Hi, Recently acquired a nice 17’ camper trailer from the mother in law, not sure what we need to pull it. I tend to stick to smaller cars when possible and I want to avoid over-buying an SUV to pull this thing. The car will replace a smallish minivan (2001 Mazda MPV) and become my wife’s daily dri…

Avoid old Jeeps, not very reliable. You’re looking at 5000 lbs, smaller vehicles can’t tow that. And the electric brakes don’t really enter into it. Start looking at vehicles rated to tow 5000+ lbs. I assume you really want to do this, otherwise sell it and use the money to rent accomodations or…

My 4Runner can tow 5K, no problem. It’s rated for that, and I’ve actually pulled slightly heavier, but not far, and it wasn’t something I’d want to do very often (it was an emergency pull). Unfortunately, if you want a vehicle to tow this thing with, you’re looking at a mid-size or larger SUV, or s…

Happiness is a V-8, it’s as simple as that…There may be a few V-6 powered SUV’s that could do it, but they will be working very hard… Ford Explorer V-8 equipped with the factory tow package…

V8 or V6 doesn’t matter…as long as it has enough torque and hp. 3500 lbs dry then add in all the other weight and it could easily bring you up to 5000lbs. That’s a Class III. If you’re going to do a LOT of towing then get a vehicle that’s Class IV. Otherwise any good Class III rated vehicle will do…

Thanks for all the tips so far, I appreciate it. Mike, the comment about NOT towing with water/waste, is this for handling/load shifting concerns? Hadn’t thought about it, but it makes sense. Should just require a little extra planning to find somewhere to top off the water tank right before gettin…

Most campgrounds have water hookups. Just plug your white hose into their spigot and fill your tank when you get there. Not a bad idea to put a filter in-line - - you never know what minerals or other fun things are in the local water supply. oh, and NEVER fill from the dump station, even if there’…

It is not a good idea to cut it too close on towing capacity. Remember a too small vehicle will be “pushed” around by a too big trailer. Smaller SUV’s mean smaller tires, lessor springs, struts, and sway bars. A larger motor and sturdier transmission will handle the load easier, therefore lasting…

" Mike, the comment about NOT towing with water/waste, is this for handling/load shifting concerns? " Yes…for shifting…You get even a hundred pounds of shifting water and you’ll notice it…That’s why I said just a few gallons is probably fine. No way would I fill the tank. That’s why camp grounds h…

I have an 03 trailblazer, 6cyl 4.2 engine. Towing capacity 6200 lbs. 16/22 mpg my average. I have been happy with it as a thought. It depends if you are going to be doing mountain roads or not as to engine size imho.

Found a crude, but usable towing capacity chart at HowStuffWorks. It’s nice for doing a super-quick compare between many makes and models. [image] Towing Capacity Chart This towing capacity chart displays vehicles' towing capacities by make, model and year. Knowing your vehicle's towing c…

What SUV to pull a camper trailer?

General Discussion

Thatguy May 19, 2011, 1:44pm 11

Found a crude, but usable towing capacity chart at HowStuffWorks. It’s nice for doing a super-quick compare between many makes and models.

It shows some different numbers for the Explorer and Trailblazer that were mentioned here. It lists the Explorer at only 3,500 and the Trailblazer at 5,400, but doesn’t have any extra detail about towing packages or different engine sizes.

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What SUV to pull a camper trailer?

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