Anyone towing a tandem with a 5,000 max towing rated vehicle?

[thebbqguy]

I know that it may be technically possible, but possibly il-advised. I am wondering if anyone is doing it? Most of the new SUV designs top out at 5,000 lb max tow rating.

Outside of a pick-up truck it's pretty slim pickings for an SUV tow vehicle for even the lightest tandem axle - Heartland Edge M18, Flagstaff Micro Lite 18FBRS, Rockwood Mini Lite 1809S, and Aerolite Shuttle 188QB.
Tandems will tow better and the hitch weight is generally less than a single axle trailer.

Any others I should be looking at?

 

[A41Billy]

Hey BBQGuy-

We just purchased a 2011 Chalet Takena 1865EX. We really love it and all at just under 3k lbs. It's a tandem axle. They are made here in Albany, OR.
http://www.chaletrv.com/travel.php

 

[camr]

We are currently using an 09 Buick Enclave, with a rating of 4500 lbs. to tow an M22 Edge. I installed an external transmission cooler. A thread like this one will attract alot of "Bigger tow vehicle, smaller trailer" replies, but I believe that we must apply some reason to the situation. We mostly camp no more than 500 miles from our residence, and this combination works just fine for us. Using the tow mode in the Enclave keeps the transmission one or two gears lower, and we have never had the coolant temp rise higher than normal. If you are planning to pull the mountains, or spend several months crisscrossing the country, then I would suggest a tow vehicle with a larger rating. For most of the camping that we do, our combination works just fine - a great tow vehicle, and acceptable fuel economy when not towing.

 

[thebbqguy]

I currently own a 2004 Explorer with 7,000 lb towing capacity, but at some point we'll be upgrading to a newer vehicle. I owned an F-150 for 13 years, but I doubt I'll own a pick-up truck again unless they build a smaller one between the Ranger and F-150. The larger truck doesn't make a good commuter vehicle for me and besides the 10% - 15% of the time we would actually use it for towing, it wouldn't get much use as an actual truck. Therefore, the trailer I purchase must meet the 5,000 lb towing limit on the smaller SUVs that I'll most likely own from now on.

I live in Florida, which is mostly flat. Campgrounds are plentiful and southern and central Georgia and southern Alabama are also mostly flat. Tennessee is an entirely different story, but I doubt I'd travel there to camp anyway.

If you can tow an Edge with an Enclave, then the 2011 Explorer should be acceptable.  I will look forward to hearing from someone who has purchased one and towed an Edge or similar with it before I pull the trigger.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Our GMC Acadia (sister to the Enclave) will tow 4000-4500 lbs easily on Florida roads. The six speed tranny is a big plus in evening out the strain. I would not expect it to do so well in hill country, but in largely flat areas it can easily handle the max rated load.

 

[Pointerman]

We have a 2009 Chevy Traverse with a 5k capacity.  We tow an ultra light weight 24 footer and only have issues in the mountains in the summer here in Northern California.  Waiting for an aftermarket tranny cooler to come out to help with that situation.