Most would consider its wheelbase a bit (6" or so) short for a 22'.
If you subtract the 1470 lb payload from the 6500 lb towing capacity, that just covers the 22's 5,000 lb GVWR (max wet and loaded weight). Doable, but might not be fun in the mountains with no reserve.
160 lbs of fuel, 340 lbs of passengers, and 500 lbs of tongue weight (1000 lbs payload) would leave 470 lbs of cushion there.
Pretty close to the limits, and mighty short on the wheelbase. I'm not a Hensley owner who believes in using them as a crutch for an inadequate vehicle.
IMHO, tall, short-wheelbase SUVs shouldn't be used for towing.
We drive the Toyota Land Cruiser for the very reason you cite: my husband has a very bad back, and we have never found a more comfortable vehicle for him. HOWEVER, as much as we love the LC, we know we have to face a change because as a tow vehicle, it's too limited for more than a very small or lite trailer. We are not yet AS owners, but we pull a 25' bed-slide-out SOB trailer. Last summer, we pulled from Missouri through Montana north of Yellowstone, down through Yellowstone and Tetons and across Rocky Mountain National Park and back home. We were maxed. Between western winds and the mountains, we really tested our set up and found it wanting. We can hardly bear the thought of giving up the Land Cruiser, but I think the larger Suburban may be the way we decide to go, if, when we get to test one, it rides well. Speaking of which, can anyone here compare the rides of Land Cruisers and Suburban 2500 or comparable tow vehicles? To those of us with bad backs, this is important. Thanks.
The DH says it's 4800#. When we left the dealer's with it, nothing loaded of course, pulling with the LC, gas, and the two of us, we weighed in at a truck weighing station. (Now that was an experieince-two totally newbies looking completely dumb!) Our figures checked out according to the numbers we'd been given for both trailer and LC, but it was the actual driving that convinced us that we need a mightier tow. I hate to share bad news with you, as I said, we love our Land Cruiser. We bought the SOB because we thought the AS we wanted would be too much to pull. As it is, even our SOB seems to much to pull in the mountains where we love to go. So. . .the bright side of the story is. . .if we have to give up the LC and move up in tow vehicle, we'll have no reason not to have the AS, so. . .with retirement right around the corner, I think we'll have some shopping to do! Best wishes in making your decision. Keep us posted!
We can hardly bear the thought of giving up the Land Cruiser, but I think the larger Suburban may be the way we decide to go, if, when we get to test one, it rides well. Speaking of which, can anyone here compare the rides of Land Cruisers and Suburban 2500 or comparable tow vehicles?
One of my tow vehicles is a '99 K2500 Suburban, and after 122,000 miles (I ordered the vehicle new) the quality is every bit as good as my previous three Toyota automobiles ('78 Corona LE, '80 Corolla, and '83 Corolla). I know that my mother who suffered from osteo-porosis and severe arthritis preferred riding in the Suburban to my Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz (not the convertible in my signature - - my newer daily driver). The Suburban was ordered with the optional lumbar support (inflatable bladders in the seats), electric heaters (both front seats), 8-way power assist (both front seats), and manual recline mechanisms. The only down-side was the step-up--height both my mother and her sister needed a step-stool in addition to the factory running board to make accessing the passenger compartment easier.
Good luck with your search for a tow vehicle!
Kevin
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Kevin D. Allen WBCCI (Lifetime Member)/VAC/Free Wheelers #6359 AIR #827
1964 Overlander International/1999 GMC K2500 Suburban (7400 VORTEC/4.11 Differentials)
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre/1975 Cadillac Eldorado Convertible (8.2 Liter V8/2.70 Final Drive)
1) What year is your LC?
2) Engine size?
3) Do you have the 4.1 rear-end (might be a factory standard depending on year)?
4) Is your SOB weight (#4,800) dry? The 22' CCD is around #4,000 dry. Want to be comparing apples to apples...
Frankly, I took my wife to sit in the 'Burb and Tahoe yesterday and she did not like the seats much at all. Chevy does something weird by powering just the seat bottom up and down versus moving the whole seat. This essentially changes the seat's "feel" at every setting. Sometimes you gotta wonder what those engineers were thinking... The salesman sheepishly admitted that the seats are a "love/hate" deal with his customers. Nice rig tho.
Looked at the Sequoia too. Powered passenger's seat has no "up/down" adjustment - a "no go"... Would likely make a good tow vehicle for a smaller AS TT, tho, as it is on the Tundra chassis. Seemed truck-like.
Naturally, this limits our options... Seems that our towing choices are always over-priced and under-qualified for the task. I really want to analyze the LC as it might be our only hope.
I agree with the commets on this thread. I would thow in that as the SUV has a higher center of gravity, that plus the the fact that if the numbers are as close as Moe states, then it can be done, it just might not be done by some of the more seasoned folks.
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