Visit our Popular Forums

Tino643 · 10-06-2013, 10:01 AM

I am writing to share with you my experience of driving my 2011 Jeep Cherokee V6 and my airstream 2013 27 foot international Serenity FB.

But to start , I 'll list you my driving experience. First, I am a police officer for 20 years. Driving and handling a vehicle I know.

Secondly, I had three Airstream . The first one a 2009 Flying Cloud 20 foot pulled by a Mitsubishi Outlander V6, reese hitch.

The second a 2010 25 foot flying cloud FB pulled by a V6 Nissan XTerra ( that was a **** combo ) and then my Jeep Cherokee . Also with a reese hitch . I don’t want to buy a truck ( f150/ f250 ect..)so the jeep was a good compromise…

The problem with reese hitch was the sway. It not completly eliminate the sway. And believe me, the hitch was perfecly ajusted. I am perfectionist freak

The last year I switch to a 27 foot trailer FB . I buy a Anderson hitch that I sold after two use. Without going into details ( go see de post of Anderson), my truck trailer combo was asking too much for this hitch. If I compare Reese and Anderson for my combo, reese was better.

So I bought a ProPride hitch . Very good system, eliminating sway at 95%. Cons : expensive and heavy. But with my combination the weight is a good compromise. I didn't strengthening de hitch like some have did. After five months and regular inspection, everything look good...

That said, this summer we traveled 23,500 km in the USA for 5 months. Montreal to Vancouver via the USA , all American west coast ( road 1 and inter. 101) to San Diego and then back home by the south of the USA. We did a lot of road AND a lot of big hills. We did all the National Parks and the toughest roads that are either mounted or downhill. And especially some place at temperatures of 45F . For the record you have very beautifull place in USA…Nice contry and very nice people…In five months no bad experience whit people…

So we are a family of three. I weigh 175 lbs , my wife 120 lbs and my little girl 36 lbs. I have two bikes on the front of my Jeep. That dosen’t botter for the drive and for cooling the engine. But the con the bike collect bugs. And one on the roof. All the bikes and supports weight about 120 lbs bikes. A Thule box on the roof with equipment. Weight of about 60/70 lbs . A little bbq in the truck and a tool box.

When we take the road , my water tank is full. My gray and black water tanks are empty. The fridge is almost always full ( we like to eat and eat well compare to you Americain..

). Plus canned, wine, shoes, toys, linen, personal items etc. ...

A few place my Jeep was hot but I 've never had to stop. It was 45F and a hill. I shut the AC on all the climb. So name a places whit a hill, there are good chance that we dit it..

In the highway I do not go over 60 miles. It is better for consumption 55 miles. And my average consumption of 23 500 km is 18,5 liters per 100km. This is good ...

So in summary , my Jeep Chorokee alone with its 20-inch tires has a very good stability. With my trailer and the Propride hitch it is almost as well! Regarding the engine power for 27 feet , there is no problem. You will not make the 60 miles in mounted , but you will be going up ....This engine is a little bull ! And for the hold wolf who said that is dangerous, try it before saying something. And think outsite the box ! Biger it is not necessarely better…

My next steep, thinking of bying a 30 foot. But whit the V6, it will be to much for the engine and the truck hitch. So I am thinking of a Jeep Diesel and making a slimp dolly whit electric brake. All the weight will be on the dolly and not on the Jeep. And whit the diesel engine i will have no problem to pull the Airstream.

So if you question ask me. And if you have somme idea for the slim dolly tell me. Me idea is to buy two timbren axle less 1200 lbs. Welding together and had ajustable ball and shank monts..It in developement….

Sorry for my english, i live near Montréal and spoke French…I do my best…

idroba · 10-06-2013, 10:33 AM

Thank you for your nice report on your rig and your travel experiences. It was nice to read how well the Jeep V6 works on a pretty big trailer.

I have a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee also, but with the Hemi V8, and I tow a smaller 2014 Flying Cloud 20'. My GC has the full air suspension, and I was wondering if yours does too? I agree that the 20" wheels and tires seem to give it a great stability.

I use the Andersen hitch system, and have found it to be great for my combination of Jeep and shorter Airstream. I have towed about 6000 miles this summer.

And my French is non existent, so your English is just fine. Thanks again for your post.

MrUKToad · 10-06-2013, 11:17 AM

Great report, Tino. Your English is waaaaaay better than my French, vraiment!

Road Ruler · 10-06-2013, 11:25 AM

Thnxs for the update Tino. Sounds like you had a great trip across the country.

We too have been towing with V6's for the past 15 years. No problems at all.

Well done with the English. My BH is from Beauport and she struggles keeping two languages up to par.

By a slimp dolly do you mean a support wheel under the tongue as in the photo below? If so they are not popular in this day and age.

Jim Flower · 10-06-2013, 11:55 AM

Bonjour again Tino,

I think you will recall that we have similar set ups. My GC is a 2008 Diesel now with 320,000 k on it. The 2012, 30' Signature has travelled 40,000 k since May of 2012. I use a HaHa. My towing experience is similar to yours except that I have had a few issues, none related to the inability of the Jeep to tow the Airstream. The issues were the inability to get the turbo serviced properly in the US (plastic duct cracked) and a HaHa failure when I was backing up in the mud. The hitch on the TV was modified by CanAm and has about 140,000 k of towing on it with no issues. I will be replacing the Jeep shortly with a new Jeep diesel, I think. My concerns are the same as yours. Will the new Jeep with the air suspension handle the 1250 pounds of tongue weight? Perhaps Call Andrew T and ask his opinion. I am not inclined to go the dolly route since it just makes life more complicated, but I am sure interested on what you come up with. Incidentally, KOA Montreal South for Thanksgiving.

aluminitus · 10-06-2013, 12:00 PM

Thanks for the report! Is it the general consensus that pulling with a V6 GC is completely reasonable?

MrUKToad · 10-06-2013, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aluminitus

Thanks for the report! Is it the general consensus that pulling with a V6 GC is completely reasonable?

Those who do it will tell you that it is.

andreasduess · 10-06-2013, 12:44 PM

Thanks for this excellent post. Like others have said, your English is way better than my French, so no worries there.

We're just back from the WBCCI Fall Rendezvous* in Milton where a sizeable number of Airstreamers towed their trailer with V6 powered vehicles. Popular choices were Mercedes, Honda, VW vehicles. There were some trucks in attendance, the most popular model was the F150 in various configurations. From a crowd of about 40 trailers, I saw three that were being towed with larger trucks. Perhaps it is true that Canadians, and especially Ontarians, tow with smaller vehicles.

I talked to one member who had towed his 27' all across the US including the Rockies with a Toyota Sienna. His report: "not a problem. Some mountains in Colorado we went up in second gear for a while, but the engine never overheated, always worked well. Brakes never faded, on the way down"

*a great, welcoming crowd. Our first WBCCI outing and while we're normally not club-people, we'll hopefully be seeing a lot more of these folks. I learned more about my trailer in two days than in all the months before.

Road Ruler · 10-06-2013, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Flower

Bonjour again Tino,

I think you will recall that we have similar set ups. My GC is a 2008 Diesel now with 320,000 k on it. The 2012, 30' Signature has travelled 40,000 k since May of 2012. I use a HaHa.

It is good to know the Jeeps are good for the long haul.

Tino643 · 10-06-2013, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Road Ruler

Thnxs for the update Tino. Sounds like you had a great trip across the country.

We too have been towing with V6's for the past 15 years. No problems at all.

Well done with the English. My BH is from Beauport and she struggles keeping two languages up to par.

By a slimp dolly do you mean a support wheel under the tongue as in the photo below? If so they are not popular in this day and age.

It will be between my truck and the Airstream...Some got think desappears whit the time but that don't mean they are not good...

Tino643 · 10-06-2013, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Flower

Bonjour again Tino,

I think you will recall that we have similar set ups. My GC is a 2008 Diesel now with 320,000 k on it. The 2012, 30' Signature has travelled 40,000 k since May of 2012. I use a HaHa. My towing experience is similar to yours except that I have had a few issues, none related to the inability of the Jeep to tow the Airstream. The issues were the inability to get the turbo serviced properly in the US (plastic duct cracked) and a HaHa failure when I was backing up in the mud. The hitch on the TV was modified by CanAm and has about 140,000 k of towing on it with no issues. I will be replacing the Jeep shortly with a new Jeep diesel, I think. My concerns are the same as yours. Will the new Jeep with the air suspension handle the 1250 pounds of tongue weight? Perhaps Call Andrew T and ask his opinion. I am not inclined to go the dolly route since it just makes life more complicated, but I am sure interested on what you come up with. Incidentally, KOA Montreal South for Thanksgiving.

Of corse I remenber you... The think whit the dolly is to be more simple and have no weight on the jeep plus it will act like and anti-sway... I put some picture of what i thinking to do.

I want to take two Timbren axle, and welding the top one next to the other. The front is attached to the Jeep with an adjustable shank but not swivel. The back has an adjustable ball. I thought adding electric brakes for braking and sludge guards. Both are designed for Timbren poides 1200 lbs. I think it will be enough for the weight of the trailer.

Wazbro · 10-06-2013, 05:07 PM

You should check into these.

Hitch Helper Motorcycle Carring Trailer Hitches by ACC Towing

stinger hitch - welcome to mrtrailer.com

Andrew T · 10-06-2013, 05:56 PM

I don't think you need to worry too much about the Grand Cherokee's ability to handle hitch weight.

The Jeep has a very robust chassis and suspension. Interesting the V6 has GVWR of 6500 pounds but the V/8 magically increases to 6,800 pounds. The Dodge Durango which is on the same chassis just lengthened and lowered has a GVWR of 7100 pounds. Tire capacity is 4600 pounds per axle so lots of capacity there.

When 1200 pounds of hitch weight is distributed about 300 will go back to the trailer wheels.

Andrew T

Tino643 · 10-06-2013, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wazbro

You should check into these.

Hitch Helper Motorcycle Carring Trailer Hitches by ACC Towing

stinger hitch - welcome to mrtrailer.com

Wazbro I search all the net for slim dolly. I no the stinger but the compagny is close. And some guy in this forum but one years ago and was not satisfied whit the product. To much bonce....But I like the order one....Thanks...

Tino643 · 10-06-2013, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew T

I don't think you need to worry too much about the Grand Cherokee's ability to handle hitch weight.

The Jeep has a very robust chassis and suspension. Interesting the V6 has GVWR of 6500 pounds but the V/8 magically increases to 6,800 pounds. The Dodge Durango which is on the same chassis just lengthened and lowered has a GVWR of 7100 pounds. Tire capacity is 4600 pounds per axle so lots of capacity there.

When 1200 pounds of hitch weight is distributed about 300 will go back to the trailer wheels.

Andrew T

Thanks Andrew for the info...I don't no if you look a t the internet site of the oder guy how wroe before you but there a tow dolly very interesting. I no you have lot of experience in towing. So what do you think about this tow dolly? I have to admit, i like the simplicity. Just ''pin'' nothing to crank, no grease and i can ask to make a little box for a generator...

mandolindave · 10-06-2013, 09:08 PM

What is the tow capacity of the Jeep with a V6? How much does your trailer weigh? I think that you are only supposed to use 80% of your towing capacity.

dkottum · 10-06-2013, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mandolindave

What is the tow capacity of the Jeep with a V6? How much does your trailer weigh? I think that you are only supposed to use 80% of your towing capacity.

Here we go again.

Tino643 · 10-07-2013, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mandolindave

What is the tow capacity of the Jeep with a V6? How much does your trailer weigh? I think that you are only supposed to use 80% of your towing capacity.

Sorry, but i bin there.....I don't take that road again....

andreasduess · 10-07-2013, 06:38 AM

Just don't freed the trolls

mandolindave · 10-07-2013, 06:51 AM

I didn't know that I touched on a sore spot. But you have posted an opinion, just as I have.

" I don't take that road again." I have a concern that you could have troubles on that road that you do take. Driving, and towing is a privilege that bares responsibility. I didn't notice, on this thread, what the towing capacity of your vehicle is, or the weight of your trailer. I now realize that you must have researched those numbers, but that wasn't apparent. You can't expect everyone to always agree with you. I hope you will respect my right to have an opinion.
If my opinion is wrong or has upset anyone, please accept my apology.