Sovereign weight and Preferred tow vehicle

[JLD]

Hi. This is new owner ALMOST again. Does anyone know the weight of the 31 ft Sovereign? The former owner said he was recently told it weights 5600+. It has never been an issue with him as he tows with a big diesel 4 x 4. I don't know about tongue weight on top of that. Right now I have a GMC safarai minivan that is certfice to haul 6000 lbs. The former owner recommends I shop around for a PU like his. I haven't the slightest idea what that would set me back. More than I have probably. Right now we intend to use it for a beach house and shop for a shortie to use on the road.

[thenewkid64]

I would not use the safari as the tow vehicle for a 31 foot airstream. Even if the weight ratings are as close as you state. The weight of the tow vehicle, ponies under the hood, as well as the wheelbase make a tremendous diffrence in towability, handling and safety. based on a 95 model the van itself only weighs 3988, with a cargo capicity of 5950. I will admit that 1962 Pounds seems like alot but that needs to include you, yourFriends/family, The dog, gear, gas, and the 800 lbs of tounge weight.


I have seen smaller trailers and boats pulled by a safari, but I would not reccomend it. I have seen trucks in my region that would be capable haulers of your trailer in the 6-7K range that are 6-7 years old.

[davidz71]

You didn't say what year your 31' Sovereign is but the '77 center bath twin dry wt. is 5025 lbs. with a tongue wt. of 710 lbs. My '77 Excella 500 31' rear bath has alum. 40 lb. tanks and the tongue wt. is almost 1100 lbs. loaded for travel. I will have to look up the entire weight at home since I weighed it a few months ago. I have a '95 Astrovan at home but would not even think of towing my trailer with it. A Suburban 2500 or a 2500 light weight extended cab 3/4 ton pickup truck would make an excellent tow vehicle. I opted for the '01 2500HD ext. cab pickup with shortbed and have been extremely happy with my choice. The only change I would make would be to swap the 8.1 V8 gas engine for the new Duramax diesel engine for better gas mileage. A 3/4 ton pickup with the Cummins diesel is also a good choice as well as the Chevy 2500 with 6 litre engine.

[greg_n_]

Good question... We also just purchased a '78 Sovereign 31' center bath, rear queen bedroom and were woundering if a 1985 restored F150 with a 302 engine and 4 speed bulldog transmition would do the trick?

[chief5725]

Hi, wanted to introduce myself. I'm Mark Two Blades Williams from the Lower Eastern Cherokee Nation in SC. I have just got a 73' Sovereign 31' rear bath. I pulled it from FLA to Lexington, SC with a 2007 Mitz Raider pick up with a v6 and tow button. I used what I had at the time. When I was young we used our trucks for everything. Load it to the ground and load the trailer down with fire wood and go home. I now have a 2005 Chevy van w/5.4 v8.Works great. I still have my Mitz also, still works well. Can you tell me where I need to go to get help on toilets please?

Thanks, Two Blades

[eubank]

Greetings, Two Blades, and welcome to the forums! I'm sure you can find loads of information here about your Sovereign. There is a forum devoted to sinks, showers and toilets with the overall forums. You might check there first; if you don't find what you need to know there, just post there with questions. Try to be as specific as you can!

Sinks, Showers and Toilets

Again, welcome to the forums!


Lynn

[Aage]

Originally Posted by JLD

Hi. This is new owner ALMOST again. Does anyone know the weight of the 31 ft Sovereign?

Big range in weights for the Sov, JLD. We need to know the year, and even the configuration can change it a little.

My 1974 Sovereign rear bath with twins weighs 5,035 lbs dry, and hitch weight is 490 lbs. The mid bath model of the same year, however, weighs about the same but has a 650lb tongue weight.

I tow mine with a 2007 Ford Freestar 4.2l V6, by the way. Took it down to Florida and back, no problem in the 4,000 some miles of that trip.

[al franklin]

I have just purchased a 79 31' sovereign. I am planning on pulling it with my 06 Porsche Cayenne, it has a 7100lb tow capacity. I think the trailer weighs around 5,100ish. Am I on the right track and does this configuration sound safe?? Thanks, AL Franklin

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by al franklin

I have just purchased a 79 31' sovereign. I am planning on pulling it with my 06 Porsche Cayenne, it has a 7100lb tow capacity. I think the trailer weighs around 5,100ish. Am I on the right track and does this configuration sound safe?? Thanks, AL Franklin

Mineola, seriously? I grew up 10 miles from there, near Hainesville. At that time the sight of any Porsche on the streets of Mineola would have gotten my complete and undivided attention.

My takeaway from way too many hours spent reading these forums is that CanAm RV is great at setting up what would otherwise be iffy combinations to tow safely. I think the weakest link in your setup would be the relatively short wheelbase of the Cayenne, but I know that people tow similar combinations with thoughtfully-configured hitch systems.

You're likely to be told by some that towing with your Cayenne will hasten the coming apocalypse, and by others that you can do it with a 914 if you use a Hensley. There never seems to be a 100% consensus on the TV choice from this bunch of iconoclasts, go figure.

[adwriter73]

Originally Posted by al franklin

I have just purchased a 79 31' sovereign. I am planning on pulling it with my 06 Porsche Cayenne, it has a 7100lb tow capacity. I think the trailer weighs around 5,100ish. Am I on the right track and does this configuration sound safe?? Thanks, AL Franklin

I have the same trailer and pull it with the VW version of your Cayenne (the Touareg). I've pulled the trailer with a Chevy Silverado Crew Cab before and it felt about the same as the Touareg. Most will say the short wheelbase of our SUV will complicate towing, but if you get a good hitch set-up then it should be fine. I am far from an expert, but this is my experience with it.

[chief5725]

Dude, just use common sence and you'll be fine. All this stuff about wheel base and size and ratio is getting blown out and keeping good people from camping. We have pulled so much stuff with regular Chevy trucks thru the years and now everybody and their uncle says you can't do it. Too many people with book smarts and no common sence. Just my out look on things.

Two Blades

[overlander63]

My '74 has a GVW of 7100 pounds. I think the '79 was even more. Obviously, you can not put a bunch of stuff in the trailer, and be sure of your weights so you don't exceed them.

[blumob]

I am going to look at a 73 31' Sovereign tomorrow.I own a 2008 Toyota 4-runner V6 with tow hitch.Am I crazy to even think about towing this trailer?

[Aage]

Dunno. Towing capacity is 7,300 pounds on V8 models, but the V6 tops out at 5,000 pounds.

That's more than what I tow my Sov with, but your vehicle is shorter and higher up. What class is the hitch, by the way? IIRC, you need to use a Class IV.

It may not be ideal, but wait for more comments...

[blumob]

How does one find out what class?

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by blumob

How does one find out what class?

Look at the hitch body for a tag or stamping. The draw bar might be rated as a Class IV, but that doesn't mean the hitch itself necessarily is. Also check the ball itself. I have seen more than one tow rig with an under rated ball for whatever reason.

Class III is only rated to 5,000#. FWIW I use a Class V on my dually...rated to 24,000#

Aaron

[AL’ UM- MONEY]

Currently I pull my 1976 31 foot with a 1500 four wheel and a 6.0 L. I have a newer 1500 with 5.3L but two wheel. The dealer says it is rated at 7,000. Do I try it. Is the suspension strong enough to avoid any tail wabbel This Serria has a towing package,extending mirrors and newer but don't want to have a towing accident.

[chief5725]

No, you don't know until you try. Getthe owner to let you pull it around and see how it does. Do you have a tow button? This makes ALL the differance.
Two Blades

[trucker101]

It's not JUST can you pull it but can you STOP it. Larger trucks have larger brakes.

[J. Morgan]

My 72 weighs about 6500 as it sits, it weighed about 5,000 stock.

My 1/2 ton Silverado does just fine pulling it as does my wife's 1/2 ton Tahoe, both 5.3 L gas equipped.

There will be folks who will tell you that you NEED a big diesel to tow the trailer, they are wrong.


1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow