Sequoia and Travel Trailer Recommendations

[Jettix2]

Have an '01 Toyota Sequoia SR5 4WD with 53k on it. Has factory tow package.

My wife and I would like to buy a travel trailer (not a pop-up) to take a few camping trips each summer. Most of the trips would be <500 miles, though we've got to cross the Mackinac bridge for most of them, so I want something that the vehicle can safely handle towing.

Right now it's just my wife, myself, and our black lab, so we dont need anything HUGE, but we'd like additional sleeping capacity because we'd like to start a family in a couple years.

What would comfortable weight and length limits be for towing with a stock Sequoia? I'll add the necessary stabilizer bars and electronic brake controller because I want to be SAFE.

Any thoughts would be great.

Thanks, Ben

[Geodude]

That's a pretty broad question. In the weight department I think your max trailer weight shouldn't exceed about 5200lbs loaded. So you should keep it to 4500 - 4900 dry. That's leave you room for future family growth.

As for length, well, we tow a big one: a 32' travel trailer (Antigua 305 QBS). We're under on all weights, but not by much on the GCWR or the tow rating of the truck, but having towed 15000kms so far this summer, including up to 9500 ft in Colorado I can say the truck tows a big trailer like mine very well.

We splurged on a Hensley Arrow hitch and I have to say it's everything people say it is. I can drive easily with one hand in heavy crosswinds.

If you want to see our setup, including specs, etc., check out my website.

Hope that helps!

[Jettix2]

Awesome.....

Thank you so much for the help.......4500 dry sounds good, especially if we can stay in a lightweight model. We're buying used, around $5-6,000 range, so it might take us awhile to find a nice one that we like the layout of. Bummer, too, because last year the Spirit of America LT 24TBQ was only $9995 here in town, brand new.....now they're more in the $12,995 range

Thanks for the info, though!!! Nice to know the Seq. can tow a long trailer w/o sway issues.

Ben

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by Jettix2

Awesome.....

Thank you so much for the help.......4500 dry sounds good, especially if we can stay in a lightweight model. We're buying used, around $5-6,000 range, so it might take us awhile to find a nice one that we like the layout of. Bummer, too, because last year the Spirit of America LT 24TBQ was only $9995 here in town, brand new.....now they're more in the $12,995 range

Thanks for the info, though!!! Nice to know the Seq. can tow a long trailer w/o sway issues.

Ben

The only, repeat only, way that Geodude is safely towing a long trailer without sway is that he's using a Hensley Hitch (~$3000 for just the hitch). If you were to use an ordinary WDH with sway control (even high performance cam type sway control), the standard rule of wheelbase to trailer length should be followed. That rule is you must have 4 inches of tow vehicle wheelbase above a 110 inch minimum for each foot of trailer length over 20 feet. This rule was derived by studying thousands of RV accident reports over the years and performing a mathematical regression analysis of the accident rate versus the ratio of tow vehicle wheelbase to trailer length with standard geometry hitches. If you keep your trailer length to less than that specified by the rule, your chances of having a sway induced accident are very low. With each foot of trailer length above that specfied by the rule, your statistical likelihood of having a sway induced catastrophic accident rises rapidly.

Your Sequoia has a 118 inch wheelbase...that means unless you use a special geometry hitch like the Hensley, you should not tow any trailer longer than 22 feet if you want to keep your statistical likelihood of sway induced accident to a minimum. IMHO, towing any trailer with a Sequioa that's over 27 feet long with a normal WDH is bordering on insanity.

[TOYLEX]

I'm not being smart by asking this, I really enjoy reading your responses that you have to people. You seem to have lots of product knowledge and safety guidlines. Where did you learn all this? It can not be all just experience.

[Jettix2]

Ray,

THANK YOU! Being that our budget for the trailer is about $5-6,000, I can't spend $3k on the hitch.

That said, it looks like 22' or so is our length limit.

Thank you so much for the information!

Ben

Originally Posted by RockyMtnRay

The only, repeat only, way that Geodude is safely towing a long trailer without sway is that he's using a Hensley Hitch (~$3000 for just the hitch). If you were to use an ordinary WDH with sway control (even high performance cam type sway control), the standard rule of wheelbase to trailer length should be followed. That rule is you must have 4 inches of tow vehicle wheelbase above a 110 inch minimum for each foot of trailer length over 20 feet. This rule was derived by studying thousands of RV accident reports over the years and performing a mathematical regression analysis of the accident rate versus the ratio of tow vehicle wheelbase to trailer length with standard geometry hitches. If you keep your trailer length to less than that specified by the rule, your chances of having a sway induced accident are very low. With each foot of trailer length above that specfied by the rule, your statistical likelihood of having a sway induced catastrophic accident rises rapidly.

Your Sequoia has a 118 inch wheelbase...that means unless you use a special geometry hitch like the Hensley, you should not tow any trailer longer than 22 feet if you want to keep your statistical likelihood of sway induced accident to a minimum. IMHO, towing any trailer with a Sequioa that's over 27 feet long with a normal WDH is bordering on insanity.

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by TOYLEX

I'm not being smart by asking this, I really enjoy reading your responses that you have to people. You seem to have lots of product knowledge and safety guidlines. Where did you learn all this? It can not be all just experience.

No, it's not all personal experience...though I've done some 15,000 miles of (mostly mountain) towing in the past 5 years...that alone has provided a heckuva lot of insight into towing dynamics. A lot of my knowledge comes from reviewing thousands of posts at the RV.NET towing and tow vehicle forums...there's a wealth of knowledge there from literally hundreds of experienced tow-ers. I also subscribe to several RV & trailer publications and those have an enormous amount of safety and product knowledge. I'm also a moderator at the Trail Manor Owners website and handle all the towing related issues that come up there. And, finally, I have a scientific/engineering academic background so I do a lot of thinking about the physics of towing.

[Geodude]

Ray's right.

I was told that with some mods, changes to the Seq, etc., I could tow a larger trailer. OR, I could get a Hensley. So I got a used one for $1700US. It's insurance, it's comfort. After a lot of research I came to the conclusion that it is more sure-fire than the other route I could have taken. We have towed a lot (Dad owned an RV dealership when I was growing up, as well), and have done more than 15,000kms this year alone (cutting back with the gas prices now tho!).

If you're new at towing then I'd go with that wheelbase guideline. Of course there can be variability brought by the rear overhang of the TV, the kind of tires on it, where the wheels of the trailer are located (ours our well back of centre), and so on. But for most of us mortals that's too much to have to compute. So stay at about 22-24 ft or get the Hensley if you want to go longer.

I was told power would not be an issue, and that has turned out to be quite true. But it's the handling that you really need to think about. I admit, I lost sleep contemplating the Hensley and now, looking back, I made the right decision because we're on the road an awful lot. We've had one all-out panic stop and the Hensley + Prodigy + Sequoia ABS and skid control kept it all running straight and true.

[PJS]

Geodude -
I'm glad to hear someone else is pulling a large trailer, over this past weekend my wife and I purchase a new 31' (spec's say 30' 8")Travel Trailer from Lazy Days in Tampa Fl. This will be my first attempt at a TT and RV'ing we traded a Class C Jayco in.

My new TT is a 07 Holiday Rambler Alumi-lite 8311S Weights: Hitch dry weight 605 GVWR 7605 Total Dry weight 4739 and Length of TT 30' 3".

I have a 2002 Sequoia 2WD if I get the Hensley Arrow I should be ok? Sounds like your doing well. We really love our Sequoia and don't want to get ride of it for the 10% towing we do a year.