Pulling with a mid-size SUV

This is my third season pulling with the Jaguar F-pace. I had been pulling with a half ton previously. There are several considerations when towing with a midsize SUV. The F-pace has a 5000lb tow rating. Tow ratings can be misleading. In most cases the tow rating doesn’t include passengers and their gear. Often it seems tow ratings are more marketing than measurable data. The F-pace uses the Land Rover Advanced Tow Assist. A good indication that some thought has been put into towing with this vehicle.

The vehicle has a GVWR of 5512lbs. Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. This is NOT the tow rating. This is the maximum the vehicle is rated to weigh. This must include passengers, cargo, and hitch weight of the trailer. The F-pace has an aluminum body and has a dry weight of 3870lb. I know with gear, full tank of gas and passengers we are close to 4500lbs. This leaves plenty of plenty of capacity for the 460lbs of hitch weight the Sonic Lite 150 VRB that I pull. The weight of the Sonic is 3160 dry and with gear comfortably under the 5000lb tow rating of the F-Pace. GVWR is often the limiting factor towing with a mid-size SUV. I have seen SUV’s with 7000lb tow ratings that only have 500lbs for passengers, cargo and hitch weight. In North America to meet Transport Canada guidelines travel trailers are designed with minimum 8% hitch weight. Hitch weight is a good thing and makes for an excellent handling trailer. I will save that topic for another blog post. Payload of mid-size tow vehicles can be the limiting factor, and not the tow rating.

In my 40 years in the RV Industry, I have seen many different towing combinations. We work with freight companies that bring units from the factories. We have freight drivers with trucks that put in over a million kilometers of service. We have learned when you run a tow vehicle over what it is rated to pull you wear it out quicker. If you are going to put a lot of kilometers on it’s important to have a tow vehicle capable of comfortably towing its load. It will perform better and last longer.

Setting up the F-pace was very easy as it has the factory Advanced Tow Assist. The 7 pole-plug is installed and the 2” receiver. The tow package does not include a brake control unit. This is very common in this category of vehicle. The brake control operates the electric trailer brakes on the trailer. It is normally a control box that hangs from the bottom of the dash. On the F-pace I choose to go with a wireless system and not have a control hanging under the dash. I have tired several wireless brake controls currently on the market. I find the Prodigy RF by Tekonsha the best wireless brake control. The system mounts to the trailer frame and the wireless handheld plugs in the 12v accessory outlet. The handheld control is used to operate the trailer brakes manually and to calibrate the system. The wireless system is the best way to go and on many luxury SUV’s it is the only way to go. Having a controller hanging under the dash year-round is a pain and vehicles with air bags mounted to protect the legs can not have a brake controller under the dash.

I use the Blue Ox Sway Pro Equalizer hitch. I have installed many different equalizer hitches over the years. The Blue Ox is the best I have used. It is by far the quietest system I have used. This is important on any unibody vehicle. A cheap friction sway equalizer will transmit noise through a unibody of a SUV. This is very irritating and unnecessary. The Blue Ox uses castor to control sway. Castor is the same principle built into a vehicle’s steering to keep it stable. This hitch is North American made. Durable powder coated finish and offers a wide selection of weight ratings. It is critical to have an appropriate spring bar to properly distribute the hitch weight of the trailer. The Blue Ox Sway Pro equalizer hitch has a soft spring rate that matches the vehicle perfectly.

At Trailblazer RV we are excited to help you find the perfect match between tow vehicle and trailer. We encourage customers to take the trailer they are considering for a test tow. Having a tow vehicle and trailer combination that tows well is very important. Considering the cost of the tow vehicle and the cost of the trailer spending a little more on the best towing products is it worth. I was reminded of this last year when a truck I was following lost a large piece of drywall out of its box forcing me to serve to miss it. Having an RV that handles well is priceless.