$$, but it's cheaper than your deductible and all the stuff inside. See: trailer tire fire at DuckDuckGo

We just spent the last 2 months looking at trailers and shopping. So not fun with nearly no stock anywhere and high prices. I suggest you look at 2019 or 2018 NADA guide to help you pricing your 2020. I hope you're not settling for a trailer as it does weigh pretty high for the Telluride, I'd suggest getting a smaller one without a slide to save a couple hundred pounds. The average dry weight on MFR specs are typically low.

The dry weight on the tongue is 360 for your trailer. A single battery will add 50-60 pounds and the 2 propane tanks will also add lots of weight. You also have to include your hitch, which can add 50-80 pounds. After your food, camp gear, clothes, water, waste water, etc, you'll easily get over 5000 pounds. The 2106DS can store 31 gallons of water, which when full, weights 264 pounds, leaving 300 or 400 pounds for people, clothes, food, and gear. Hope it's only one or 2 of you as bring a 3rd or 4th will put you over weight. You'll for sure want to keep weight to a minimum for your gear, for example use melamine dinnerware and plastic flatware.

The Mini Micro's are nice and are rated pretty good for build quality from what I've read. We wanted a Venture RV Sonic 199VRB. Has everything wanted: large fridge, oven, tandem, 3600 pound dry. But, they dealer is gouging around here and Venture RV doesn't require their dealers to honor their warranty. So, no buying elsewhere and bringing it to the local shop - they already told me they won't service it; Yelp reviews confirm that.

We just ordered a Kodiak Cub 177RB. It's small, the only thing we don't like is the lack of an oven. However, it's lighter weight and less maintenance due to no slide. Yes, most dealers will say they are much better than yester-years, but they still fail. Not removing fallen leaves before retracting slide is very bad for everything. We did find one dealer that said "yes, anything with a motor, gears, electrical, and seals can eventually fail which the slide has all those". We will be taking delivery hopefully in early to mid Feb. The great thing about this little trailer: it holds 52 gallons of fresh water, more than any other trailer we've seen. We plan to fill up only at the campground because 500+ pounds of water adds up.

I've started a couple Amazon shopping lists, I'll share it here:

Check out my list on Amazon

www.amazon.com

On there is a BlueOx WDH: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DMFO6...olid=2XD6EIT7S8DB8&psc=1&ref_=lv_vv_lig_dp_it

This hitch is good for trailers between 350-550 tongue weight. It also has the benefit of no grease for the sway bars, and you can backup the trailer with the sway bars still attached. It also doesn't weigh too much. A note about the WDH. It does transfer some of the weight to the front wheels, but you still cannot exceed the 500#'s total tongue weight, including hitch.

We don't get anything from you buying anything from the links above. Just my research on things to buy for the trailer.

Good luck and pack very light as you'll only have 100-200# total available cargo weight after 2 adults, batteries, propane, and WDH. :\ This doesn't leave much for camping hear, clothing, or food.

 

[tazzytazzy]

Hello. Can I ask you a question as I am totally new to towing and just got my 2021 Telluride with tow package, about a month ago. So mine comes standard with a 7 pin hitch. I am looking at purchasing a Winnebago 2106DS Friday. The dealer is asking me what type of receiver I have, where I have a harness for connecting, and what the tongue weight is. He's telling me I'll need trailer brakes for $1,000. I was under the impression that I could buy a hitch (Another $1,000), and simply plug one into the other and go. Can I have you tell me how you set yours up? Thanks, Scott

Did you end up buying this? How was the drive home?

 

[Rich1941]

Here's an electronic sway control system that operates on the trailer's electric brakes,
etrailer | Tuson Electronic Sway Control System Review - YouTube
The F150 has ESC for the truck and also brakes the trailer's too.
Telluride and Pallisades have ESC by another name for the vehicle and it's unclear whether they brake the trailer too.
This article refutes the value of mechanical sway control: Caravan and Tow Vehicle Dynamics (rvbooks.com.au) And it is the reason for my strong interest in trailer ESC

 

[rhouse]

I found this online travel trailer weight calculator which may be useful to some; Travel Trailer Weight Calculator

______________________________

 

[rhouse]

It's small and simple but that's all I need.

Salem FSX 177BH - Forest River RV

Details, floorplan, specifications, and more about the Salem 177BH Travel Trailers.

forestriverinc.com

Curious if you have towed this trailer yet and your experience?

 

[Stoney]

Curious if you have towed this trailer yet and your experience?

Towed like a dream, with a weight distribution hitch and Husky swaybar setup (lots of local roads with hills, traffic, lights). Some say that isn't needed with the self leveling shocks, so you could try it without the extras. I just prefer to have everything as stable as possible.

I haven't loaded the trailer up with much of anything so very little additional weight, which helps. I don't "punch" the gas but let the Telly accelerate slowly, and let off the gas ahead of time when I see traffic stopped ahead so I coast to a gentle stop, which garners me 19 mpg when towing, and it's less wear and tear on the car. Kind of proud of the mileage when I see others getting 9-11 mpg at best. (Without the trailer hitched up I get 22-30 mpg). Don't get me wrong - I am not the "slow driver" holding everyone up - I just anticipate traffic changes and adjust accordingly.

 

[Bjakub82]

Curious if you have towed this trailer yet and your experience?

I have the FSX 178BHSK which we bought last year. Loaded is 4200# on the trailer axel and with a WD hitch it does tow very nice. But once you start cruising on the highway at 65 mph, 13mpg is as good as it gets. Makes me laught when people bring up MPGs when towing especially a sail like a travel trailer. It’s gana suck, get used to it.

 

[1wagonho]

Since this is your first time, take it slow. Drive slow. Give plenty of room ahead of you. Look far ahead to look for breaking and possibly coasting to save gas and having stop/start as much. Sometimes driving 5mph slower than traffic when coming to a red light may avoid you having to come to a complete stop. The good thing with the tandem axle, you'll get less trailer sway. This also means, you won't notice a flat tire on the trailer and this will lead to fires! Be sure to replace the newly provided tires within 1-2k miles if they are made in China. These tires explode or fail within 5-10k miles and have gained the nick name of "China bombs" (I hated typing that). Also, use a TPM for the trailer. Yes, they are extra $$$, but it's cheaper than your deductible and all the stuff inside. See: trailer tire fire at DuckDuckGo

We just spent the last 2 months looking at trailers and shopping. So not fun with nearly no stock anywhere and high prices. I suggest you look at 2019 or 2018 NADA guide to help you pricing your 2020. I hope you're not settling for a trailer as it does weigh pretty high for the Telluride, I'd suggest getting a smaller one without a slide to save a couple hundred pounds. The average dry weight on MFR specs are typically low.

The dry weight on the tongue is 360 for your trailer. A single battery will add 50-60 pounds and the 2 propane tanks will also add lots of weight. You also have to include your hitch, which can add 50-80 pounds. After your food, camp gear, clothes, water, waste water, etc, you'll easily get over 5000 pounds. The 2106DS can store 31 gallons of water, which when full, weights 264 pounds, leaving 300 or 400 pounds for people, clothes, food, and gear. Hope it's only one or 2 of you as bring a 3rd or 4th will put you over weight. You'll for sure want to keep weight to a minimum for your gear, for example use melamine dinnerware and plastic flatware.

The Mini Micro's are nice and are rated pretty good for build quality from what I've read. We wanted a Venture RV Sonic 199VRB. Has everything wanted: large fridge, oven, tandem, 3600 pound dry. But, they dealer is gouging around here and Venture RV doesn't require their dealers to honor their warranty. So, no buying elsewhere and bringing it to the local shop - they already told me they won't service it; Yelp reviews confirm that.

We just ordered a Kodiak Cub 177RB. It's small, the only thing we don't like is the lack of an oven. However, it's lighter weight and less maintenance due to no slide. Yes, most dealers will say they are much better than yester-years, but they still fail. Not removing fallen leaves before retracting slide is very bad for everything. We did find one dealer that said "yes, anything with a motor, gears, electrical, and seals can eventually fail which the slide has all those". We will be taking delivery hopefully in early to mid Feb. The great thing about this little trailer: it holds 52 gallons of fresh water, more than any other trailer we've seen. We plan to fill up only at the campground because 500+ pounds of water adds up.

I've started a couple Amazon shopping lists, I'll share it here:

Check out my list on Amazon

www.amazon.com

On there is a BlueOx WDH: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DMFO6...olid=2XD6EIT7S8DB8&psc=1&ref_=lv_vv_lig_dp_it

This hitch is good for trailers between 350-550 tongue weight. It also has the benefit of no grease for the sway bars, and you can backup the trailer with the sway bars still attached. It also doesn't weigh too much. A note about the WDH. It does transfer some of the weight to the front wheels, but you still cannot exceed the 500#'s total tongue weight, including hitch.

We don't get anything from you buying anything from the links above. Just my research on things to buy for the trailer.

Good luck and pack very light as you'll only have 100-200# total available cargo weight after 2 adults, batteries, propane, and WDH. :\ This doesn't leave much for camping hear, clothing, or food.

Hello. Thank you for all of your insight. I really appreciate it. I did get the 2106DS. I won't be filling the tank full with water as I won't be dry docking and using park water. I am being EXTREMELY cautious with the added weight of what I put in the trailer.

I'll take a look at your Amazon wish list.

Happy travels!

______________________________

 

[Stoney]

Hello. Thank you for all of your insight. I really appreciate it. I did get the 2106DS. I won't be filling the tank full with water as I won't be dry docking and using park water. I am being EXTREMELY cautious with the added weight of what I put in the trailer.

I'll take a look at your Amazon wish list.

Happy travels!

Remember that travel trailer electricity is very different from house electricity - plenty of electricians have made mistakes in setting up connections to house electricity. The group at RVElectricity has many experts in electric issues (such as park hookups, how to check for deadly "hotskin" on your camper with an inexpensive gadget when something is awry, best Electric Management Systems to make sure you don't ruin your electronics (NOT the standard power strip) - even ones that will send an alert to your phone when there is a problem, and will shut the electricity down so the problem won't get to your trailer. Well worth learning...I don't touch my trailer without first checking for a hot skin condition. I did replace my "China bombs" tires right away...for a net cost of about $100, as I was able to sell the 3 brand new tires to a landscaper for nearly the cost of the new Goodyear Endurance, which also make for a smoother more stable ride without the constant worry of a blowout. Also got the tire pressure monitoring system for under $40 that sends a message to my phone if the tires need air, are too heated, etc. and bought a jack and breaker bar so if I have a flat in the middle of nowhere (I plan to do some boondockinig), I won't be stuck waiting for hours for assistance.

 

[rhouse]

I have the FSX 178BHSK which we bought last year. Loaded is 4200# on the trailer axel and with a WD hitch it does tow very nice. But once you start cruising on the highway at 65 mph, 13mpg is as good as it gets. Makes me laught when people bring up MPGs when towing especially a sail like a travel trailer. It’s gana suck, get used to it.

Thats for sure, impressive that the Telly can tow this size of trailer. I agree, if you are towing that kind of weight and of that size, gas milage is a low priority. What does your tongue weight end up at? and what kind of WDH do you use? Thanks in advance. Im looking at a similar sized trailer.

 

[swell10]

Curious if you have towed this trailer yet and your experience?

Hi, I just got home from a week of camping with a similar trailer Forest River Wildwood FSX 178 BHSK and had no issues pulling it fully loaded with stuff. Yes gas mileage sucked, but the camper pulled just fine. When we picked up the camper in November from Ohio, we went to some pretty steep rolling hills. It was slow but we did fine then too.

 

[1wagonho]

Curious if you have towed this trailer yet and your experience?

Hello. I have towed my 2021 Winnebago 2106DS with my 2021 Telluride and it was great. I was a little worried about how it was sagging, but when I took them into a trailer shop, they adjusted everything (After having driven 600 miles) and the original dealer hadn't tightened things up as well as they should have. I drove out of the trailer shop and it was like it wasn't towing anything behind me. Really, it was that good. So, so far so good. Now if we could get our California campsites opened up again, I'll actually be able to camp in it.

______________________________

 

[1wagonho]

Towed like a dream, with a weight distribution hitch and Husky swaybar setup (lots of local roads with hills, traffic, lights). Some say that isn't needed with the self leveling shocks, so you could try it without the extras. I just prefer to have everything as stable as possible.

I haven't loaded the trailer up with much of anything so very little additional weight, which helps. I don't "punch" the gas but let the Telly accelerate slowly, and let off the gas ahead of time when I see traffic stopped ahead so I coast to a gentle stop, which garners me 19 mpg when towing, and it's less wear and tear on the car. Kind of proud of the mileage when I see others getting 9-11 mpg at best. (Without the trailer hitched up I get 22-30 mpg). Don't get me wrong - I am not the "slow driver" holding everyone up - I just anticipate traffic changes and adjust accordingly.

Wow, congrats on the mileage. I get 19mph around town and when towing was seeing 11-14mpg. I admit I have a heavy foot, so I'm going to try

Did you end up buying this? How was the drive home?

I did end up buying it and driving it from Palm Dessert CA to Santa Cruz CA, home. I averaged between 11-14mpg. I never felt under powered and there were a few major hills I had to take. I have the anti sway bars and they make the trailer really stable, in my opinion. This is my first time towing and it isn't as scary as I thought it was going to be.

 

[Stoney]

Question. Has anyone noticed a change in the miles per gallon they get after they have more mileage on their Telly? Ini the beginning, I was getting amazing mileage. This past week it felt like I had to give the Telly more gas to stay at the same speed...even downhill...on the highway, which could have been because of the bad battery (now replaced, under warranty.) But still not feeling the "free flow coasting" like when it was new (up to 30 mpg). The dealer checked everything and all was ok, but I wonder why the change.

 

[tazzytazzy]

Also got the tire pressure monitoring system for under $40 that sends a message to my phone if the tires need air, are too heated, etc. and bought a jack and breaker bar so if I have a flat in the middle of nowhere (I plan to do some boondockinig), I won't be stuck waiting for hours for assistance.

What brand/model? I need to find one soon as we take delivery in a few weeks.

 

[Stoney]

What brand/model? I need to find one soon as we take delivery in a few weeks.

There are many models with different features and price ranges so you should check to see which ones have the features that you need. This is the TPMS I chose.

Tymate Tire Pressure Monitoring System for RV Trailer - Solar Charge, 5 Alarm Modes, Auto Backlight & Sleep & Awake Mode, Tire Position Exchange, with 6 External Tmps Sensor (0-87 psi) and A Repeater​

______________________________

 

[antinene]

Based on this site:

Rockwood Roo 19 - Forest River RV

Details, floorplan, specifications, and more about the Roo 19 Roo Expandable Travel Trailers.

forestriverinc.com

Your dry hitch weight is 448lbs. That leaves you with 520lbs of cargo in the trailer before you hit the Telluride's 500lb tongue weight and 10% of 5,000 max for towing. You can't go by the 1,009 lbs max cargo note on your Roo because the max tongue weight on your towing vehicle will be exceeded, so you have to remain under the lowest common denominator. As previous stated the lower the better, so to be at 4,000lb towing weight you could tow your Roo and 408lbs of cargo (4,000 - 3,592) , then your tongue weight would be 489lbs (448 + (10% of 408)).

Trailer cargo weight	Trailer total weight (keep under 5,000)	Trailer tongue weight (dry hitch + 10% of trailer cargo)	Vehicle hitch weight (keep under 500)
520	3592 + 520 = 4,112	448 + 52	500 (10% of 5,000)
460	3592 + 460 = 4,052	448 + 46	494 (9.9% of 5,000)
408	3592 + 408 = 4,000	448 + 41	489 (9.8% of 5,000)

So you may want to carefully pack your trailer and once you hit that limit try the roof rack of the Telluride or the trunk space. Unfortunately popups and small hybrid travel trailers have a higher tongue weight than the hardsided travel trailers. There are some hardsided travel trailers that have a hitch weight as low as 305lbs that will let you add 1,950lbs of cargo weight in the trailer (of course evenly distributed to keep the hitch level).

View attachment 8350

It doesn't mean your Telluride can't pull your Roo, it just means you have to pack light. To continue to remain on the safe side you should pay attention to your GVWR of your EX and subtract your curb weight and try to not to overload the Telluride itself beyond the GVWR minus the hitch weight. So for example, If you have the EX AWD 8-passenger, the GVWR might be 5,917, subtract curb weight of 4,354, subtract 520 hitch weight that leaves you with 1,043lbs in and on the Telluride for passengers and cargo. So towing your Roo and adding cargo you can carry total of 1,563 lbs of passengers and cargo. If you have the EX FWD and/or the new EX 7-passenger option, your cargo capacity will be higher because the curb weight is lower without AWD and with captains chairs.

HOWEVER, other websites report the 2010 Forest River Rockwood Roo 19 has a dry hitch is 239lbs. That changes many things. If that is the true number, then you are looking at 1,009 lbs of cargo on the trailer being your limit as that would make the total trailer towing weight 3592 + 1009 = 4,601 (well under the max of 5,000) and bring your tongue weight to 340 (well under the max of 500). Which could bring your Telluride cargo to 1,223lbs or more and your total cargo up over 2,000.

I would try to figure out what the actual dry hitch weight is of your trailer before you panic. You may also have to subtract fresh water (~257lbs) and a propane (~41lbs) from the GVWR. So 4639-3592-257-41= 749 lbs. I'm not sure how that compares to the 1,009lbs on your sticker. The most accurate measurement is to have it empty with no cargo and either go to CAT scale station to get weight at the tongue or look online for the wood, pipe, cinder block and bathroom scale measurement and do the calculation.

This post has some information on the Curt Echo.

Coachmen Apex Nano 185bh RV for Telluride

I often see advice to set a vehicle to towing mode when towing. Any advice on what is the best mode to drive a Telly in when towing? (IS there a towing mode??). Also, what do people use when converting to a 7 pin with a Curt Echo when their trailer has electric brakes? I am seeing "RV" adapters...

tellurideforum.org

To get your brakes working it's a safe option. Most of the negative reviews are for people that think that the Echo needs to be connected to your bluetooth app all the time and their phones lose connection or they didn't properly set the hitch height and WDS so the accelerometer gets triggered at the wrong time. You can use your phone to monitor it all the time, but you don't have to. Once you set it, the controller should work standalone. It (combined with, load management, the weight distribution system and sway bars) is a very easy way to add electric brake controls.

This post also has some notes on a suggested way to configure, connect and load your cargo.

Rear rides low

My SXP with tow package is perfectly level.

tellurideforum.org

Basically, if you just have the tow option (no tow package), then load the cargo in the Telluride, connect your trailer and add the cargo to the trailer, then try to get the hitch and trailer level with your WDS.

If you have the tow package with the Nivomat self-leveling suspension, it's not impossible, but requires a few more steps with load management and setting up the WDS to make sure after the shocks lift the backend, the hitch and trailer remain level.

My advice, if you have the tow package, then go to Uhaul or a reputable camper dealer to get a traditional brake controller installed. If you don't have the tow package (just tow option), then go with the Curt Echo, you just need to add a wire to the battery that can run under the car and put a 40Amp inline fuse there. You can probably even have Uhaul or a reputable camper dealer install the wire needed to make the Curt Echo work.

It's also important to check and keep your trailer tire PSI at or near the max and monitor the Telluride's tire pressure. You don't want added weight to blow a tire because of improper load management.

Lastly, if you don't have the tow package and you plan to pull your travel trailer a lot, think about getting air bag helper springs ($150-400 depending on DIY or paid install) or air bag suspension system ($400-1,000 depending on kit and installation). It will make life a lot easier because you can adjust the height to whatever you need to.

Thank you so much for this info, do you know of any toy haulers that the Telluride can tow?

 

[Bjakub82]

Thats for sure, impressive that the Telly can tow this size of trailer. I agree, if you are towing that kind of weight and of that size, gas milage is a low priority. What does your tongue weight end up at? and what kind of WDH do you use? Thanks in advance. Im looking at a similar sized trailer.

So one thing I didn‘t due is unhook and weight just the vehicle at that time to see the difference on the vehicle rear axel, kids were cranky. But trailer is rated for 425# TW but that doesn’t include the battery or 20# LP tank. I would say it’s close to the 500#. However, I use an Equalizer WD hitch and love it. I have the 600# bars and now that it’s properly set up (dealer screwed it up) I have less then an 1” of sag in the back. It’s very stable even in high winds. Btw, the Telly’s autopilot is very under rated. Even under high winds, it does a fantastic job compensating while pulling that sail. Makes travel even with a trailer way more relaxing.

 

[Stoney]

So one thing I didn‘t due is unhook and weight just the vehicle at that time to see the difference on the vehicle rear axel, kids were cranky. But trailer is rated for 425# TW but that doesn’t include the battery or 20# LP tank. I would say it’s close to the 500#. However, I use an Equalizer WD hitch and love it. I have the 600# bars and now that it’s properly set up (dealer screwed it up) I have less then an 1” of sag in the back. It’s very stable even in high winds. Btw, the Telly’s autopilot is very under rated. Even under high winds, it does a fantastic job compensating while pulling that sail. Makes travel even with a trailer way more relaxing.

Owners manual page 5-87 says not to use the Smart cruise control and LFA while towing. I wonder if it's because the sudden stop could cause the trailer to jackknife? I also shut off the A/C while towing uphill as the owner's manual says - definite difference in power when I do that. I still have to get everything weighed to make sure I am under the max. But my trailer followed like a dream!

 

[Lefty]

Can somebody opine if the Telly installed tow package is a class IV or Class III please?