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Old 01-16-2019, 01:31 PM   #1
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Tow Vehicle for 2019 X213

Hi there, I am a new member to the forum and new to RV'ing (so be gentle . My wife and I recently bought a x213 being told by the dealership that our 2016 Acadia (5200lb tow) is capable to tow as long as we watch cargo weight. Assuming we do so and keep the trailer under 5200 and our GVWR within range, does anyone think we are going to have issues? We live in the prairies and don't plan any mountain travel. There is the odd valley we have to go through but that is about it. Our expectation is to take 2 vehicles, one for towing and some cargo, one for the rest of the family and rest of the cargo. I don't plan to tow with any water in the tank, our campsites are generally full service. We live close by a weigh scale, so checking out weight isn't a problem.

We have the option of swapping our vehicle for a 2018 Pathfinder (6000lb tow), but not sure if we want to do that or not. Either way, the 213 comes with a weight distribution hitch and I have a Tekonsha P3 brake controller.

I would welcome any opinions or thoughts. If this has been discussed elsewhere (I have been searching), please post the link and I will be happy to check out the other thread.
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Old 01-16-2019, 02:04 PM   #2
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Just make sure you do your own calculations and have about 10-20% below max. ( if you calculate you have 1000# cargo, stay under 800#) less stress on the suspension and some room for stuff you buy on the way.
The dealer will tell you anything to get you to buy unit.
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Old 01-16-2019, 02:09 PM   #3
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Welcome to the forum!

First, tow capacity is not a measurement of how much travel trailer you can tow. A travel trailer is a different animal than a boat or flat cargo trailer. Tow capacity is just one number to consider. Other capacities are more important, payload being one of them. I'm curious about a couple of things you have not talked about. The "As shipped" weight on the yellow sticker outside the trailer, and the payload of your Acadia (found on a sticker in the driver side door jamb).

The "as shipped" weight will be more than the published dry weight. That number is fictional and you will never tow at that weight, even unloaded. The dry weight is 4450#. You will have at least 400-500# of options which will put the shipped weight closer to 5000#. The hitch will 100#. You'll be very close to max towing weight.

From personal experience towing close to my rated capacities with two different combos, I can tell you that yes, you can tow this. Setup properly it will be safe. When towing that box into a 40 mph wind in that prairie you'll wish you had a beefier tow vehicle. The Pathfinder won't be much different. For best towing experience you'll want a healthy margin between the loaded weight of the trailer and all the ratings of your tow vehicle.

My X20E is more than 500# less than your X213. I would not tow it with anything smaller than I am now. We towed it for one season with a 2003 Trailblazer. It was OK, but not not nearly as nice as towing with the Sierra.
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Old 01-16-2019, 02:36 PM   #4
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Thanks for the input!

The shipped weight is 4624lbs (including full propane tanks but no water), GVWR 5500lbs). The Acadia's max cargo (not including tow) is 1322lbs. Acadia GVWR is 6459lb. Based on what I have found online the hitch weight is 438, but that is dry from the factory, so would be more with propane, dealer options etc.
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Old 01-16-2019, 04:37 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DocBrown View Post
Welcome to the forum!

First, tow capacity is not a measurement of how much travel trailer you can tow.
This is true.

My previous experience is you will exceed the Rear GAWR before the trailer weight approaches the max tow number. Payload is also misleading. It includes you, your passengers, the gear you load and I think fuel. The hitch will also consume payload (100# is my estimate for that). Don’t forget that the vehicle’s payload is divided (not equally) between the front and rear axles and the hitch and tongue load is almost directly applied to the rear.
Read the “Sticky” on analyzing TV & TT weights, the “Sticky” how-to for CAT Scale visits, visit the scales and crunch the results. If you get the weights and post those and the weight ratings for your TV here you will get many responses that will help you. I expect you are over the rear axle weight rating.
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Old 01-21-2019, 08:20 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RedHorse1 View Post
This is true.

My previous experience is you will exceed the Rear GAWR before the trailer weight approaches the max tow number. Payload is also misleading. It includes you, your passengers, the gear you load and I think fuel. The hitch will also consume payload (100# is my estimate for that). Don’t forget that the vehicle’s payload is divided (not equally) between the front and rear axles and the hitch and tongue load is almost directly applied to the rear.
Read the “Sticky” on analyzing TV & TT weights, the “Sticky” how-to for CAT Scale visits, visit the scales and crunch the results. If you get the weights and post those and the weight ratings for your TV here you will get many responses that will help you. I expect you are over the rear axle weight rating.
X2 RAWR is to me the most often overlooked capacity for those towing.


Cargo, including people, tongue weight, the weight of the WDH will determine if you are overloaded.


Go to a scale as red horse has stated, vehicle loaded, full of fuel, as if you were going camping and weigh both axles. That will be the only way to tell how much rear axle weight capacity you have remaining.


You cannot increase the RAWR by adding air shocks, air springs, etc.


They can level your vehicle if needed.
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Old 01-21-2019, 01:42 PM   #7
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Check out my CAT scales visit info (I have the 2016 x213) (specifically post 5, where we are loaded for camping). We tow with a 2015 Toyota Tundra CrewMax.

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...sit-59158.html

Our tongue weight without the WDH bars attached was around 700lbs (540 with WDH bars).

Your 1322lb cargo capacity would be a limiting factor if you had passengers, but since you are bringing another vehicle, you might be OK (we maxed out our alleged 1300lb cargo capacity with the 4 of us (wife, 2 kids 9 and 11) and a truck-bed that was mostly empty).

As for the weight of the trailer, ours was 5520lbs loaded for camping (well, technically overloaded by 20lbs). This included the 4 bikes under the bunk. If you could get those bikes onto the second vehicle, that would save on a lot of weight. We had clothes for ~10 days, food for 4.

That being said, even though I was maxed out with the truck and trailer, I was happy with how it towed. The truck is a V8, so the V6 in the Acadia probably doesn't have as much power.

I guess at this point worst case you pick it up with the Acadia and take it for a spin, and if it doesn't feel good, you might need an upgrade, although as mentioned the Pathfinder may not be much different. I didn't even bother trying to pull mine with my Highlander (although it was only 5000lbs towing capacity), and went for the truck.

Good luck, and enjoy the x213! We love ours. Our main wish was there was a bit more storage (specifically for the person on the top bunk), but we made do.

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Old 02-09-2019, 07:58 PM   #8
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Thanks for the advice. I can’t measure anything right now as the trailer is in storage until May. We ended up getting a 2018 Pathfinder with the tow package, so we’ll see how it goes. I am still intending to take most of the cargo in a second vehicle. We don’t have anything really big to worry about, no bikes as our 3 year old isn’t riding yet, so it is just the usual clothes, kitchen gear (which can add up quick with cast iron pans, etc) and food. I will head to the scales once we have the trailer and have it loaded. We aren’t going to be doing any really long trips, mostly 1-2 hours away and maybe one that is 3.5 hours. We live in the middle of Saskatchewan. So not a hill in sight other than the odd valley.
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