What do you Tow your Camper with?

Something that has somewhere in the vicinity of twice the towing capacity of the weight of your trailer. We pull Hamlet (a ham-style Compact) with a 2009 BMW X3, It does well tracking, unless a string of semis goes by, then we just slow down to make sure we're in control. Hamlet doesn't have brakes, but the monster ones on the X3 stop it quite nicely.

I'm still driving my 1996 Toyota t-100 3.4liter V6. 287,000 miles on the clock, no rust, no system failures, towed things it probably never should have but has never complained. Made in Fremont California and would rather live there than here in Ohio, but too bad. I test drove a new Tacoma which was fancy, like a car, but couldn't hold a candle, power-wise or gas mileage-wise to Old Big T.
Guess that's why Toyota discontinued them after only a few years.
It came with a 5000# frame mounted hitch and towing package, and over the last 20 years the driver's seat has conformed to my skinny butt like a high priced lazy boy.

I'm a fan of keeping 'em till the wheels fall off, and since I was lucky enough not to have payments when I drove it off the showroom, a few hundred bucks here and there for brakes or timing belts doesn't hurt a bit... it will probably out live me.

Unless she's rusted out, spend the $2000 to get road worthy, and use the $20,000 you just saved for a herd (?) of hams, eh?

I bought a 1964 Phoenix gutted. The only thing inside the camper was the ceiling storage area over the front window, over the kitchen cabinet and the wooden part of the sofa area at the back.   Camper probably weighs about 1000 to 1200 like this with no propane and 2 car tires. 

I am a model airplane builder I can build strong and light weight so I built a full kitchen up front the whole thing with counter top, 3 drawers, cabinets, sink, is about 100 lbs.

The real queen size mattress in the back probably weights 100 lbs.

I build a small sofa between the bed and kitchen it weighs about 30 lbs.

I am guessing the gutted camper was probably 1000 lbs maybe 1200. Manufactures built them heavy.

All the propane is gone to save weight, no tanks, no stove, no pipes, no furnace, that saves about 200 lbs.

The kitchen has an electric griddle, toaster oven, crock pot, microwave, coffee maker, refrigerator, total weight about 100 lbs.  The microwave is 20 lbs we often leave it at home.

14 quilts and blankets, clothes, food, supplies, maybe 70 lbs.

In the rear storage area, electric chain saw, small axe, jacks, boards, rope, tarps, tire tools, about 50 lbs.

Total weight of the trailer might be 1500 to 1600 lbs. Soon as I buy a bathroom scale I will make a balance beam scale 5 to 1 ratio with a 2x8 board and weigh the trailer.

Tongue weight is too heavy for me to lift. It has to be in the 300 lb range.

The camper has electric brakes and they work good I rebuilt them and SUV has tow package.

No sway bars.

My SUV V8 will pull the camper up to 50 mph like nothing but above 50 it gets harder. I know law of physics says when the speed doubles wind resistance triples. My vehicle has to work to get the camper up to 60 and it struggles hard to get it up to 70 mph. I can hold it as 70 fairly easy on a flat level road but RPMs are at 2300 instead of 1200 as usual and gas mile is reduced by half at 70. I can poke along at 55 save gas and relax.

Out of boredom I thought I'd help with the A/C problem. There are several examples of what you described as a solution, so scroll down and check 'em out.

www.google.com/search?q=redneck+auto+air+conditioners&rlz=1T4GGHP_enUS650US651&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj6-PqgoqLLAhUDWj4KHbMKCRsQ_AUICCgC&biw=1366&bih=620

I particularly like the one with the generator tied to the trunk.
Not for the faint of heart...

Gary… it looks like your tow vehicle is well suited. It's a Chevy Suburban V8? So it's body on frame and not unibody… this means that your tongue weight is not so much of a concern. Unibody construction frames cannot take much tongue load at all; you'll bend the frame. I've seen fixed windows pop out! I'm not sure why your TV is struggling so with only a 1500 lb. trailer w/ electric brakes?? I'm pulling about 2500 with a 4.7L. Certainly under certain conditions… head/cross winds, long stretches of uphill, the engine labors. Does your TV have an "over drive off" button? This keeps the transmission in a lower gear, which gives you the proper torque to get up those hills and also minimizes transmission shifting. If available, I would use that feature always when towing, esp. on the open road where there are elevation changes. If you don't have that, maybe you have gear choices in your transmission shifter. Third or second, depending on the demand, would be appropriate. For flat road, you can let it go to whatever its overdrive gear is… but downshift before you hit any upcoming hills (both uphill and downhill).

Regarding your tongue weight. Your TV can certainly take the 300 lbs., but that is waaay front heavy for a 1500 lb. trailer. About double what it should be. I find it unlikely that you really have 300 up front, with the light weight materials you used to make your front galley… and no propane tank(s)? Something's not right there. Let us know when you are able to measure that with scales.

Ideally, your TV and Trailer should be almost level. The only way to accomplish that (esp. with 20% tongue weight!) is with weight distribution, which will take some of the tongue weight and transfer it to the front axle of your TV. This makes for a more integral TV/Trailer "unit" and also keeps the steering wheels of your TV firmly planted on the pavement! This is especially important in wet weather. Not enough weight in the front end of the tow vehicle is super dangerous… that's what too much tongue weight can do. The trailer ends up pushing your TV around. Conversely, too little tongue weight allows the trailer to "pick up" the back end of your TV.  This is why balancing the trailer to 10% tongue weight is important to start.

BIGBILL: BTW, what would you do in the case of a blow out? Fortunately, I've never encountered that. Are you talking TV tire blow out or trailer tire blow out?