[kan]

Hi,
I have 2017 Denali AWD (comes with factory tow package). Wondering if anyone has towed travel trailer equivalent to Jay Flight SLX 7 with these newer models of Acadia. Newer Acadia have reduced tow rating of 4000 lbs .
Interested to know experience and if any safety concerns.
Based on my search on forum most posts talk about towing with older models which had higher tow rating.

Based on my calculations, for my use case I will be under Tow wt, GVWR and GCWR.

Acadia Tow rating : 4000 lbs
Acadia Tow rating(with occupants included) : 3747 lbs
Anticipated Trailer wt: 3296

Acadia GVWR : 6001 lbs
Anticipated Total Vehicle wt : 5314 lbs

Acadia GCWR : 8984 lbs
Anticipated Combined wt : 8610 lbs (3296 + 5314)


Thanks

 

[SpartyOn]

Hi,
I have 2017 Denali AWD (comes with factory tow package). Wondering if anyone has towed travel trailer equivalent to Jay Flight SLX 7 with these newer models of Acadia. Newer Acadia have reduced tow rating of 4000 lbs .
Interested to know experience and if any safety concerns.
Based on my search on forum most posts talk about towing with older models which had higher tow rating.

Based on my calculations, for my use case I will be under Tow wt, GVWR and GCWR.

Acadia Tow rating : 4000 lbs
Acadia Tow rating(with occupants included) : 3747 lbs
Anticipated Trailer wt: 3296

Acadia GVWR : 6001 lbs
Anticipated Total Vehicle wt : 5314 lbs

Acadia GCWR : 8984 lbs
Anticipated Combined wt : 8610 lbs (3296 + 5314)


Thanks

Very similar dimensions and floorplan to my Winnebago 1800BH that I tow with the previous Lambda platform. Though the Jayco trailer is lighter (talk about that later), a couple things would give me pause:

1. The 174BH is a single axle trailer compared to my dual axle Winnie 1800BH, which means it will inherently have more bounce and sway going down the road.
2. The 2nd gen Acadia gives up over half a foot of wheelbase to the older Acadia (6.4"). Almost a 22' trailer and a short wheelbase don't mix well in my opinion.

You can definitely pull it, no concerns there, but you may not like the experience going down the road in windy conditions or dealing with semis. My 2014 vehicle has a longer wheelbase, weighs more at the curb, and I run a really good 4-point weight distribution and anti-sway hitch. I have never had any problems, but I certainly wouldn't want to be towing these length trailers with anything less. Personally, I think you'll get pushed around.

As an aside, from a fellow camper standpoint trying to be helpful, those tank capacities on the Jayco 174BH are REALLY small, especially for a family. I have a 32 gallon fresh tank, 25 gallon gray, and 25 gallon black — and I always wish I had about 50 fresh, 50 gray, and 30 black. Not a big deal if you're always at full hookups — but then you're really limiting your camping locations. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[kan]

Very similar dimensions and floorplan to my Winnebago 1800BH that I tow with the previous Lambda platform. Though the Jayco trailer is lighter (talk about that later), a couple things would give me pause:

1. The 174BH is a single axle trailer compared to my dual axle Winnie 1800BH, which means it will inherently have more bounce and sway going down the road.
2. The 2nd gen Acadia gives up over half a foot of wheelbase to the older Acadia (6.4"). Almost a 22' trailer and a short wheelbase don't mix well in my opinion.

You can definitely pull it, no concerns there, but you may not like the experience going down the road in windy conditions or dealing with semis. My 2014 vehicle has a longer wheelbase, weighs more at the curb, and I run a really good 4-point weight distribution and anti-sway hitch. I have never had any problems, but I certainly wouldn't want to be towing these length trailers with anything less. Personally, I think you'll get pushed around.

As an aside, from a fellow camper standpoint trying to be helpful, those tank capacities on the Jayco 174BH are REALLY small, especially for a family. I have a 32 gallon fresh tank, 25 gallon gray, and 25 gallon black — and I always wish I had about 50 fresh, 50 gray, and 30 black. Not a big deal if you're always at full hookups — but then you're really limiting your camping locations. Just something to keep in mind.

@SpartyOn
Thank you so much for your valuable input. Real life towing experience is always more valuable than just numbers on the sheet.
Btw, I came across this video on youtube Towing Jayco Jay Flight with GMC Terrain where this person is towing same trailer with his GMC Terrain with even with 3500 lbs capacity.
Looking at the comments on the video, few other folks seems to have towed similar trailer with their Terrain.

Can you please point me to your distribution and anti-sway hitch? Will be useful if I decide to tow a trailer.

 

[SpartyOn]

@SpartyOn
Thank you so much for your valuable input. Real life towing experience is always more valuable than just numbers on the sheet.
Btw, I came across this video on youtube Towing Jayco Jay Flight with GMC Terrain where this person is towing same trailer with his GMC Terrain with even with 3500 lbs capacity.
Looking at the comments on the video, few other folks seems to have towed similar trailer with their Terrain.

Can you please point me to your distribution and anti-sway hitch? Will be useful if I decide to tow a trailer.

Yeah... he's dumb. There is more to towing than just having the pulling power to move it down the road. I fast-forwarded through the video, which doesn't have anything related to scale weights or actual driving performance. They also haven't posted any follow-ups in over a year — so who knows; maybe their Terrain already blew up or they're dead?

Again, I'm not saying you can't pull it — you can without issue. You just might not like the experience is all I'm saying. Everyone's comfort level is different.

For example, I usually drive 65-70 MPH towing (flats and small hills), and if I get passed by a semi or big truck, heck, even a sedan going 90+ MPH, I can definitely feel the wind deflection. No sway or anything, but I sort of "lean" the steering against the wind force so that I don't get caught up in the buffeting and blown around in the lane. Same thing on 20+ MPH wind days.

It sounds worse than it is, but it's kind of hard to explain. With a shorter wheelbase and less curb weight, would that push me around more or would I feel it forcing me towards the shoulder? I can't say. Wouldn't really want to find out. It only takes one bad thing to happen to wreck your vehicle or kill yourself (or someone else). Trust me, it all depends on your skill and comfort level — I'm sure there are truck guys who think I'm crazy for towing the 1800BH with an Acadia, it's all relative.

As for what I use, I have an Equal-i-zer 90-00-1000 WDH (too much for your vehicle and application, you'd want the 90-00-0600) and a Tekonsha P3 brake controller.