Hello, I'm trying to make sure I can tow the camper I currently have safely. I have a 2020 trailhawk with a dealer added tow group. Before I purchased the camper I talked to two different jeep dealers, and they said it would be fine to tow it with the 4500lb capacity, but I just wanted to make sure it's done safely, and am looking for any suggestions, or equipment I might be missing for that. The camper I purchased is a Coleman 17b. Dry weight of 2980lbs, and a gvwr of about 3850lbs, and the hitch Weight is 385lbs. The trailers length is 21 ft from end to end. As of now I have the class three reciever included with the dealership install, 2-5/16" RockerBall, sway tab ball mount, Echo Brake Controller, sway control kit, and anti-rattle(curt rv starter kit). I guess I just want to make sure it's safe to tow, because i dont have much expirience with towing yet. If it is actually unsafe I'd like to know sooner rather than later before something goes wrong. I have towed it for about an hour on the highway, and it seemed to do alright, except for the atrocious gas mileage, and hating any hills. Any advice is appreciated, Thanks in advance.
Camper towing
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Well, it looks like you're pretty well setup. Towing anything is definitely a learned skill. Take your time, and you'll be fine. Manual Auto stick shifting is your best friend, especially in hills and mountainous areas. Just remember, how you load your Jeep, and your camper is important for staying within the safe parameters. Welcome from Utah, and happy camping!!!😎
Thank you. It makes me feel much better to hear that. Been worrying since I bought the camper if it was safe for the jeep, and if the setup was correct.I'll keep the advice in mind, and try the manual auto next time I take it out traveling.I think as far as payload goes I'm alright, most of the time only two people will be in the jeep with only a bit of gear that isn't already in the camper. Should be under the 1050 payload without much trouble. Thanks a bunch!
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How you actually measured the hitch weight? My hitch weight was quoted at 425lbs, but is actually 660lbs when i'm fully loaded so something to keep in mind. Based on the specs above you should be fine though
I haven't physically measured the hitch Weight, just going off of what the specs of the camper that are on the sticker/manual/ online. I imagine it is higher than that loaded, but that's the only number I have at the moment to base it on. I will keep it in mind though, and if I get the chance to actually weigh it on a scale I will. Just glad that it's safe, and I wish I'd have asked before I purchased it.Would have saved a lot of worry.
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Like I said, keep the heavier stuff in the camper loaded towards the rear. That tongue weight can really increase quickly...😎
It may sound stupid, but if you want to learn a little bit about towing, you can always rent a 6x12 uhual trailer and pull it around a bit. It weighs 2000 dry. Then you could do it another day and load it up some. Maybe if you have a lawnmower or other fun toys that you know the weight of. When I towed a 6x12 from Virginia to Michigan a while back, I had no experience towing behind an SUV. I only had towed small trailers behind side by sides on a farm. But I drove around with the trailer empty for a day or two before loading it up so I could get a feel for how turning radius felt, how the transmission acted, and all that jazz. I ended up towing at around full capacity for 700 miles in a day with no prior experience just fine
Well, do not load too much to the rear. In fact, 60% of the weight loaded into the camper/trailer needs to be at the front of the trailer, not the rear. Otherwise, you die. Watch this video before you load anything:
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Very true. Just know that @Flybynightcru is a trucker, so trailers, towing, tongue weight, etc... are second nature to him. Pertty sure he was emphasizing the tongue weight situation, because you don't want to go over the limit. It's a balancing act, something to do carefully for sure.
I was on a narrow two-lane 55 mph highway, driving an E350 doing a non urgent medical transfer. Oncoming was a pickup truck pulling a small backhoe. Long straighwaway. About 750 feet from me I saw his trailer begin to sway from side-to-side, with more and more amplitude, getting more and more into my lane with each swing. Road shoulder was soft gravel and very narrow. All I could do was slow down and try to 'time' the trailer sway (into my lane) with my forward speed. Luckily for me I did time it and they went passed me without a scratch. Looked in the rearview mirror and saw the trailer unpin and head for the ditch on their side of the road. I think they got lucky and the trailer did eventually roll to a stop without flipping or hitting anyone or anything. Was happy to get out of that one unhurt...
I appreciate everyone's advice. I'll try to balance the weight as best I can. Most of the weight just due to the design of the camper will probably be upfront. The main bed, and most of the storage space are in the front, so putting some of the other stuff toward the back would probably help to balance it better. Id also like take some more time just driving it around more before going anywhere too far with it. It seemed to pull well last time, but I have some more stuff that is going in it next time.
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I think one thing to add about towing is the longer and faster you are gonna tow the more comfortable you should be with it. It may seem ok to tow something for 10 miles in town and you think you are ready to go but towing it all day and into the night will wear you out. Semi trailers, heavy wind, fatigue are all things to consider when towing. As a general rule for me I try to leave a 30% reserve in capacity for long distance towing and you need to include every single thing in the tow vehicle and trailer.
Wow! I’ve towed with a Jeep Liberty, Jeep Cherokee trailhawk and a rubicon jku. Any camper dealership will tell you it’s fine, and you’ll be good! All you have to do is look at the rpms as you go down the road. I’d tow nothing that ways more a mid size pop up! I towed an r-pod with theses Jeeps and ended up buying a half ton! Sure you can do it! But at what cost! No more than 2500 fully loaded! Just my experiences! But most people already have there minds made up at this point and are going to do it anyway! Good luck and happy towing and Jeeping!
Weight needs to be central over the axle, placing to much to the rear puts you at risk of a dangerous trailer sway. Nothing more worse than having your trailer out of control and ending up with everything on its side or roof.
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Well ya...🙄
Just keep in mind once you’ve purchased your camper add 500+ lbs to it with gear! Or more it really adds up fast.our camper dealer of course they said we’d be fine and sure it would tow it. But at what cost?you should never have to worry about what your towing as your going down the road in the way to good times! Have fun be smart do your homework and if possible take the camper you want to purchase for a drive, in town on the highway and a few hills to see how it’s going to do? Look at your rpm’s and feel and listen to how it shifts and feels! Happy camping and Jeeping😃
I didn't trust the rv dealer, and thats why I called two different jeep dealers before I purchased the camper to make sure I had the 4500 towing capacity. The heaviest the camper could be was the 3850lbs, and I doubt I'll ever hit that. Dry it's 2980lbs, so it'll probably will weight with gear about 3500lbs at most. At max weight it's a little heavier than I'd like but I just wanted to make sure it was safe and still within the legal limits of the vehicle. If not I was going to trade the jeep in, but after hearing the answers on here I'm glad I don't have to, and it puts my worries at ease. I've drivin it an hour on the interstate, and it did ok except for the hills. Gas mileage was bad, but thats to be expected lol. I'm going to try and balance some of the gear next time, and see how it goes, and see about getting it on a scale for the exact weight. Thanks again.
Once you get it loaded up for travel, spend a few bucks and run it across a CAT scale. It will tell you exactly where you stand. I found out that loaded up for travel my motor home was over on the rear axle, and light on the front yet under gross as I had estimated. We now load the front axle a little more by shifting weight forward, and it even feels more stable.
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