What Kind of Trailer Can My SUV Tow?
Camp trailers have proven to provide two amazing benefits: the comforts of home, and the possibility to explore new places. And while taking parts of home with you on long adventures is indeed fun and exciting, making sure that you have the proper SUV tow vehicle for your camp trailer is vitally important.
Depending on the size and weight of your camp trailer, you may need a large truck, or you could get by with a small SUV.
Understanding Your Tow Vehicle
When it comes time to understand your SUV’s towing capabilities, there are a few important terms to be aware of.
You can look online, or in the owner’s manual of your vehicle for the towing capacity of your selected SUV/truck. The average vehicle will be rated to tow anywhere between 1,500 pounds and 5,000 pounds. While each SUV/truck is different, most normal SUVs fall somewhere in that range, while there are some larger SUVs that tow more than 5,000 pounds.
In addition to the towing capacity, there is also the curb weight, payload, and gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) to be aware of. The curb weight is the weight of your vehicle with no gear, cargo, or people inside it. The payload is what the vehicle itself can carry in weight, not what it is capable of towing. And the GVWR is the dry weight of your SUV/truck and the maximum payload (the GVWR minus the curb weight).
Tongue Weight and Gross Combined Weight Rating
The gross combined weight rating (GCWR) is the rating that includes your SUV/truck, passengers, cargo, and trailer. One common misunderstanding is that pulling a camp trailer that is within the weight limits of your SUV means you are safe. The key is to stay below the vehicle’s GCWR, meaning that if your SUV can tow 5,000 pounds, that 5,000 pounds is taking into consideration the weight of your trailer, the gear in it, the passengers in your car, the tongue weight of the trailer, and any cargo/gear that you have in your car as well.
Each vehicle will have its hitch rated at a certain weight - another critical weight limit to keep an eye on. If you are over the rating on the vehicle’s hitch (even if you are within the GCWR rating), you can still experience issues while towing.
The best way to effectively determine whether or not your SUV is a good match for towing a certain trailer is to ensure that you stay under on the tongue weight and the gross combined weight rating (GCWR).
Understanding Trailer Weight
There are actually quite a few camp trailers that are between 2,000 and 3,500 pounds, meaning that many common family SUVs are capable of towing them. These camp trailers are commonly seen in the 13 to 20 foot range. Some of these trailers, known as tent trailers, are much lighter as they are constructed differently than a typical hard-shell camp trailer. Those types of trailers can weigh in around 1,600 - 2,000 pounds. And fun fact - most tent trailers are narrow enough and short enough to fit inside a common size home garage!
Picking Your Perfect Family Camp Trailer
With hundreds of varieties of trailer lengths, weights, and styles available, picking the perfect trailer for your family adventure is fun and exciting. Keep in mind that the longer your trailer is, the more it will start to weigh. Head out to your local RV dealer with all of your vehicle towing specs ready, and you might be surprised at just how many camp trailers your family SUV or truck can tow. See you on the road!