BT3Central members never cease to amaze me with their knowledge so instead of searching out a "RVCentral.com" I thoulght I'd ask here first...
Adele and I are starting to shop for a travel trailer. Nothing we intend to purchase next week or even next month, mind you. We have found that vacationing with two boys, ages 9 & 10.5 is VERY expensive because we have to either rent a house or condo because all of us staying in a motel room IS NOT AN OPTION.
Anywhoo... we went to an RV show this weekend and kinda got an idea of what we like. Now I'm trying to determine what we can pull with our SUV. There are so many weights thrown around (dry weight, gross vehicle weight, hitch weight, ad nauseum) that I have absolutely no freakin' idea what to look at.
To compound issues, our SUV is a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer EXT. I know it has a I6, but beyond that I'm clueless. It was a salvage, apparently stolen off a new car lot and rolled. It only had a couple thousand miles on it when we got it. We have had the frame alignment laser checked (Adele is an insurance agent with connections with body shops) and they say the frame was absolutely untouched by the accident and is no reason for concern. Problem is that since it is a salvage, I have no idea if the VIN number is the original and if the salvage lot that did the re-work replaced the rear axle, etc. The short of it is I have no idea what the axle ratio is and that apparently has a lot to do with it's towing capacity.
So... anybody have any suggestions for the following questions:
Adele and I are starting to shop for a travel trailer. Nothing we intend to purchase next week or even next month, mind you. We have found that vacationing with two boys, ages 9 & 10.5 is VERY expensive because we have to either rent a house or condo because all of us staying in a motel room IS NOT AN OPTION.
Anywhoo... we went to an RV show this weekend and kinda got an idea of what we like. Now I'm trying to determine what we can pull with our SUV. There are so many weights thrown around (dry weight, gross vehicle weight, hitch weight, ad nauseum) that I have absolutely no freakin' idea what to look at.
To compound issues, our SUV is a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer EXT. I know it has a I6, but beyond that I'm clueless. It was a salvage, apparently stolen off a new car lot and rolled. It only had a couple thousand miles on it when we got it. We have had the frame alignment laser checked (Adele is an insurance agent with connections with body shops) and they say the frame was absolutely untouched by the accident and is no reason for concern. Problem is that since it is a salvage, I have no idea if the VIN number is the original and if the salvage lot that did the re-work replaced the rear axle, etc. The short of it is I have no idea what the axle ratio is and that apparently has a lot to do with it's towing capacity.
So... anybody have any suggestions for the following questions:
- Is there an easy way to determine the axle ratio on my Trailblazer?
- Exactly what weight specification should I look at when choosing a travel trailer?
- Exactly what towing specification do I need to consider about my Trailblazer?
- What is a realistic weight of the items we would be carrying in the TT? (Groceries, clothing, camp toys, etc)
- Tell me about anti-sway, weight distributing hitches and brake controllers.
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