Help - will my vehicle tow a 400?

edlogan

I need some advice from owners. Hoping to buy a T@B 400 and I have a 2015 Ford Escape, 4WD, tow limit 3.500. I have talked to two NuCamp dealers, one says it will tow it, the other says it will not.
Please give me your thoughts on this - your personal experience will help guide me.

HellFish

Pulling it is one thing, stopping it another. Anyone offering advice might want to address both aspects of using his car with a 400. I don't have any personal experience (which is what he asked for) with his car or a 400 so I'll leave it at that.

edlogan

Interested in all feedback from campers on this site.
I will edit my post to clarify.
Thank you for mentioning the stopping aspect - more to think about.

BarbaraLynn

I don't know if this helps, but we just this week had to give up our plans to buy a T@b 320S because even though our 2014 Subaru's tow limit is 2700, the 2018 Tab's dry weight was ranging about 1800. From memory, I believe a 400 is heavier? Also, as someone reminded me, one needs to factor in tongue weight.

What I'm assuming is that, if your TV can pull 3,500, it's at least a V6? Along with what @HellFish mentioned, take into account the type of transmission and conditions you'll be driving under, and the gear you plan on taking.

Our RV person, who we bought our T@g from and trusted, said we'd be fine, but he didn't ask and we didn't think to volunteer the information that our TV was a V4. I decided to do some double checking, and had many helpful responses at the Tab forum. Doing research saved us from making a big mistake.

What they said, essentially, is that one should keep the tow weight to no more than 75% of your TV's tow capacity. We had to factor in the weight of a full gas tank, us, and our gear, our estimated weight came up to around 2,200/2,300 lbs at the least. That's without any fluids in the tanks, propane, and without much food, etc. My 4 28 packs of bottled water would have kicked in another approx. 120 lbs

From what I read, some people have had good luck towing close to their max. I suppose if we kept our speeds low, keep to flat terrain, and don't drive in really bad weather, it would have been possible for us. But that's not our style. And since the Subbie is it for us in the foreseeable future, we couldn't play Russian Roulette with our only vehicle.

I really hope to upsize some day, but that probably won't happen until after himself retires now, which if I have anything to say about it will be reaaaaal soon as I really liked that T@b lol.

BlueBomber

A TAB400 weights 2,690 pounds. Add all your gear in it and you'll go over 3,000 pounds quick. If you start filling up any of the tanks, that will add a lot of weight quick. It already weighs 325 pounds on the tongue which is a LOT - too much for an Escape I would imagine - and that's before gear is loaded in it. My 2016 2 Door Wrangler is rated for 3500 pounds, but I preferred the TAG over the TAB because I don't want to just barely pull a trailer, I want to PULL IT. My previous camping trailer weighed 1500 pounds loaded and ready to go and I could pull it at 65 in over drive on flat ground and still maintain speed limit in the hills of southern Missouri without drama - but that's how I like to tow.

PhotoMatt

As BlueBomber pointed out you'll also want to check the tongue weight limits of your TV but you'll already be pushing the limits being empty. The towing capacity of my Cherokee is 4,500 which struggles and I haven't gotten into sizable mountains yet. Even if you can squeak in under the limits with gear/passengers/full tanks stopping and descending could be unsafe and I wouldn't recommend it. Trust the dealer that said it would not, I'm sure their intention was that it would not "safely".

Verna

@edlogan, you might want to join the T@B forum where there are T@B 400 owner’s who are members.

Www.nucamprv.com and select the T@B forum

And my answer to your question is to ask your insurance agent if you should tow a T@B 400 with your car.

I asked my agent about a hypothetical car towing too much and her answer was that if you are aware you are towing over the capacity of your tow vehicle, the insurance company might only pay for the damage done to others’ property, and would leave you to pay for your damages. An underwriter would then decide if the insurance company would continue to insure you.

And keep in mind that the insurance company can search for all internet postings made by you, so they would know you have searched for answers.

Michigan_Mike

@edlogan said:
I need some advice from owners. Hoping to buy a T@B 400 and I have a 2015 Ford Escape, 4WD, tow limit 3.500. I have talked to two NuCamp dealers, one says it will tow it, the other says it will not.
Please give me your thoughts on this - your camping experience and knowledge will help guide me.

No..... Some excellent responses and points above! This is a good question and one that comes up frequently as people are interested in these trailers, yet many folks do not know the hidden pitfalls of trailer weight via gear, water added to holding tanks, vehicle braking capabilities, etc. We were sadly reminded of the above last week when we were returning from a short trip up to the Arizona rim andthe Grand Canyon. While driving down a 5% grade on I-17 south in higher elevations we saw a flashing light ahead and warning that a lane was closed ahead. We rounded a curve and saw a 5th wheel and large pickup truck laying on their side with windshield blown out and heavily damaged. There were high winds and warnings forecast and obviously the driver encountered them or possibly an animal, lost control if his rig and ended up flipping both over.

The moral of the story and point here is that anything can happen when pulling a trailer and in most instances DO happen when you least expect it. Towing experience helps but even seasoned drivers have accidents. You can obviously hook onto any trailer, get it rolling down the highway and all will seem perfectly fine until that gust of wind hits the side, the trailer begins that death sway, another driver cuts into your land unexpectedly to get to an exit, a deer runs across in front of you on wet pavement, etc.

The 400 is a larger trailer than the 320 and has a different profile (taller, wider, longer), more holding tank capacity, and obviously heavier. I would have reservations pulling a 320 T@B with a vehicle rated at 3500# as my former Equinox was rated at that and pulling it home from Ohio in high wind conditions convinced me of it and is why I upgraded to a Silverado.

Best of luck to you!

unclemikebob

We pull our 400 with a Jeep Cherokee, with the v-8 Hemi motor. It does it with ease in all of the situations I've been in. I've pulled basic pop-up campers with the straight six Jeep motors and there is a big difference. I don't think I would feel comfortable at all pulling the 400 with the straight six motor. Trying to stop would be iffy too.

rickwe818

I am a overkill guy when looking for viable solutions. I believe the Tab 400 is around 2690 lbs. I would go with something much heavier than an Escape. Try a Toyota Tacoma or a Chevy Colorado. they both have around 7000 lb. towing capacities. You still have cab space for extra passengers, and or gear. I'm currently driving a Chevy Silverado pulling a Tag XL which is way overkill. But, it is leased. I had the truck when we bought our Tag. My lease is up next August, and then I plan on going with one of the two vehicles that I mentioned above. The Tacoma gets high marks for off road driving. The bottom line is there's many vehicles that will actually pull your Tab, but over time you have to think about how much strain you're adding to your engine and transmission. Also, when you're towing it up a steep mountain you do not want to sweat wondering if there's going to be a problem. Good luck with your new Tab! I'm kind of envious. I'd like to upgrade, but the boss loves our Tag. Happy wife, happy life!

Michigan_Mike

For anyone interested in the T@B units and a wealth of information this is the place!