Towing question from a noob

[maaddmax]

I am looking for a small trailer to tow with my 2010 Journey SXT SWD. I plan on getting the transmission coolant to be able to tow the 3500 that Dodge says is my max. So when I am shopping campers what weight do I look at? I was at a RV show and they would say weight is 3450 or some would say dry weight. Online shopping I see the unloaded weight as an example 3202 and the GVWR as 4473. So which do I go by? Is this example camper able to be towed by my Journey or am I looking for even lighter camper?

If I said anything that needs to be corrected please correct me. I know nothing about towing and just want a camper to hold 2 adults and 3 children. Thanks

[BUGS]

Welcome to the forum maaddmax.

Here are the answers you are looking for.

Transmission cooler.... Don't think it is needed. The transmission fluid is already cooled by a coil wrapped around the A/C condensor. You may be referring to an engine oil cooler which may or may not be needed. It is your choice - depends on the road surface (paved vs dirt) , trailer weight, amount of towing, speeds etc. Changing the oil at 3K miles / 5k kms may be the easiest and safest way.

First - dry weight - is the weight of the trailer without any accessories, water, food, sewage, clothes, lawn chairs, TV, games etc etc.

GVWR is the Gross Vehicle Weight and is the the maximum recommended overall weight including all extras. It includes the dry weight and anything else you put in the trailer. If you have a trailer loaded and ready to haul you can stop at a State / Provincial truck weigh scales and if they are not busy they will weigh your rig for you so will know.

The example camper you mention at 3450 lbs (dry) is close to the max recommended for the DJ. You can add another 1000 lbs to that weight when loaded and that puts the weight a fair bit over the max. You will have difficulty moving the rig. This also adds 480 lbs to your DJ (tongue weight and load leveller draw bar) and with two adults and three kids (and maybe a dawg??) you are nearing the max of the GVWR for the Journey as well.

Is this a single or dual axle trailer? Judging form the dry weight I suspect dual. You may want to consider a hybrid ultra light. They are a Travel tralier camper with drop down tent ends that give the space you may be looking for and lighter in weight. Palomino Stampede 17 ' is an example trailer.

Good luck and happy camping.

Bugs

[maaddmax]

Welcome to the forum maaddmax.

Here are the answers you are looking for.

Transmission cooler.... Don't think it is needed. The transmission fluid is already cooled by a coil wrapped around the A/C condensor. You may be referring to an engine oil cooler which may or may not be needed. It is your choice - depends on the road surface (paved vs dirt) , trailer weight, amount of towing, speeds etc. Changing the oil at 3K miles / 5k kms may be the easiest and safest way.

First - dry weight - is the weight of the trailer without any accessories, water, food, sewage, clothes, lawn chairs, TV, games etc etc.

GVWR is the Gross Vehicle Weight and is the the maximum recommended overall weight including all extras. It includes the dry weight and anything else you put in the trailer. If you have a trailer loaded and ready to haul you can stop at a State / Provincial truck weigh scales and if they are not busy they will weigh your rig for you so will know.

The example camper you mention at 3450 lbs (dry) is close to the max recommended for the DJ. You can add another 1000 lbs to that weight when loaded and that puts the weight a fair bit over the max. You will have difficulty moving the rig. This also adds 480 lbs to your DJ (tongue weight and load leveller draw bar) and with two adults and three kids (and maybe a dawg??) you are nearing the max of the GVWR for the Journey as well.

Is this a single or dual axle trailer? Judging form the dry weight I suspect dual. You may want to consider a hybrid ultra light. They are a Travel tralier camper with drop down tent ends that give the space you may be looking for and lighter in weight. Palomino Stampede 17 ' is an example trailer.

Good luck and happy camping.

Bugs

Thanks for all the info! So the 3500lbs on the Dodge site refers to GVWR? I was looking at "hybrid" campers that have the pop out "tent like" ends and say are made for SUV's. Here are the stats from the site.

Dry Hitch Weight 239 lb. (108 kg )

Unloaded Vehicle Weight 3,170 lb. (1,438 kg )

Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) 4,441 lb. (2,014 kg )

Cargo Carrying Capacity 1,233 lb. (559 kg )

I dont plan on loading it up with anything to crazy. Just normal stuff like water gas bedding and the likes. Does that stuff all count in the GVWR?

Just trying to figure out which number to look at that goes towards that 3500. The main camp grounds we go to isnt up in a mountain or anything. No major hills and all freeway/highway.

Thanks again.

[BUGS]

"I dont plan on loading it up with anything to crazy. Just normal stuff like water gas bedding and the likes. Does that stuff all count in the GVWR?" YES

The 3500 lbs rating for the DJ includes everything the DJ will have to tow. Including dirt. I expect you may not have any difficulty moving this unit. I may suggest that you ask your dealer (travel trailer dealer) to 'borrow' the trailer for a test pull. You will be able to tell quickly if you will have any troubles. One way to keep your GVWR to a minimum is to not haul fresh water to and from campsites if at all possible. (Full tank of fresh water is about 250-300 lbs. Most sites have water hookup. Dump stations at or near the sites should be visited when leaving the camps as well.

[Swerv]

This is very good advice, thank you for the contribution it will help me with my decision to use my DJ for towing or not.

[smitty77]

I dont plan on loading it up with anything to crazy. Just normal stuff like water gas bedding and the likes. Does that stuff all count in the GVWR?

Everything counts, even wet bathing suits and sandy beach blankets. A few opinions/pointers if I may:

-- Having a trailer with a dry weight close to the vehicle's GVWR towing rating is asking for trouble. Everything you want/need for a week worth of fun can add up to a substantial weight.

-- Two big concerns when towing are trailer sway and stopping power/control. Towing at or above your GVWR limit greatly increases your chances of having problems controlling the trailer in a sway or panic stop. As someone who has been in a near-catastrophic trailer sway situation (as a passenger) I can tell you there is nothing more scary than a trailer that is trying to drive your vehicle. There are methods to correct sway when it happens, but the safest measure is to not tow more than the vehicle is capable of. You can also mitigate this problem by having sufficient tongue weight, by using load-distributing hitches, and using trailer brakes and a brake controller.

-- If you are towing beyond the Dodge's GVWR and are in an accident, you can be cited (and possibly ruled at fault) if you are exceeding weight recommendations in a number of areas. GWVR, tongue weight, vehicle (!) GVWR, GAWR (gross AXLE weight rating) etc. Even towing without a weight-distribution hitch if the weight of the trailer calls for one. Most people don't take into account all of the gear/people crammed into a car for a weeklong vacation. If you're fully loaded down and towing a trailer, you could potentially exceed your vehicle's weight rating.

-- There's been many reports of Dodge using a sub-standard braking system on these vehicles (some say the pads and rotors are borrowed from the smaller Caliber). That fact alone wouldn't fill me with the utmost confidence that I can safely bring a trailer that heavy to a safe stop in a panic.

If it were me, I would be looking for a GVWR of 3500 pounds or less and I would CERTAINLY be asking to take my short-list of choices on an extended test pull to be sure your comfortable towing it. Good luck and let us know what you get and how it pulls. We love our Journey!

[Doug D]

The following link has good information for those interested in towing RV's, etc:

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml