Towing a small trailer

[kevin donald]

We recently had a week or so of really heavy smoke here in the Columbia River Gorge, (530+)Air Quality Index. Maureen closed up her shop (Pacifica Gifts/pacificagifts.com) and we headed for the coast. We towed our '68 Jay 18' Trailer behind the Chinook to use as a spare bedroom hoping my son and a friend might show up. We spent 6 nights dry camping at Circle Creek Campground. The trailer towed nicely. I try to keep the RPMs moderate while towing so my comfortable speed on the steeper sections of Highway 26 to the coast was around 50mph. The trailer filled with water is around 3K. Our Chinook has the V10 engine and does not struggle to pull a trailer of this size.

[chin_k]

I really like the Baja model. Always wonder how much more they weight compare to the Concourse. The V10 can really rev up if they needs to when going up hill. I suspect that they don't bother to put a tachometer on there because it is almost impossible to be on the red line, but maybe they just want to save a few bucks.

Did you have the receiver extension to get the hitch away from the step? For me, I would only tow a trailer locally if I have to, simply because I am not very experienced with driving with a trail in tow.

[kevin donald]

Yes I wish I had a tach, I may add one in the future. The Baja 4X4 has an extra step to accommodate the lifted height. This step folds up and reveals the trailer hitch receiver. I use a standard hitch but have to be careful when backing up to not turn to sharply or I will crush the rear tire cover. I am sure the Baja is heavier but have not looked into by how much. I imagine there are those on this Forum who do though. Cheers! Kevin