Hi, I hope you can clear up some confusion on the proper tow vehicle. I've purchased a Brenderup Royal TC trailer and now want to get a tow vehicle that will safely pull the trailer. I've been told that a Chevy Trailblazer would be adequate, but when looking at one today with the dealer received conflicting information. The Trailblazer in question has a 4.6L I6 engine and an axle ratio of 3.42. The GVW is 5,750 lbs. The manual says it will tow 5,200 lbs and the CGVWR is 10,000. If I understand things correctly those two numbers don't make sense. With a GVW of 5,750 and CGVWR rating of 10,000 lbs I would ahve thought the maximum trailer weight would be 4,250 lbs. The Chevy web site would lead one to believe that a Trailblazer would tow 6,800 ilbs, but they don't mention engine size or axle ratio that I can find.

Anyway, given the specs above do you think this vehicle would tow the Royal TC (1,950 lbs) trailer safely?

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Paul

Hi Paul ... Welcome to the forum ...
I believe the manual's numbers because they're based on the base model vehicle. You know.. the one with bare metal floors, no cigarette lighter, no passengers and no spare tire .... the El Strip model.

Every option and accessory adds weight. Even the hitch will add a hundred pounds or so.

The web site is refering to the 2wd 4.10 axle ratio model. That is rated to tow 6800 lbs. (Again the base model) The 4x4 is rated less because of the weight of the extra drive train.

While the axle ratio will determine your fuel useage, I would recommend either the 3.73 or the 4.10 rather than 3.42. Even with a Brenderup, a horse trailer is a lot of weight for towing. I would rather suffer more fuel use/cost than shorten the life of the tow vehicle. Transmissions are very expensive.

I agree with Hosspuller about the axle ratio, though now with the fuel prices, manufactures are raising the ratios for better fuel economy. That's a large engine for the size of SUV 4.6L Last week a I towed a new Baron TC from Midland TX and the factory to Parker CO with a 2008 Toyota 4-Runner. It was an empty trailer, but a loaded one doesn't pull much different. Don't know what axle ratio it has, not on the sticker, so it's the standard ratio. My guess without looking it up is 3.55.

Brenderup says if a hitch company makes a class 3 hitch receiver hitch for your SUV or truck, then it is large enough to tow a Brenderup.

The Royal should tow a little easier than the Baron as the Baron is 12 inch longer floor. I'll think you'll be fine but do watch your engine temp gauage when towing. That will be your first sign that your SUV is stressing.

Thank you both for your comments. You have given us a good peace of mind. We brought our new Brenderup home two days ago and had no problem pulling it with the Trailblazer.

Thanks Again.

Paul

Hi,
I had an '02 Trailblazer with a factory tow package.. I pulled a CM odessy 2-horse straight load all over south Texas and into the hill country.. I upgraded to a V-8 because I, too, was concerned about engine stress and wanted something tougher, HOWEVER I had no trouble pulling 1 or 2 900 - 1000 lb horses in this trailer with my Trailblazer

Thanks. I appreciate the information.

Paul