Tow capacity question before we purchase!!

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thecoys

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Apr 6, 2013
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Hi Everyone!

My husband and I were considering a TT for our family of four (ages 9 & 6).  We were considering a bunkhouse style TT, the 2013 Keystone Passport 2300BH (6800 total dry weight plus CCC) or the 2013 Passport 2650BH ((7200 dry weight plus CCC).  We own a paid off 2003 Toyota Sequoia V-8 (not 4x4).  After researching, the towing capacity is 6500 pounds...not quite what it needs to be to tow either of these two TT if filled with all of our gear.

My question is, are both of these TT completely off the table for us?  Or, is it a matter of not overloading the trailer and car with 2000 pounds of gear/toys/food and filling the tanks after traveling to our destination?  Safety is a top priority so we want to make the best choice.  Unfortunately getting a new car is not an option for us a (wish it was) but we also do not want a TT floorplan that does not meet our ideal setup either.  With two kids, we need a setup that works for us!!  My husband was so disheartened and ready to throw in the towel but I am just wondering if these are even a possibility for us.

Thank you so much for your input and advice.  I sure do appreciate it!
 
The towing rating of a vehicle is figured with a driver only and does not include any passengers or equipment.  And the dry weight of the TT is meaningless.  You should use the gross weight rating of the TT you chose.  You are looking at trailers that are way too heavy for your current tow vehicle.  You don't indicate what are aof the country you live in, but the generalrule of thumb is to discount tow rating another 15% if you live in the mountains of the west.

You should be able to find a bunkhouse that would work for you.  Our 28 ft Cherokee lightbunkhouse  by Forest River weighs 6300 lbs loaded with utensils, bedding, water, etc.  But you may want to consider a vehicle with better towing capacity too,
 
thecoys said:
Hi Everyone!

My husband and I were considering a TT for our family of four (ages 9 & 6).  We were considering a bunkhouse style TT, the 2013 Keystone Passport 2300BH (6800 total dry weight plus CCC) or the 2013 Passport 2650BH ((7200 dry weight plus CCC).  We own a paid off 2003 Toyota Sequoia V-8 (not 4x4).  After researching, the towing capacity is 6500 pounds...not quite what it needs to be to tow either of these two TT if filled with all of our gear.

My question is, are both of these TT completely off the table for us?  Or, is it a matter of not overloading the trailer and car with 2000 pounds of gear/toys/food and filling the tanks after traveling to our destination?  Safety is a top priority so we want to make the best choice.  Unfortunately getting a new car is not an option for us a (wish it was) but we also do not want a TT floorplan that does not meet our ideal setup either.  With two kids, we need a setup that works for us!!  My husband was so disheartened and ready to throw in the towel but I am just wondering if these are even a possibility for us.

Thank you so much for your input and advice.  I sure do appreciate it!
Click to expand...
Both of those trailers are better towed with a full size 3/4 - 1 ton pick-up truck. NO WAY that 2003 Toyota Sequoia will safely tow either one of those trailers.

If you are set on keeping that vehicle, you may want to look at Pop-Up campers. Even then, you need to be a LOT more realistic about wt ratings. Consider the GVWR of the trailer.... the GCWR of the entire rig and your weak spot is going to be your tongue wt. Check the max tongue wt in your Owner's Manual.
 
Do you know what the GCWR* is for the Sequoia?  This is the total allowable combined weight of the tow vehicle and trailer together.

The dry weight of the trailer is a starting point (and not always accurate), but the GVWR will tell you the max allowable (loaded) weight. Get the GVWR+ of the Sequoia and then add those two numbers. If they exceeded the GCWR then you are overweight.

Also keep in mind that the weight of passengers, fuel, food, etc is included in the GVWR. If you are serious abut using the Sequoia then it would be a good idea to load it up and weigh it.

*Gross Combined Weight Rating
+Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
 
Here are some generic ratings for the 2003 Sequoia (your exact vehicle may vary)
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tab=specs&recnum=&actLog=&listingId=112507202&paId=507229540&listingRecNum=40&criteria=sf1Dir%3dDESC%26mkId%3d20088%26stkTyp%3dU%26mdId%3d21933%26rd%3d30%26crSrtFlds%3dstkTypId-feedSegId-mkId-mdId%26zc%3d92627%26rn%3d0%26PMmt%3d1-1-0%26stkTypId%3d28881%26sf2Dir%3dASC%26sf1Nm%3dprice%26sf2Nm%3dmiles%26isDealerGrouping%3dfalse%26rpp%3d50%26feedSegId%3d28705&tracktype=usedcc&pageNumber=&numResultsPerPage=&largeNumResultsPerPage=0&sortorder=descending&sortfield=PRICE&certifiedOnly=false&&aff=national
........................................
Curb weight 5,100 lbs.
GVWR 6,500 lbs.
Payload 1,400 lbs.
Towing capacity 6,500 lbs.
GCWR 11,800 lbs.
.......................................
Take the 11,800# GCWR and subtract the wt of the GVWR and you have 5300#. This is a much more realistic figure for the maximum amount of fully loaded camper that the Sequoia can safely handle....... on the other hand, I'm not sure that anyone wants to tow at the maximum of their vehicle capacity.  The closer that you get to max, the higher your risk.

Looking at max tow ratings can be unrealistic...... Maximum means just that... the MAXIMUM amount of wt that the vehicle can tow. That is figured on an empty TV with 150# driver, 5G of gas and zero cargo.........

Remember, when you take your family camping, you don't take an empty vehicle and an empty trailer. Although you may not be at your full GVWR on your Sequoia with your small family, it is a good idea to use the GVWR as a guideline. If you have to start figuring how many # below that # that you actually are, you are reaching.......
 
Wow, thank you for the quick responses.  As I am reading my question back, I should have clarified that the dry weight of the 2300 is (4390 dry weight plus the CCC of 2410 to total 6800, not 6800 dry weight plus 2410 CCC).  Nevertheless it seems as though we are out of range still.  A pop up is a great suggestion, however, due to medical issues with one of my children, I would like more of a traditional kitchen set up so I can prepare a special diet requiring specialized foods. 
 
You need to stay with a gross trailer weight (trailer GVWR) of around 5800 lbs to tow with that Sequoia. That leaves you with about 700 lbs to cover the weight of passengers, gear and the trailer hitch itself, none of which was figured into the max tow capacity. Both of those trailers are beyond your capability to tow.
 
I think the Keystone could be OK depending on how you use it and if you will be dealing with mountains. If you are using it for shorter trips and are willing to watch what you bring you could stay well within the limits of the Toyota. Also, the front wall is sloped quite a bit to reduce drag so that should help a little.

If you plan to stay at campgrounds that have sewer hookups or dump then you should generally be traveling with nearly empty black and grey tanks. So, even if the fresh tank is full 30 gallons will only be about 300 lbs.

The Sequoia is a pretty solid SUV but could use more power especially for towing. I'm guessing you will wish for more power but if you own it outright that is a big plus.
 
Once again thank you to everyone for your feedback.  We live in Southern California and had planned to use the TT primarily around these parts for local trips to the state beaches a handful of times a year.  No heading to the Rockies here!!  I will for sure check out the recommended TT that were suggested to see if any of those work for us.  I sure wish a new car was in the cards but its either a new car or a new TT for this family, can't do both!! 
Thank you again for taking the time to post your advice!
 
If you are looking to go to parks make sure you check the size limits in Cal (if that's where you plan to camp). I am from so Cal and just this weekend i had some friends that could not enter a state park. They are at 34' and the limit where the wanted to go is 30. They ended up at a RV park that was like $50 per night and took the toad in. This is more a problem at the older parks that have not been upgraded. Some parts of Yosemite have size restrictions, but i have seen a lot of 40+' in other parts of the park. 
 
Thank you for the heads up.  With our towing restrictions I think we will definitely meet most park restrictions!!
 
thecoys said:
Hi Everyone!

My husband and I were considering a TT for our family of four (ages 9 & 6).  We were considering a bunkhouse style TT, the 2013 Keystone Passport 2300BH (6800 total dry weight plus CCC) or the 2013 Passport 2650BH ((7200 dry weight plus CCC).  We own a paid off 2003 Toyota Sequoia V-8 (not 4x4).  After researching, the towing capacity is 6500 pounds...not quite what it needs to be to tow either of these two TT if filled with all of our gear.

My question is, are both of these TT completely off the table for us?  Or, is it a matter of not overloading the trailer and car with 2000 pounds of gear/toys/food and filling the tanks after traveling to our destination?  Safety is a top priority so we want to make the best choice.  Unfortunately getting a new car is not an option for us a (wish it was) but we also do not want a TT floorplan that does not meet our ideal setup either.  With two kids, we need a setup that works for us!!  My husband was so disheartened and ready to throw in the towel but I am just wondering if these are even a possibility for us.

Thank you so much for your input and advice.  I sure do appreciate it!
Click to expand...
  May I ask where you are located? without sounding to commercial I am getting ready to sell my 2005 Alpenlite  Aspen 4 season 26ft  4 seasons for a very good price.  It would be a wonderful trailer for you and your family as it's to big but big enough and easy to tow.  Has a wonderful kitchen.  It is a high quality coach at a very affordable price.  Not sure if it is ok to talk about this but if you want more info I'd be happy to give you all the details on why I love this trailer and why Alpenlite is excellent value for the money.
 
thecoys said:
Once again thank you to everyone for your feedback.  We live in Southern California and had planned to use the TT primarily around these parts for local trips to the state beaches a handful of times a year.  No heading to the Rockies here!!  I will for sure check out the recommended TT that were suggested to see if any of those work for us.  I sure wish a new car was in the cards but its either a new car or a new TT for this family, can't do both!! 
Thank you again for taking the time to post your advice!
Click to expand...

You do not have to head to the Rockies, Big Bear at 7500 feet will do just fine to replace them.  Need I mention Mammoth Lakes at 7900 feet, Lake Tahoe at 6225 feet, or the Grand Canyon at 6800 feet.  You folks live in the same part of the world that I live in and where I recommend discounting the tow rating of un-turbocharged gas engines by 20%. 

You claim that you will stick to beach camping.  Maybe.  Myself, I recommend restricting that Sequoia to trailers with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of no more than 5200 lbs.
 
Maybe concider a used  TT and a newer heavier tow vehicle.  Kids grow up fast and may out grow the TT in a few short years. I know, I bought a new Nissan extended cab truck when my kids were small. In just a couple years they couldn't sit back there and I had buy a larger vehicle. Might be better to have a older larger TT to start with.
 
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