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SERIOUSLY??!!....You're not even going to say what year/engine your H3 has or how much the camper weighs?? Just so you know, you're not limited to a certain amount of 'letters' you are allowed to use when submitting a question!
First of all I'm an industrial mechanic who had a machine go down this afternoon.and didnt have time to finish my post.so I apologize if my post bothered you..(rolling my eyes)........so to finish what I started on my lunch I have a 2008 H3 3.7 and the dry weight of the trailer 4300 lbs
Maximum towing capacities: 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) for the straight-5 with manual transmission, 4,500 lb (2,041 kg) for the straight-5 with automatic transmission, and 6,000 lb (2,722 kg) for the V8 with automatic transmission.
Maximum towing capacities: 3,000 lb (1,361 kg) for the straight-5 with manual transmission, 4,500 lb (2,041 kg) for the straight-5 with automatic transmission, and 6,000 lb (2,722 kg) for the V8 with automatic transmission.
You can tow any trailer you can attach to the hitch. Stopping though is a whole different story. Nothing wakes you up quite like stomping on the brakes and the weight of the trailer pushes you through an intersection full of cars and people.
You might want to put an external transmission cooler on the H3 before towing something that heavy. Add an accurate engine temp gauge and a transmission temp gauge. What talusfan said about the brakes is important. Does the trailer have brakes? That would help! Upgrading the H3 brakes is also an option. Factory replacement cross drilled and slotted rotors with ceramic pads.
I'll speak only from my experience. I tow daily. The combined weight is approximately 3000 lbs. And I can say without a doubt that I'm comfortable with the weight but I would be a bit edgy towing more. I wear brakes a might bit faster and rotors glaze.
Trailer Brakes Brakes are required on any trailer coach or camp trailer having a gross weight of 1500 lbs. or more. Usually the braking capacity on tow vehicles is good; however, it may not be good enough to safely stop the several hundred to several thousand additional pounds that your trailer weighs. Most conventional and fifth-wheel trailers have electric brakes, activated by a controller in the tow vehicle. The controller automatically coordinates the tow vehicle and trailer braking so the two systems work together when the brake pedal is applied.
No, you cannot tow that trailer. The unladen (empty) weight is 4985# (not your claimed 4300#), and your H3 is only rated to tow 4500# (IF you have the automatic). Additionally, I believe your hitch is only rated for 500# tongue weight; also less than the unladen tongue weight of that trailer. Oh, and one final point; I have been RVing for 40 years now; I have yet to see an RV/camping trailer that doesn't actually weigh significantly more than the listed unladen weight, which does NOT include dealer installed options, fluids, gear, food, etc.
The UVW (4,985#) plus the CCC (1,563#) equals the trailer's GVWR (6,548#), which is it's max loaded weight. Now, you may not load it to it's max, but you WILL likely add at least 500-700# for water, food, dishes, bedding, clothing, camping gear, etc. That puts you between 5,000-6,000#. Now, I know, some here will say that you CAN tow that trailer, or that they regularly tow that much weight (or more). So yes, you can tow it...slowly on grades. Yes, you can probably stop it (with sufficient trailer brakes). However, in an emergency maneuver, that weight will yank your H3 right off the road. So, I'm simply saying that according to the numbers, you can't. If you want to tow safely, you can't.
