[SpartyOn]

In case anyone is interested, tomorrow I am picking up a 2021 Winnebago Micro Minnie 1800BH. 3,660 lbs dry weight, 382 lbs dry tongue weight, 7' wide box, 21'11" long, no slides, 7,000 lbs GVWR (I'll have it at about 4,200 lbs loaded).

Planning on towing this with my 2014 Acadia SLT FWD for at least the next year or two. I will report back on how she does and if I encounter any issues.

Video of model size and layout:

 

[divotdug]

I sure hope your Acadia has the towing package.

 

[SpartyOn]

I sure hope your Acadia has the towing package.

Yes, it has the factory tow package. 5200 lbs towing; 10,250 lbs GCVWR. Also will be using a Equalizer weight distribution and anti-sway system. Brake controller is a Tekonsha P3.

 

[SpartyOn]

Towing report:

Picked up the trailer in Wisconsin and headed back to Michigan. Temperature was 100 degrees on the highway going through Chicago on I294/94! Dealer had filled the fresh tank full, and I wasn't about to spend the time emptying it, so that was another 260 lbs over dry weight. Usually, I would carry very little water.

Towed like a boss.

Kept it at 70 MPH or below and left it in 'D' the whole time. Engine RPMs were 2,500 cruising, 3,500 going up bridges, and in rare instances when passing, 4,500 in brief bursts. Temps were mostly between 210-215, even in that high external temperature. Occasionally, it did hit 220 briefly, especially when I got stuck in stop and go traffic for 2 hours through Chicago and didn't have any ram air through the radiator (multiple accidents on the highway). Transmission sounded good and shifted well. Used tow mode the entire way.

Drove up to a campsite on Lake Huron about 3 hours away today fully loaded, including the fully fresh tank. Didn't stop at a CAT scale because we were behind schedule, but we were fully loaded with all gear and passengers. Storms had come through the night before and there were some good winds whipping about still.

Same thing, 70 MPH or below. Engine RPMs were higher due to the weight, but especially the winds. Cruising was 3,500, up inclines and passing was still 4,500. In one rare instance it hit 5,000 to get up a particular long-ish bridge incline and because I didn't feel like backing off the throttle. Just burning more dino goo.

Outside temperature was 80 degrees or below. Engine mostly sat at 210 degrees, very rarely peaking at 215. Never hit 220 again.

Even with the winds and fully loaded, the Acadia towed great. The Equalizer hitch I have is overrated for my application at 10,000 lbs weight distribution/anti-sway, but that really contributed to excellent control through the winds and terrible Michigan roads.

I haven't done an official MPG calculation, but rough estimate is I'm running about 12 MPG fully loaded, which I find acceptable. Did use premium gas.

Honestly, I would have no problem taking this setup through mountains at 55-65 MPH.

To recap, I'm running a Tekonsha Prodigy P3 as my brake controller, and an Equalizer hitch rated at 10,000 lbs.

Very impressed with the way the Acadia handled and responded. I think this is about the right max weight and trailer size for weekend/holiday camping. It will haul more, but I think you'd be hitting 4,000 RPMs pretty often just cruising.

When I have time, I'll get everything on a scale and report out on weights.

Any questions, let me know.

 

[SpartyOn]

Following up on my earlier posts, I want to give an update on weights and additional thoughts. I got the whole rig (Acadia, trailer, passengers, food, liquids, and cargo) weighed at a CAT scale back in October before a 5 day trip and I think there are some important considerations here. Sorry for the delay in posting.

The Acadia tows well, and I enjoy the experience with no sway or control issues, but prospective travel trailer buyers should be aware that I'm running very close to the capabilities of the vehicle/legal towing. If you have, or are considering, a trailer larger than mine, I think you need to be extremely aware of what you're loading and whether you're willing to either break your vehicle or put your family in danger. Some of this is probably not as relevant now that the Gen2 Acadia has less capability, but for owners still driving Gen1 Lambdas around, it's good food for thought.

My 2014 Acadia's official ratings:

• GVWR: 6,411 lbs
• Max payload for my SLT1 from door sticker: 1,557 lbs
• GAWR Front: 3,196 lbs
• GAWR Rear: 3,527 lbs
• GCVWR: 10,250 lbs (FWD)
• Max towing: 5,200 lbs
• Max dead tongue weight: 600 lbs

Loading notes:

• 4 passengers: 2 adults, 1 toddler, 1 100 lbs dog
• Full tank of 93 octane gas, fresh and full oil change, all other fluids topped off
• 1/3 tank of fresh water in trailer (~11 gallons): 92 lbs
• Not quite full 40 lbs (2 20 lbs tanks) propane
• Only 1 12v battery on camper tongue
• Heavy-duty roof crossbars and towers (nothing loaded at the time): ~15 lbs
• Equalizer 90-00-1000 weight distribution hitch kit (hitch, bars, equipment, ball, etc.): ~105 lbs
• Gray and black tanks empty
• Factory receiver
• No aftermarket equipment

Official traveling loaded weights:

• GCVW: 10,150 lbs
• GAWF: 2,860 lbs
• GAWR: 3,310 lbs
• Trailer weight: 3,980 lbs
• Tongue weight: Currently unknown because I didn't unhitch and check the difference, but with the weight distribution hitch, battery, propane tanks, and trailer load, I'm pretty sure I'm closing in on that 600 lbs rating even though the trailer's dry tongue is only listed at 382 lbs. I do have a number of things loaded in the rear of the trailer, since it has a flip-up bunk with exterior storage access, which is helping take some weight off the tongue.

Thoughts:

I was actually very surprised to see that loaded and with 11 gallons of water, which is the most I'll ever carry driving, the trailer came out to below 4,000 lbs. Either the trailer dry weight is actually lower than its 3,660 lbs list, or the gear isn't adding up as fast as I would have anticipated. Or maybe the weight distribution hitch is shifting the loads more than I thought (but I'm not really sure how that works on a scale in terms of static vs. dynamic on road loads).

As you can see, the Acadia's front and rear axle weights are within spec. Higher, sure, but fully within their ratings.

Where things get fun is the GCVW. As you've probably already noted, with this particular load out, I'm only 100 lbs away from my Acadia's 10,250 lbs GCVWR. It's currently within the limits, but I mean... just barely. Basically, it means once I add my kayak to the roof and top off propane tanks, I'm at the specced GCVWR. Anything more and I'm illegal, regardless of whether the vehicle can handle it or not.

This means a number of add-ons and changes I wanted to make to the trailer are no longer on the table at this time. Additionally, if we wanted to bring another adult passenger, I'd have to empty most of the water and leave the kayak at home.

My son will continue to grow, but his weight will be offset by losing some of his heavier baby gear (Pack n' Play, stroller, etc.).

Then you run into the mechanical considerations. How often do you want to be running at max GCVWR? More maintenance for sure, but will the engine and transmission hold out long-term?

I knew I'd be running rich in terms of gross weight heading into the purchase, but I thought it would be more like a 300-400 lbs margin of error. Obviously, much closer than that.

Luckily, I'm only planning on towing with my Acadia for a year or two, but if you buy one with the intention of towing and being a daily driver for a long period of time/life of the vehicle — probably not the best choice, especially if you have any kind of loan.

Hopefully this post also serves as somewhat of a warning for those considering heavier trailers than mine (3,700+ lbs). Now, everyone's packing, passenger load, and setup is different, but chances are that if you're taking a family and gear with a heavier trailer — you're overweight on at least GCVW. Probably tongue weight, too. I'm not that far off my axle ratings either, which means a heavier trailer could cause issues there as well.

At the end of the day, my Acadia with this setup handles well and gets the job done, safely — and legally — but I'm glad that:

1. I'm not planning on doing this long-term over the life of the vehicle; and,
2. I didn't buy a bigger, heavier trailer.