75 Argosy 26' TV

[dhbinkley]

I figure if anyone could give advice on towing an Argosy, it would be here
I'm looking at buying a 1975 26ft Argosy, but I don't want to buy a new tow vehicle quite yet. The dry weight looks like it is about 3900 lbs and I have a 2010 Nissan Xterra 4x4 (I have added an extra transmission cooler). The current camper I have is about 3200 lbs dry. I'm just worried that it will be too much weight. I really love the argosy and need some advise!

[TG Twinkie]

The GVWR for my '74 Argosy 26' is 6,200 pounds.
Don't know what the tongue weight limit is on your Nissan.
The Argosy tongue weight will be around 700 pounds.

[dhbinkley]

The xterra tongue rating is 500lbs and tow weight capacity is 5000lbs, I have a WD hitch...thoughts?

[DKB_SATX]

1. Weigh the trailer. Have the seller weigh it if they'll agree, you can pay the fee.

2. You need the WD hitch, but it doesn't make tongue weight disappear, it just spreads out the force among more wheels. The hitch receiver still has to transfer that weight for you, so if the 500-lb limit is because of the strength of the receiver it may require modification or replacement. I'd expect the 26' Argosy to weigh over 5k lb loaded for camping, and especially with water in the tank (the fresh tank is up at the very front) the tongue weight will be well over 500 lb.

Lots of people have bought trailers and more or less immediately upgraded their tow vehicle because they didn't like the way the system feels... sometimes that's because of a marginal tow vehicle, sometimes it's a poor setup of the hitch, sometimes both.

Do you feel like your Xterra works hard towing your current trailer? You may get some improvement in effective frontal area (unless your current trailer is a pop-up or an aero teardrop) but the extra mass will still be there to affect climbing, turning and stopping.

[TG Twinkie]

You don't have enough truck. Upgrading the receiver hitch does nothing to increase your 5,000 pound towing capacity.
IMHO it will be difficult to keep the Argosy below 5K pounds when packed for camping or traveling.

[dhbinkley]

That's what i was thinking, not happy about it but towing that much would probably be dangerous and not a good idea for my xterra.

Thanks for all the feedback...

[jimin pa]

My argosy is a 75 26' also I believe you are mistaken I'm thinking my dry weight is more like 6,200 tows like nothing is there ( with a one ton truck)

[Peter Culp]

I will also tell you not to do it. I have a 26' 1974. I tow it with an f350. I also have a v8 4Runner. The 4Runner is rated for 7,000lbs. I would not tow the Argosy any distance with the 4Runner.

[TG Twinkie]

The dry weight of a 26' Argosy is 3,900 pounds. The GVWR is 6,200 pounds.

[75ArgosyRob]

my argosy 1975 26ft rear bath, a/c, 2x 20lb propane cylinder...fully loaded to weekend camp (no water tank, empty grey/black), weighs in at 4,040 lbs according to the local CAT scale. My ridgeline, rated at 5,000 lbs, does a great job pulling the argosy. Has a trans cooler, WD hitch and prodigy brake controller.
Poor fuel mileage, but thats another topic.

GVWR is total allowed weight... camper, food, water, toys, a/c, propane tanks, blankets, counter... everything in the camper. Mine is 6200 or 6800

[75ArgosyRob]

6200, just looked at the tag