Towing with an '06 Subaru Tribeca?

[pxlchk1]

Hi guys,

We have plans to upgrade to a more substantial tow vehicle, but I wanted a temperature check on what we are currently working with.

We have a '73 Tradwind and a 2006 Subaru Tribecca with a transmission cooler, weight distribution hitch, and electronic brake controller.

We also live in Illinois, which is amazing devoid of anything much larger than a mole hill.

What do you think about getting through the rest of this year with our current setup and local/regional weekend trips on surface roads keeping it around 35-45 mph?

Thanks for your insight and advice.

Alana

[barts]

From the web, your car has a tow rating of 2000 lbs standard, 3500 with tow package.
Tongue weight limits are 200 lbs and 350 lbs respectively.

Your trailer weighs 4100 lbs dry and has a tongue weight of 610 lbs.

I'd definitely talk to some experienced folks who may be able to set this up for you so it's safe.

- Bart

[ROBERT CROSS]

Alana,

It would be a stretch just to say go for it, but the folks at Can Am could do what's......

Bob

[zlee]

Yeah, call or email CanAm in London ONT. They'll happily tell you whether it's safe or not, and can advise on your hitch set up.

[pxlchk1]

Financially, I wish we could make it work just for another year or so. But safety-wise I'm just not very comfortable with it. With the WD hitch and tranny cooler, we're at 4,000 limit for dry weight, but that's still 100 under my camper AND without a single thing inside. Not cool.

I'm going this weekend to look at a couple of larger SUV's with the E86 fuel option. I'd just rather do it right.

-Alana

[danlehosky]

We had a similiar situation. We bought a new 25 FB Flying Cloud and had a Chevy Trailblazer we tried to use as a TV. While it did work I had two concerns
1. Safety
2. My neighbor is an attorney and told me if we were involved in an accident and it was determined we had been overloaded we could be sued for what is called intentional neglegence. Insurance companies won't cover this.
It was hard for us financially but we finally bit the bullet and bought the new TV (2011 Chevy Tahoe with HD trailering package and integrated trailer control). I would have always been worried towing with the Trailblazer and would not have enjoyed myself. The peace of mind.....Priceless

Dan

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by pxlchk1

I'm going this weekend to look at a couple of larger SUV's with the E86 fuel option. I'd just rather do it right.
-Alana

Doing it right is a good thing but determining what is right and what is safe is a tough road to travel. As suggested in previous posts, talk to a towing professional before jumping into the unknown.
There have been a number of cases here where folks have spent a lot of money on TV changes and ended up with an inferior, nor so safe TV. Food for thought.

[dkottum]

We also get a lot of worthless second hand information from "my friend the attorney" that is unreliable to say the least.

Dan, I think the Tahoe/Airstream combo is still overweight if you are getting peace of mind from mfg's numbers. But there's more to it than that. Hitches, tires, shocks make a difference, and it must be set up correctly.

doug k

[r carl]

Originally Posted by Road Ruler

Doing it right is a good thing but determining what is right and what is safe is a tough road to travel. As suggested in previous posts, talk to a towing professional before jumping into the unknown.
There have been a number of cases here where folks have spent a lot of money on TV changes and ended up with an inferior, nor so safe TV. Food for thought.

Its pretty much all uphill from where she is at now.

[starcraft]

Get toyota or jeep what is e86 fuel option lol? Only chevrolets have higher alcohol fuel plastics, never catch me driving one!

[danlehosky]

Doug, I somewhat agree with you about free advice. It's usually worth what you pay for it. We feel very comfortable with the Tahoe. We have A Hensley Hitch and a usually empty truck scale on Hwy 16 where we have done lots of "adjusting" The Tahoe with the HD trailering package has a tow rating of 8500 lbs, and packed Correctly for camping we come in at about 7200 lbs. Tounge weight steering axle weight, drive axle weight and trailer axle weight are numbers we have monitored carefully. The TCVW is 15,000 lbs. I thought about a 3/4 ton truck but really wanted the big SUV. We just came back from a trip involving some challenging situations and I believe the combo performed well. The lower rear end gearing combined with the 6 speed transmission with a tow mode is hard to beat. We love the 25FB Flying Cloud as I'm sure you do and can't wait for our first season. I'm going to try to put this whole TV-TT discussion behind me and just enjoy my trailer. I'm an engineer and its really easy for me to get anal about the technical aspects of all of these issues. I am well aware what the combination of velocity, and weight can result in.
Dan