Hi everyone, I am new to this forum. We have purchased a new Rockwood Roo 233 and will be towing it with a 2011 Highlander. Is anyone else towing the same or similar trailer as I will be and does it tow well. The weight of the trailer is about 4100 pounds.
Wow... that seems a bit much for the Highlander. I'm assuming 4100 lbs is the dry weight of the trailer. If so, what do you estimate the weight to be once you have it loaded with water, food, supplies, etc.? Any idea what the final tongue weight will be?
Let us know how it feels. I have been looking for a travel trailer as well for my 2011. But all my desired features add up to a trailer in your weight range.. which is a little too high for my comfort range. I will be interested in how it tows, maintains speed on hills, gas mileage etc.
I tow a 18' 4600lbs (Keystone-Bullet 189FBS) loaded travel trailer and to me, it is enough for the HL. My TT specs states 3600lbs empty. My TT is a little bit high, compared to many I regularly see on the road and I average 20L/100km (13mpg). Most of the time, the tranny is in 4th gear. It goes to 5th gear when it's flat and no head or side wind. With strong headwind, I made a trip where the tranny stayed in 3rd: Fuel economy dropped to 9mpg.
Your ROO is a bit heavy (to my taste), but if you're not in a hurry (going 55-60mph), you should be ok on flat surface. On the hills, this is where you HL will work pretty hard. I've seen a couple HL with 25' TT (with no sideout) on the road through the years and it looked not too bad.
Please share your experience with us, I'm curious.
Last weekend's trip
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2009 Blizzard White Highlander V6 Sport
2004 Infiniti G35 Coupe M6 (Summer toy)
I've been towing a Jayco 1207 Pop top with my 11' SE with no difficulty whatsoever. That being said the 1207 weighs about 2500 lbs with toung weight of 260 -270 lbs. The rear settles almost 2 inches when hooked up.
I suspect that 4100 lbs while is under the 5000 lb rating for the vehicle you would be looking at trailer toung weight of 400-500 pounds. You would definitely be in need of a weight distributing hitch. I don't know if the factory hitch and the unit body construction would accommodate a weight distributing hitch well. I think you might want to contact Toyota engineering for their take on that. I think that it is an excellent tow vehicle for lighter weights but have reservations with the vehicles ability to use a weight distributing hitch. Another point to consider is that the rear suspension design with struts inside the coil springs do not allow installation of airlift bags to give more load capacity.
Hi everyone, I am new to this forum. We have purchased a new Rockwood Roo 233 and will be towing it with a 2011 Highlander. Is anyone else towing the same or similar trailer as I will be and does it tow well. The weight of the trailer is about 4100 pounds.
You are definitely pushing the limits of your HL. You will be close to 5000# when you load the trailer, and plus you have to factor in the weight of the cargo and people in the HL. You will likely be close to 6000#. Be careful. I tow a Roo 19 (3600# dry/likely around 4200# loaded), and it tows okay. Once the HL is paid for, I will likely be looking at trading in my Corolla for a vehicle that is meant to tow a travel trailer...a Tundra or an F-150/F-250. I expect that after a few trips with your 233, you will be thinking the same.
Expect 8-10mpg mileage (its not the weight, it's the wind resistance) and plan on stopping at a gas station every 200km, thanks to the undersized fuel tank. Make sure that you have a good brake controller (Prodigy, Prodigy 2, or P3) and a good weight distribution hitch with built-in sway control (Equal-i-zer 4-point). I would be very concerned about your tongue weight...you may want to consider a tongue weight scale, and be sure to pack your heavier items behind the trailer axles, and lighter stuff up front.
Good luck and keep us posted.
__________________ 2009 Highlander Limited
2005 Corolla CE, Canadian Edition, Silver with grey interior, automatic transmission, CD changer, cruise control, rear bumper protector.
I've been towing a Jayco 1207 Pop top with my 11' SE with no difficulty whatsoever. That being said the 1207 weighs about 2500 lbs with toung weight of 260 -270 lbs. The rear settles almost 2 inches when hooked up.
I suspect that 4100 lbs while is under the 5000 lb rating for the vehicle you would be looking at trailer toung weight of 400-500 pounds. You would definitely be in need of a weight distributing hitch. I don't know if the factory hitch and the unit body construction would accommodate a weight distributing hitch well. I think you might want to contact Toyota engineering for their take on that. I think that it is an excellent tow vehicle for lighter weights but have reservations with the vehicles ability to use a weight distributing hitch. Another point to consider is that the rear suspension design with struts inside the coil springs do not allow installation of airlift bags to give more load capacity.
When I towed my old hardtop (10' Jayco, around 2000# loaded), I could use cruise control, and hardly noticed the TT behind my HL. With a high-sided trailer, the ball game changes big-time. Wind resistance comes into play and plays a major factor, cutting your mileage in half, and making the drive more challenging.
You are correct about the WDH. Unibody frames are not ideal for them. Lots of us use them on the OEM hitch with no problems, however. As for tongue weight, he will be close:
Keeping in mind that Forest River is notorius for understating weights in their literature, mainly because they do not include any options. I suspect that the 4100# is what Anthony has read on the sticker on the trailer. That's almost 300# more than the stated weight. With the stated tongue weight at 451#, adding in options, I suspect that the tongue weight will be around 480#. Add in cargo, and the 500# maximum tongue weight will likely be exceeded.
As far as contacting Toyota for advice, don't waste your breath or time writing them. All that you will get a bullshit cover-your-ass response that will essentially tell you to ask your service adviser at your dealer. If you were to ask your dealer, I sure hope that they are less useless than my dealer service department is. Mine does not even know how to measure tread depth in the tire as it pertains to the Motor Vehicle Safety Inspection manual in my province, but that is another story that ultimately cost my local dealer any future business with me.
__________________ 2009 Highlander Limited
2005 Corolla CE, Canadian Edition, Silver with grey interior, automatic transmission, CD changer, cruise control, rear bumper protector.
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