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Old 06-05-2013, 04:26 AM   #1
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towing fiasco

my neigbor comes over and says i bought a camper all excited wanting to camp with my wife and I. i said great what kind etc. it weighs 3200 pds then proceed to ask him how much does your car/suv pull (buick rendavous) he proceeds to tell me 3500 . then i said thats not good to close to max towing capacity. he said its good enough, with a confused look on my face said ok congrats good luck. does that ruin your transmission of what, any info i can tell him before he makes a big mistake?
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Old 06-05-2013, 12:27 PM   #2
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I'd tell him to research his towing capacities before making a trip - his SUV only weights 4200 (approx) pounds - put a 3200 trailer behind him and he'll be swaying like a flag in the wind! Until he does the research he won't realize!
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Old 06-05-2013, 02:33 PM   #3
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For those of us who have done any RV shopping, how many of us have heard the salesman say -- "oh yeah, you can tow this with that, no problem!!"
Their main concern is making the sale, not the customer's safety when towing too heavily.
What the OP describes is not something that I would want to follow on a curvy road on a windy day....
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Old 06-05-2013, 04:05 PM   #4
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I think every camper goes through this. He will take one trip and be at the dealership that following Monday to buy a proper tow vehicle!
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Old 06-05-2013, 05:40 PM   #5
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Maybe you could follow him with a video camera? it would be educational for him and possibly entertaining for us
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Old 06-05-2013, 05:47 PM   #6
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I towed my fully loaded (4000lb) Stampede s-17 with a Nissan Xterra (5000lbs max tow) a few years ago and it was okay. Even did it without a wdh for a whole summer (rookie). As long as it remains legal, it all depends on the way the person drives. I find length is harder to control than weight when sway is involved.
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Old 06-07-2013, 02:29 AM   #7
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Hi all,
Seeing as we are talking about towing, I am considering buying a Denali BH311. According to the specs my 2005 Sierra 2500HD 6L should pull it and stop it comfortably. Just wondering if any of you have experience towing the 30' Denali.
Thanks,
Dean
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Old 06-07-2013, 10:52 AM   #8
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Hey Dean
I have the Denali BH311 and i love it. I towed it with a ram 1500 5.7 for close to a year and it towed fine power and brake wise, i just felt the truck was too light ans i was getting biunced around alot. I just trade in for a ram 2500. The sierra you have will do fine! It is a great trailer, tows very well and is pretty stable considering its lenght!
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Old 06-07-2013, 10:29 PM   #9
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Thanks
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Old 06-11-2013, 11:59 PM   #10
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We tow our 311 bhs with a 2006 chevy 2500 hd with the 6.0. It is pretty flat around here and it does okay. If we lived in the mountains the 6.0 would be inadequate.

You will need a brake control for the trailer brakes.

We started off with the new andersen wdh and sway control and found it inadequate for the 1050 pound tongue weight (weighed loaded ready to travel). We now have the Equalizer 4 point with 1200 pound bars and are extremely happy with it going down the road.

Do some research on the factory hitch on your truck as they tend to be kind of weak and can fail under the stress of the weight distribution hitches (we had a failure on our 98 chevy in the driveway and did not trust the 06 and just replaced for safety)

The 311 is longer than 30 feet, ours is 35.5 sometimes it makes a difference making reservations.

Don't be shy about looking and finding hidden storage under both sinks and also behind the drawers under the dinette cushions.


Welcome and have fun!
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Old 06-12-2013, 02:01 AM   #11
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Is the Anderson any good or the equalizer a good hitch?
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Old 06-12-2013, 02:05 AM   #12
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I just yanked my BH311 with the equalizer (14,000lb model) for the first ime this weekend for a 600km round trip, mostly on 400 series highway and I was totally impressed, zero sway behind my Ram 2500, absolutely amazing!
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Old 06-12-2013, 02:21 AM   #13
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I feel the andersen wdh hitch is a good setup for smaller trailers with lighter tongues. It just did not handle our trailer well at all. The equalizer in my opinion is better by far for the big boys.
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Old 06-12-2013, 02:38 AM   #14
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Does anyone have experience with blue ox?
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Old 06-12-2013, 11:50 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gundog View Post
Does anyone have experience with blue ox?
I have heard of them, and just exploring online I can see it seems like a good system, but again chains allow some movement (sway).

I dont want to sound like a salesman in any way, but having gone from a Reese System to an Equalizer System, I have to say the Equalizer is awesome. Driving 600km's going 110-115km/h on a 400 series highway with 0 sway was amazing! I am totally sold on the product!
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