Tucsonpd

Hello,I am new to this group. I am going to be picking up a 2006, 2706T right after labor day. I have already paid for it. it is at Teds RV in Paynesville Minnesota. I have had class A motor home and a 5th wheel. I am new to Hi Lo. They were a HI LO dealer, and have inspected it. I am pulling it with a Nissan Titan. I am trying to get some information before we drive up and pick it up. this Forum has a lot of good information. We are planning on being a few months on the way back to Tucson.

Hi, tusconpd - welcome to the forum! I lived in Tucson too, until a bit over 4 years ago. Moved to Pine to get away from the summer heat and to be among trees.

Your Nissan Titan is essentially equivalent to my F150, in terms of load capability and trailer pulling weight. As such, you are very close to being maxed out, I think, especially in the truck axle weight limits if you tow a 27 ft trailer. You'd be better off with a Super Duty class truck.

The reason I say this is because of the tongue weight of the trailer you are buying. I just checked a HiLo brochure and the UVW of that trailer is 4650# and the GVWR is 6500#. Since it probably has quite a bit of "optional equipment" I'm guessing it will be closer to the 6500 figure. So, the tongue weight will probably be in the 550-950# range, and you WILL need a Weight Distributing Hitch (WDH) to go along with it. The total weight of that hitch, about 100#, I'm guessing will also add to your axle loading. Your truck is a 1/2 ton class vehicle, so that leaves no leftover room for passengers and other packed things you will need for a camping trip.

Yes, the Titan will "pull" it with no problem, but your suspension and tires will most likely be overloaded. Your axle limits should be on a door sticker. Check them out and do some math. Also, weigh your truck on a CAT scale to find out what it actually weighs. You may be surprised to find it weighs more than the "sticker" weight - mine does.

Just a question---Labor Day?? That's in Sept. I'm hoping you mean Memorial Day.

Memorial Day, yea

Jack and Janet, thanks for your input.I just looked up the Gross Vehicle combined Weight. and its over 15,000 pounds. I have purchased a weight distributing hitch with sway control. it puts my draw bar weight up to 950 pounds. the hitch on the truck is rated at 10,000 pounds. I recently traded my Jeep TJ Wrangler for the Titan. I just put 10 ply tires on it. I looked at the tag on my door. The gvwr for my truck is 7000 pounds. The trailer has an unlaiden weight of 4365 pounds. We are retired again and will not be in any hurry. When We had our Class A pusher we took a lot of junk. we are going to limit it with this unit. thanks for your time, Jim

Welcome to the forum

Jack has given you some good advice. Take some time to view the operational videos listed in the forum. We are here to answer any questions you may have.

Thanks Sam. I will look up the videos. Jim

You've done some good work there, tucsonpd, especially in your choice of 10 ply tires for the truck. I'm guessing they're E-rated. The problem is, your suspension is still at the 1/2 ton level. Take your truck down to the CAT scale at the truck stop on I-10 south of Tucson and weigh it. You could also get the weight if you drove it to the landfill. Either one is quite accurate. As I recall, the CAT scale costs $15 and the people in the truck stop were very accommodating. It's possible the landfill is cheaper.

The CAT scale is better though, because you can weigh each axle on its own scale, and, if you take your trailer, you can get the weight of it, and your two truck axles too, so you'll know exactly what load is on every part of your combined rig. I'd be willing to bet a serious night of drinking at a bar that your trailer will weigh more than 4365#. You can shave off 300# by towing with empty fresh water tanks, but you'll want full propane tanks. And, I bet your trailer has an air conditioner and some other optional equipment, like cabinets, maybe a microwave or oven, etc.

I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, but my truck's GVWR is 7200# and its normal running weight with just me inside is 6520#. Things like 4WD, the tow package, and other optional factory stuff (which is NOT included in the "basic weight rating") severely impact the actual "delivered weight" of a vehicle.

- Jack

in a few weeks i am driving it from Tucson to Minnesota to pick it up. because of this group I have much more knowledge about our endeavor. I will take it and weigh it when i get it home.

Cool! Let us know what you find out, regarding the weights. Several people in the past have reported higher weights than they were expecting.

- Jack

i know it has AC but I dont know what the base weight includes

Jack, we drove up to Minnesota and picked up our 27T. my 2008 Titan averaged 19 mpg on the way up and 13 on the way back. I am happy with that. on the way back the front window cover began flapping on one side. I ended up with my redneck repair kit being put to use. i put some duct tape on the edges. i havent taken it to be weighed yet.

Congrats on bring it home

When you get a chance lift up the front window cover and see if it needs repair. Googone should take the duct tape residue off.

Glad you got it home without any serious problems! Duct tape is your friend! I have a roll of tape in the battery compartment of my trailer and another in the cargo area of my truck.

Another "must-have" for me is a multimeter to track down electrical problems, both at home and when I'm camping. Bungee cords are helpful too.

Your gas mileage sounds great! Once you get the trailer moving, the weight is not too significant, the real penalty is from wind resistance and HiLos minimize that.

Pay attention to the way your tow vehicle "tracks" on the road both when you are towing and when you are not. If you notice the alignment seems "off" (maybe the truck "pulls" to one side when towing), it's a symptom of not having your weight distribution hitch set up quite right. I've found this to be a fairly sensitive thing to adjust, and I had to "fiddle" with it quite a bit before I got it right. Now, my truck tracks the same when I'm towing and when I'm not.

Sorry if I'm telling you things you already know. I'm not giving you the "idiot" treatment - just trying to pass on some of the things I've learned.

- Jack

Agree with Jack, only time I've had a noticeable tracking fault was with the old tires. Left campsite with 50# in each, about 80 miles later, I felt the entire rig wanted to go right. Curbside rear tire was about 11# low. Used the onboard compressor and it held till home. It had dropped another 5 or so lbs. I bought the Maxxis tire after that have and never had a problem since.
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