Towing 17 and 19

[ShinySteelRobot]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I tow a 17B with a RAV4 V6 Sport.
I concur with everything Jon Vermilye said.

Good to know. Can you please tell us how well it does in mountain passes?
Thanks

[gbaglo]

To the Coquihalla summit east is a 17 kiliometer run with up to an 8 per cent grade. Most of that, I tow my 17B at 90 KPH with no effort. I could go faster, but I choose not to as the RAV will eat fuel.

Approaching the snow shed is the steepest grade so I step on the gas. Coming out of the snow shed I lose speed, dropping to 80 KPH. I hit the gas and transmission drops to third. I maintain 80 to the summit.


Once, showing off, I manually shifted to 3 and tried to maintain 90 KPH. Close to the summit, the transmission warning light came on and I let off the gas and came to my senses. I did the next kilometer at 80. Probably lost ten seconds by slowing down.



Reading the forum, I get the impression that some are afraid to hit the gas and rev the engine. They expect the tow vehicle to make no engine noise and perform as if driving on the flat, on the steepest incline.



I figure my 10 year old RAV is good for another 200,000 kilometers, if I don't abuse it.

[BruceW]

We have towed our "New" E19 with an Audi Q5 and VW Touareg, both diesels. Although we towed over the Rockies on I-70 with the Q5 and probably towed it about 8K miles last year without a problem, we felt we didn't have the straight line stability we wanted and that it was a little too susceptible to trucks and cross winds, especially at higher speeds. Also the E19 pretty much maxed out its tow and tongue capacity (4,400lbs/440lbs). The Touareg on the other hand is a little bigger and heavier and a dream to tow with, but doesn't accelerate as fast nor get as good a mileage as the Q5. Always tradeoff's. We get about 20 mpg with the Touareg and 23 with the Q5.

[Barb Hunt]

I tow my 2016 19ft with my Volvo XC90 (rated for 4950 lbs) and there's no sway and a smooth easy tow. I love my Volvo! - and my 19ft too : )

[gbaglo]

I've looked at Volvo, but requirement for premium gas turned me off.

[sunrisetrucker]

We've tow our 17B with a 2010 Santa Fe Sport and had zero problems. And that includes up the Coquihalla as Glen mentioned.

[Up2speed4]

Thanks everyone for the useful feedback. It appears I would have no problem pulling a 17 or 19 with my Grand Cherokee.

[Jaye]

We have 17B on order for December pickup. Hyundai suv with tow package for our tow vehicle. We are trying to find the GCWR for our Hyundai. Contacting Hyundai who did not have information.
Any suggested way to acquire thisinformation would be WELCOMED.
J

[gbaglo]

Which Hyundai and what year and model? Tuscon? Santa Fe? Five passenger or 7 passenger?

[rbrandenstein]

We tow our 19 with a new Chevy Traverse. It is a 2018 V6 AWD with a tow package and rated for 5000#. The 2018 has a new 9 speed transmission which lets if find happier gears when climbing. We do not have a WDH or sway bar. It tows very well and we are pleased with it as a TV.

[Jaye]

Hyundai Santa fa. 5 passengers, 2014 with Hyundai tow pac.

[gbaglo]

What does your manual say about the tow rating as equipped?
My buddy towed his 19' with his Santa Fe ( I don't recall year or model ). He kept up with me towing my 17' with a RAV4 V6 Sport with tow prep package ( rated 3,500 lb ). He did, however, eventually trade it in on a Toyota Highlander ( rated 5,000 lb ).
He also didn't have the use of his Santa Fe for six months while Hyundai searched the world for engine parts. The vehicle in the picture I posted is a service vehicle that they equipped for towing as his level of frustration rose.

[Jaye]

So helpful. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[sunrisetrucker]

Originally Posted by Jaye

Hyundai Santa fa. 5 passengers, 2014 with Hyundai tow pac.

I believe only the Sport is rated for 5000lbs. That's the 7 seater.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

What does your manual say about the tow rating as equipped?
My buddy towed his 19' with his Santa Fe ( I don't recall year or model ). He kept up with me towing my 17' with a RAV4 V6 Sport with tow prep package ( rated 3,500 lb ). He did, however, eventually trade it in on a Toyota Highlander ( rated 5,000 lb ).
He also didn't have the use of his Santa Fe for six months while Hyundai searched the world for engine parts. The vehicle in the picture I posted is a service vehicle that they equipped for towing as his level of frustration rose.

My brother experienced something similar with his Santa Fe
The car totally shut down while driving and had to be towed to the dealer .
The estimate to fix the vehicle was over $2500 but the real problem was they could not locate the parts . The dealer said it might take 3 months so he just bought a new car and ate the loss .

[shutterbug]

I was wondering how a 17b would tow with a 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid and it seems even with a towing capacity of 3,500 lbs it will be okay according to the posts here. Am I correct to assume that? You are towing a 19' with a Lexus 400H? Isn't the towing capacity of that vehicle also 3,500 lbs? Thanks!

[DFlater]

BruceW, what hitch and setup are you using with the Touareg? We take delivery of an E21 in April and haven’t decided how to attach it yet.

[BruceW]

We use the Anderson hitch. Not so much for load distribution, which is arguably prohibited by VW in the owners manual, but for sway control. Have not actually tried it without the LD hitch, but we had it before we bought the Touareg and so have continued to use it. The Anderson is relatively quiet - no clunking when going around corners - and is easy to hook up. Hardly know our 19 is back there. We also use the Tekonsha Prodigy RF wireless brake controller. Difficult to initially pair the wireless remote in the VW with the trailer mounted controller because of all the smarts in the T-reg. Had to pair while 19 was connected to Dennis’ American pickup. Once paired, you can hook the trailer to any tow vehicle and just take remote with you and plug it into the cigarette lighter and away you go. Good Luck! You will love it!