2015 Highlander XLE with 19' ?

[tjwoods1]

My current Tow Vehicle is a 2015 Toyota Highlander XLE, 3.5 L V6, 270 hp. Tow Rating 5,000 (500 tongue weight), I have a 16' Airstream Bambi Sport (max weight 3,500 though we never fill it that heavy) 350 lbs tongue weight, towed with the Highlander using a Husky CENTERLINE TS, 400-600 LBS. It tows like a dream, and I love the setup. Had it for 2 years now.

However, I am thinking of moving up to the 19' Flying Cloud but it is (max weight) 4,500 lbs,. I am wondering if it is safe to keep the Toyota Highlander XLE to use with it. I'd hate to get rid of the Highlander.

[Meeks]

I towed our heavy pop-up tent trailer which was in the 3,000 lb range with a WDH and would not have wanted to tow a trailer close to 4,500 lbs with our Highlander. Not enough umph for the job especially in the hills. And I believe the braking distance would increase with the extra weight though I am not sure.

We traded our Highlander for a Tundra when we got our Airstream. Love our Tundra but miss our highly maneuverable Highlander! I understand your dilemma!

[upnorththree]

Originally Posted by tjwoods1

My current Tow Vehicle is a 2015 Toyota Highlander XLE, 3.5 L V6, 270 hp. Tow Rating 5,000 (500 tongue weight), I have a 16' Airstream Bambi Sport (max weight 3,500 though we never fill it that heavy) 350 lbs tongue weight, towed with the Highlander using a Husky CENTERLINE TS, 400-600 LBS. It tows like a dream, and I love the setup. Had it for 2 years now.

However, I am thinking of moving up to the 19' Flying Cloud but it is (max weight) 4,500 lbs,. I am wondering if it is safe to keep the Toyota Highlander XLE to use with it. I'd hate to get rid of the Highlander.

I can't say I blame you for wanting to keep the Toyota. I had a similar struggle.
It's NEVER just one thing and I'm only spit-balling here but, won't the 19' tongue weight be a bit over your limit? I'm not at all familiar with the Husky. Aside from that you may be fine just a little slow up the hills.
I ended up calling my insurance agent to know my liability if our AS ripped off the TV and sailed in to oncoming traffic.

Good luck,
Popeye

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by tjwoods1

My current Tow Vehicle is a 2015 Toyota Highlander XLE, 3.5 L V6, 270 hp. Tow Rating 5,000 (500 tongue weight), I have a 16' Airstream Bambi Sport (max weight 3,500 though we never fill it that heavy) 350 lbs tongue weight, towed with the Highlander using a Husky CENTERLINE TS, 400-600 LBS. It tows like a dream, and I love the setup. Had it for 2 years now.

However, I am thinking of moving up to the 19' Flying Cloud but it is (max weight) 4,500 lbs,. I am wondering if it is safe to keep the Toyota Highlander XLE to use with it. I'd hate to get rid of the Highlander.

The weight of our 19' is around 4000 lbs but tongue weight is around 800lbs. Might be a bit much but I did tow it with a 285 hp V6 grand Cherokee for awhile. It did tow OK, never got it in real hills though. Used a WD and sway setup installed and set up by Can Am.

[CamanoIsland]

Hi,

I bought a 2016 Highlander to tow my 2007 19' Bambi. The problem is the tongue weight, (650 not 500 for the 19'). I went over a small speed bump in my alley and the toyota hitch bent off the frame of the Highlander. I would say towing a 19 would be downright dangerous. I had to trade in my Highlander for a 2016 Tacoma and it was still necessary to get a stabilizer hitch. When a semi speeds past you and you start to sway it's pretty scary.

Best of luck, (I love my truck but I do miss the Highlander a little)

Margaret

[coveredwagon]

Towed our '19 ft Bambi with am 2008 Lexus Gx 470. Same as a V8 Forerunner. Very nice ride. Moved up to a 2008 Sequoia when we got the 25 footer

[tjwoods1]

Thanks for the replies. Very helpful!

I guess the Highlander won't work. I was looking at a Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Edition. There is a 4 x 4, V6, 6500 towing capacity with a class IV tow package. Does that sound workable? The Airstream literature says the 19' Flying Cloud hitch weight is 550. I take it that may not be quite accurate as well?

[Adventure.AS]

Perhaps it would be less expensive to have an expert hitch shop strength the hitch on the Highlander to be equivalent to a Class IV? Many people have successfully done this. You will see Can-Am in London ON Canada referenced as experts in modifying tow hitches. You could give Andy Thompson a call there and ask for his opinion.

[dkottum]

A 2015 Highlander and 19' Airstream should work well with proper weight distribution set up and weight management. One of many threads.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...r-91496-4.html

Originally Posted by Andrew T

Hi Pam

I have been at Alumapoluza this weekend, I replied to your email today however it bounced back.

We have several customers with the same Highlander that you own as well as a large number with the Lexus version and Sienna's which use the same drive train. Most are towing 25-30' Airstreams and some quite extensively with trips to Alaska etc. That I know of all are quite pleased with them and we have had several move from older to newer ones.


The 19 or 22 are both easy for the Highlander. There will be no issues with handling stability etc. On some long grades you will shift down and climb in lower gears at about 3800 RPM but it will run on the level at 60 MPH in the 2300 RPM range. A large V8 or diesel will climb the hills 10 MPH faster but they will never save you enough time on hills to make up for the extra time you would spend in gas stations.

With either the 19 or 22 you absolutely must use a weight distribution hitch that is adjusted properly. I would suggest an Eaz-Lift brand with 600 lb. bars and a Husky friction sway control. There are no issues with the body structure, today unit body vehicles are actually much stronger than body on frame vehicles.

The Hitch that comes on the 08 Highlanders is not terrible but also not overly solid. Do you have the Factory trailer hitch or do you need to add one?

The picture below is a 1999 Lexus RX300 it was the first Toyota crossover we set up. This one had a 3.0 Ltre with a 5 speed transmission instead of the 3.5 and 6 speed that you have. It towed the 25 Safari to Alaska, Panama, New Foundland and several trips to California.

Andrew T

[tjwoods1]

Am I understanding this correctly? My 5,000 lbs tow, 500 lbs tongue weight rated Highlander XLE will have a higher tongue weight capacity ( but not towing, obviously)if I upgrade to a Class IV hitch? Could that higher tongue weight do any damage to the body frame?

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by tjwoods1

Am I understanding this correctly? My 5,000 lbs tow, 500 lbs tongue weight rated Highlander XLE will have a higher tongue weight capacity ( but not towing, obviously)if I upgrade to a Class IV hitch? Could that higher tongue weight do any damage to the body frame?

Yes, if properly designed and a weight distribution hitch is used and set up correctly.

[rostam]

Class IV hitches are readily available to car manufacturers. There must be a reason they don't put one on every vehicle they make. Make sure you ask the shop to certify, in writing, that the hitch is rated to carry 1000# and there are no side effects to carrying twice as much as OEM says on the hitch.

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by tjwoods1

Am I understanding this correctly? My 5,000 lbs tow, 500 lbs tongue weight rated Highlander XLE will have a higher tongue weight capacity ( but not towing, obviously)if I upgrade to a Class IV hitch? Could that higher tongue weight do any damage to the body frame?

These threads can take unfortunate turns.

Best to get advice from Andrew T. and his company, they can help you as they have helped thousands of satisfied customers. I think they will tell you the higher tongue weight is not the issue, it is the vertical twisting of the receiver as the w.d. hitch lifts the back of your vehicle. It might be plenty strong for this relatively light combo, they will know.

http://www.canamrv.ca/towing-expertise/contact/

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by rostam

Class IV hitches are readily available to car manufacturers. There must be a reason they don't put one on every vehicle they make.

A. They want to sell more trucks?
B. They want to save money?
C. Cheap Class II hitches are easier/cheaper to install? (See B.above)

[Alluminati]

Following the numbers published by the engineers who designed and built your truck is the easy thing to do.

Thinking there is one single guy up north who knows more than all the engineers who design and build trucks combined leaves me a little short of breath. If you believe him, he's the only guy who can fix your TV and hitch just right. He gets the $$$$$$. In the next breath he will say the people who built your TV will issue false numbers so you will spend more money with them. Am I the only one who imagines hypocrisy?

Every TV sold in the US has specific weights detailed down to a pound for GVWR, CGVWR, GAWR, etc... These are not general suggestions. Trust them fully, but don't violate them.

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by tjwoods1

Am I understanding this correctly? My 5,000 lbs tow, 500 lbs tongue weight rated Highlander XLE will have a higher tongue weight capacity ( but not towing, obviously)if I upgrade to a Class IV hitch? Could that higher tongue weight do any damage to the body frame?

You've now seen in the replies to this question the primary 2 schools of thought on this type of question. One school says modifications to your tow vehicle are the answer, the other school says the manufacturer's ratings are to be followed for good reason.

Personally, I'm in the second camp because I understand the complexity of any complete system is limited by its "weakest link" so to speak. Using an extreme example - if you COULD put a Class V receiver on a '67 VW bug, WOULD you? SHOULD you? (That great video of the "5th wheel Bug" notwithstanding... &#128512. Manufacturers have to balance engineering with marketing and legal considerations to ultimately produce ratings they can support based on the laws of physics and the laws of the lands in which they sell their products. Staying within manufacturer's specs should in theory provide a higher likelihood of safety, proper vehicle functioning and limits of liability (lots of caveats there...).

If I were to explore a solution in the other camp, I would only proceed if the shop would certify in writing that they've successfully modified the vehicle to exceed the manufacturer's published ratings and that they accept liability for any vehicle damage or personal injury caused as a result of the reengineering. That may or may not be reasonable or possible, but I personally wouldn't proceed without it.

People make convincing arguments either way. Whichever camp you're in, know exactly why you would decide that for yourself - and happy camping!

[Adventure.AS]

I find it interesting that many folks here are all for changing their Airstream to include other engineering improvements that don't come as standard equipment such as:

- LT or P rated tires rather than the specified ST tires;
- larger wheels;
- lift kits;
- disk brakes;
- hydraulic trailer brakes;
- weight distribution systems;
- anti-sway devices;
- bicycle racks;
- larger/more batteries;
- solar panels on the roof
- high tops on van TVs; etc., etc.

... all without asking for written guarantees that the changes won't affect the handling or safety of their rigs. But for some reason many are reluctant to improve the hitch on their tow vehicle for a relatively low cost.

A hitch rating describes the capacity of only the hitch itself (including tongue weight) and is a limitation based on a weak design or materials and does not reflect the capacity of your tow vehicle. If you aren't satisfied with what comes from the factory why not make it stronger while still staying within your GVWR and axle ratings? This might cost hundreds of dollars and you will have a more suitable daily driver and a stable tow vehicle versus the thousands of dollars for buying a truck.

[ggreen63304]

Do you have a specific 19 ft already in mind, or would you consider a 22 ft sport? Less tongue weight and dry weight. Being more narrow than the 19ft, it might tow with less wind resistance also???

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by Adventure.AS

I find it interesting that many folks here are all for changing their Airstream to include other engineering improvements that don't come as standard equipment such as:

- LT or P rated tires rather than the specified ST tires;
- larger wheels;
- lift kits;
- weight distribution systems;
- anti-sway devices;
- bicycle racks;
- larger/more batteries;
- solar panels on the roof
- high tops on van TVs; etc., etc.

... all without asking for written guarantees that the changes won't affect the handling or safety of their rigs. But for some reason many are reluctant to improve the hitch on their tow vehicle for a relatively low cost.

A hitch rating describes the capacity of only the hitch itself (including tongue weight) and is a limitation based on a weak design or materials and does not reflect the capacity of your tow vehicle. If you aren't satisfied with what comes from the factory why not make it stronger while still staying within your GVWR and axle ratings? This might cost hundreds of dollars and you will have a more suitable daily driver and a stable tow vehicle versus the thousands of dollars for buying a truck.

For the price of my Grand Cherokee I got a truck. I can carry bikes, barbecues, etc in the bed, and just hook up and go. No modifications needed and I didn't have to call anyone to see if this or that was OK. I'm not sure what the Toyotas cost, don't see many around here, but I'm sure it's comparable.

The Grand Cherokee was fine and great for commuting; I still drive to work daily and most of my annual mileage is not towing. In retrospect, however, I would get a pickup with a full frame. It was rather expensive to trade the Jeep shortly after buying it, but well worth it. The mileage and handling on the truck took some getting used to but I've got no regrets so far. It's huge but fits in any normal garage. As a bonus (maybe a liability) whenever a friend needs to move or tow something, I can help.

OP, the Grand Cherokee will work with a 19'; I've actually done it. But test drive and consider what you're going to load up in the back before deciding. The generator alone may rule out an SUV. So will a couple large friends with luggage you take along.

[cwm49]

We bought a 2010 19' International last August. Initially we pulled it with our 2016 Highlander. Our first trip was about three weeks and 2500 mies through Washington, Idaho and Oregon and included a number of steep grades. The six speed transmission did a good job of smoothly selecting the right gear. I pushed it pretty hard so it was not in the highest gear very often . It handled the grades well although the maximum speed on the steeper grades was below 60. The trailer started swaying twice once due to an emergency maneuver and once on the freeway due to a wind blast from trucks. I do not totally blame the Highlander for the sway because the load leveling system that came with the trailer is not very good and I did not load the trailer properly, (bikes on a receiver on the back of the trailer and luggage in the rear on the bed). The soft suspension on the rear of the Highlander was, I think, a contributing factor to the sway. We decided to buy a low mileage 2003 Chevy 3/4 ton from a friend as a TV to have something heavier and save wear and tear on the Highlander. The truck is more of a TV than we need but works. I do miss the comfort and convenience of the Highlander.