TV numbers and help

[SouthTexasRV]

Afternoon,

i currently have access to a 2006 GMC HD Duramax to tow my 2017 264 BHW which weighs in at 4713lbs.

My wife and i also have a 2012 Audi Q7 TDI with the tow package. We were curious if the need arose and we had to move the trailer from storage to the house or vice versa (about 20 miles round trip), could the Audi pull it?

Im including the pics of the stickers off the Audi to help with the numbers. I'm kind of lost on the true tow rating of the vehicle.

i do have a EQ hitch as well.

i appreciate the help.

josh

[RedHorse1]

You say the TT weighs 4713#. I expect this is off the sticker on the TT. If so it most certainly weighs more now unless you have no personal items in it. The weight adds up quickly and I would expect your TT to be 5500# or more. It's hard to tell without an accurate weighing at a scale but IMHO your Audi would be overweight.
The receiver has a max weight of 662# which would correspond roughly to a TT weight of 4400-5000# (12% to 15%). That number is for the receiver only.
The rear axle max weight is 3968#. This is where scale weights would come in handy.
But you asked if the Audi "could" pull it. Yes, it probably could.
Had you asked "should", I would say, IMHO, no you shouldn't.
Scale weights might reveal that you would be under the max weights but that's just a "maybe".
The CAT Scale is your friend.

[bansai]

I think you would be ok.

Your camper shows a dry hitch weight of only 485 pounds according to Jayco. Yes, you'll be heavier than that, but not enough to over load the 1279 lbs of cargo capacity that you have with the Audi.

The GVWR of that camper is 6500 lbs, also according to Jayco. So, assuming 13% of that is sitting on your Audi, which it would be close to that plus or minus 2% - if you are loaded properly - you would still only be putting 845 lbs on your Audi and that is fully loaded. You obviously wouldn't want to go on a fully loaded camping trip with a bunch of stuff or people in your Audi, but for just ferrying your camper too and from storage? No problem. I'd do it. Shoot, you have a bigger buffer towing your camper with that Audi than a lot of people on here have with their 1/2 ton trucks and their own campers. More important than that anecdotal evidence though is the fact that you should not have any problems because you will not exceed your cargo capacity unless you do something really dumb. Your rear axle also appears up to the task.

Edit - it looks like your weak link is in your hitch receiver (662 lbs). If you plan on doing this a lot, look into a better hitch on the Audi, but I still stand by my belief that you would be fine as long as you're towing light.

[sennister]

You might be fine but the first question I have is you said your camper is 4713lbs. Is that the weight on the sticker or when you went to a scale. If that is scale weight you will be close. Here is what I see.

Max hitch weight with a WD hitch is 662lbs.
Max cargo weight 1279lbs.

If your tongue weight is 13% you are good with cargo and hitch. At 15% you are a little over.

4713*.13 = 612
4713*.15 = 707

You need to add the weight of your WD hitch to this so another 800 or so. That means at 13% you are really close to the limits. Also going to and from storage, I would assume the trailer is a bit lighter than camping as you won't have anything in the tanks, the fridge will be empty and such. You also probably won't have much for people or cargo in the Audi.

If that 4713lbs is on the sticker which is before adding things to the camper, then you are going to be well past your hitch limits.

[gdiep]

I think you will be okay for the short distance, not fully loaded for camping and if you just take it easy.

I wouldn't use the Audi to tow the camper on a trip.

People forget that many campers were pulled by completely inadequate cars and wagons in the old days. I'm sure your Audi is better equipped to tow that TT for the short distance than some Dodge K series car towing popups in the 80's.

Be smart, take it easy, and don't sweat it too much. It won't be fire and brimstone.

[ccso2213]

One thing no one has mentioned. I'm assuming (we all know what that does) that you don't want to buy a separate hitch for the Audi. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the GMC sits a lot higher at the receiver. Just may want to be aware of how level you are towing and very cautious using WDH. Doubtful you want to re adjust it every time you swap vehicles.


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[gdiep]

Originally Posted by ccso2213

One thing no one has mentioned. I'm assuming (we all know what that does) that you don't want to buy a separate hitch for the Audi. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the GMC sits a lot higher at the receiver. Just may want to be aware of how level you are towing and very cautious using WDH. Doubtful you want to re adjust it every time you swap vehicles.


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I'm not sure we can make this assumption. In my case, the hitch height of my Toyota Tundra is not all that different from my Dodge Durango. I was pretty surprised myself. This is because the factory hitch on the Durango is much higher than you would think even though it is a "soft"uv.

[ccso2213]

I agree. Just something I thought the OP might want to take into consideration.


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[need-a-vacation]

South,

I will also suggest hitting the CAT Scales to find out your actual loaded tw. Power wise you will probably be fine. But as mentioned, the receiver hitch rating will probably be the limiting factor.

The fact your "brochure" dry hitch weight is 485lbs, puts you at ~600lbs once the propane tanks and a battery are on the tongue (~120lbs for 2-20lb tanks and a group 24 battery) before the rest of the tt is loaded. How much stuff do you have in the front pass through?

Keep us posted, especially if you weigh the rig.

[SouthTexasRV]

Thanks to all who commented. I appreciate it. I will look into the CAT scales. I found out we had one at one of our local gas stations that serves all the truck traffic coming up out of Mexico.

The wife and I are hoping Audi buys back our Q7 since it's part of the diesel scandal cars. We will know for sure in about 3 weeks or so. If they do we will look for a decent TV that will fit the TT and our little family.

Again I appreciate the responses. Glad I found this forum.

[cariboocreek]

Save your Audi. Rent a truck from uhaul for $100.