Sunny has been weighed

[Mooney]

Glad to hear you're getting your money back (even though it was a pain), sorry to hear your popup is gone.

Remember the email though, you don't want to go much over 75% of your rated capacity, that will leave you a bit of a buffer for your stuff, and your tv should last longer.

Since you already bought the WD setup w/ sway control, I would recommend keeping it (if it isn't in the return deal) for your future purchase.

If the dealer was not the one I hinted at, they have several nice light units there that should be fine behind your tv. Only one Sunline, but there are other makers that would be better behind a 6 banger.

Trailmanor seems to make a nice product too- I checked one out that one of our neighbors had a couple trips ago- they appear to be a pretty decent, lightweight (non-Sunline though) option.

Good luck, and keep an eye out in the Want Ad magazine- there were a BUNCH of local Sunlines in there last week (released every Tuesday, available at your local convenience store if you don't know this already).

Greg

[Gimmie66]

We have purchased a T2553 (2006) off the dealers lot. How do we find out how much it weighs ?
Can a six cylinder vechicle pull it ? Truck dealers seem to have all different answers. We have a Hemi 5.7 engine now that is really overkill for this TT it seems and taking way too much gas!
Suggestions as to where we can get the TT weighed will be appreciated.
This is just a standard T2553, no fancy stuff on TT but we love it.

[Sunline Fan]

Any truck stop with a certified CAT scale will do it.

I personally wouldn't want to go with a smaller vehicle from what you have. If anything, you could go to a smaller engine in the Durango, but I wouldn't even recommend that, and definitely not a 6 cylinder. If you did, you'd have to have a pretty high gear ratio in the rear end, like at least a 3.73 or a 4.10, and I don't think they put 4:10's with the smaller engines. I'd stick with what you have.

The chances of you getting better towing mileage with a smaller engine are doubtful. That engine will be under more stress and will work a lot harder, therefore burning even more gas than your current Hemi. If you don't travel a lot (once or twice a year), then you could get away with downsizing some, but if it's more, the downsides usually aren't worth it.

I towed my 2363 with a V6 Mountaineer one time (due to necessity), and I couldn't get above 60ish on the flat ground. I never weighed it, but it was probably around 4500 or so, and there were 4 passengers in the car. That V6 can handle other heavier trailers, but the pretty flat front on a travel trailer can really cause a lot of drag and make towing with a smaller vehicle tough.

Jon

[Steve Collins]

Originally Posted by Gimmie66

We have purchased a T2553 (2006) off the dealers lot. How do we find out how much it weighs ?
Can a six cylinder vechicle pull it ? Truck dealers seem to have all different answers. We have a Hemi 5.7 engine now that is really overkill for this TT it seems and taking way too much gas!
Suggestions as to where we can get the TT weighed will be appreciated.
This is just a standard T2553, no fancy stuff on TT but we love it.

If you read back through some of the discussions in Towing and Tow Vehicles, you will see lots of info about selecting a tow vehicle. A number of folks have asked about pulling TT's with pretty small TV's and there are plenty of good reasons not to do that.

First thing you have to do is forget the factory dry weight of the trailer. What matters is GVWR - Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. That's the weight of the trailer plus full tanks (all of them) plus all the "STUFF" you take with you. And believe me, stuff adds up, quickly. Your '06 T-2553 is GVWR'ed at 7,000# and the dry weight is 4,730# (roughly - exact weight depends on installed options like AC, stabilizer jacks, etc.) That means you can safely carry up to 2,270# of "stuff."

The TV will also have a max weight rating which includes everything you tow, everything you might tote in the TV, people, dogs, full tank of gas. Very few if any 6 cylinder gas vehicles will have adequate max ratings to accomodate your towing situation.

Short answer is that your 5.7 Hemi is a much better tow vehicle than almost any 6 cylinder gasoline engine out there. Obviously how the TV is outfitted matters, too. Taller gears (4.10 or 3.73) are better than shorter gears (3.53). Towing package is nice, but can be worked around without too much problem.

Real life experience: our '99 T-2453 is GVWR'ed at 5,500#. Our previous TV was a 5.2 Dodge 1500 with 3.53 gears. On flat ground and small hills, it was fine, but towing in the Adirondack Mountains was a problem - not enough oompf to deal with the hills well. Max towing capacity on the '98 Ram was 7,800#. I always felt like I straining the truck when towing.

Your '06 T-2553 is GVWR'ed at 7,000#. Your 5.7 Hemi is probably tow rated at about 9,800#. Even without knowing the details of the TV, I still think you've got a potentially good match there as is.

A year or so back, we had someone here who wanted to pull a T-1950 with a 6 cylinder Toyota Tacoma. As she was adding up the stuff for max capacity, long before she got to things like food and clothing, the weight of the floor mat in the pickup put her over the top and she had to give up her dream of having a Sunline. You won't have that problem with your 5.7 Hemi TV.

You can get your rig weighed at transfer stations, gravel pits, etc. Anywhere that big trucks need to be weighed will do. Even some of the larger truckstops have scales.

If you are doing around 12 mpg when towing with the Hemi, you're probably getting the best anyone gets in the same situation.

My diesel gets 13.5 mpg towing over a long trip through the Adirondacks. It does a lot better on flatter trips when I stay off the interstates. Best mileage comes when we a) keep the speeds down to the mid-50's and b) don't have to repeatedly deal with large hills during the trip.

I understand that the newer diesel TV's do even better thanks to things like Tow/Haul transmissions.

[Steve Collins]

I just looked up your '04 Durango's tow ratings.

It's rated 8,700# to 8,950#, depending on 2wd vs 4wd. In all cases those tow ratings require the 3.92 rear end and the factory tow package.

IMHO, your Durango pulling a GVWR 7K# trailer is a pretty good match.

[Gimmie66]

Thanks Jon and Steve,
We'll keep the Durango a bit longer, I am getting 12 mpg when pulling now at 55 mph. We have taken short trips this past year to save on the gas situation.
You talked me into it, the Durango has the tow package and is RWD which is good towing for the trailer. We have had no problems, REESE hitch is a winner too.

Thanks again,
Happy camping.

[Poppy & Nana]

We would die for 12mpg while towing