Weight and Towing question

You will definitely Ned a bigger tow vehicle.  I use a mid size truck, with a 6,000 lbs tow rating and 600 tongue weight max limit.  I would not want to use anything smaller.
cheers

The 400 has a dry weight of about 3000 pounds and depending on year up to about a 375-400 pound hitch weight.  The current, 2021 model has a hitch weight of about 325 pounds.  You should be fine with a vehicle having 4500-5000 pound tow capacity and 450 hitch weight.  There are lots of vehicles that can tow a 400 that are not full sized pick ups.  Look around and choose something that fits you needs.

Also for reference: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a29339668/how-truck-tow-rating-is-calculated/

This is a good read on how tow capacity is measured.  

I own a 2019 Volvo XC60 T6 and when I purchased it I didn't have plans to purchase an RV. In the interim, I had the Volvo retractable hitch installed. It's a nice marriage between the center monitor, back up camera, etc. Awesome technology. That said, after I installed an updated box on the tongue with twin tanks, etc. it was readily apparent that the Volvo was NOT the vehicle to tow the 400. 

So, I started this way:

 
And end up going this direction:


Just some food for thought from someone who ones a very similar vehicle and make the decision to avoid significant wear and tear on what I regard as a remarkable SUV...best vehicle I've ever owned (save for the '63 Chevy Impala SS of my youth!) 

No doubt. I'm continually impressed with XC60! Being retired and sans kids, it's a perfect fit for me. Time will tell how long I keep both vehicles...but for now (and until this Wuhan stuff is behind us), I'm looking forward to putting miles on both! 

Any machine being run at or near its maximum rated capacity requires constant attention and adjustment to avoid problems.  This is true whether your are talking about a hand held mixer or an eighteen wheeler rolling down the highway.  This required attention causes stress and anxiety that is very fatiguing and can quickly take the joy out of travel (or mixing). 
Keeping in mind that everything you put in your TV including passengers lowers your towing capacity, it is generally considered prudent to have a TV rating about 50% greater than the expected load.  This will create a comfortable and capable rig and helps assure even unexpected events are manageable.
Have fun!
Bob 

The towing capacity of a vehicle is determined by the manufacturer and is stamped normally on the driver’s door pillar, and should be in the documentation that came with the TV.
one rating is the GVWR, which is the gross vehicle weight rating, this includes the weight of a trailer, the tow vehicle weight, the weight of all passengers and vehicle cargo.  Just add all this up, and you should not exceed 80 percent of this limit to have a safety factor.  Towing at full rated capacity can lead to a bad accident in emergency situations. 

The tow vehicle will also have a trailer load rating, this is the max wieight of a trailer with the trailer’s total load in it.  You take the trailer’s curb weight, and add the weight of water, propane tanks, and anything you load into the trailer and add this all up, or go have the loaded trailer weighed on a truck scale. 

The max tongue weight for a TV is also in the towing capability documentation for the vehicle,
the best way to determine your trailer tongue weight when it is loaded is again at a truck scale, or most RV/trailer repair facilities have a tongue scale.  My 2018 TaB 400 was weighed with 1/2 tank of water, propane tank, and trailer batteries (no personal stuff loaded in the trailer) and it came out to 400 lbs.
cheers

Not directly, the GVWR includes the lot, the trailer weight, the TV weight, everything on or in the trailer, and all the stuff in the TV, including passengers, and the tongue weight.  So a vehicle with a 800 lbs cargo capacity, with a 400 lbs trailer tongue weight added to it, only has 400 lbs left for driver, passengers and any cargo in the TV.  So it can add up quickly.  The TV trailer weight rating/restriction, is just the total weight of the trailer and the trailer contents that the vehicle can tow.  The GVWR includes the trailer and the TV, etc.  However, one can restrict or impact the other, when sailing close to,the wind, by towing close to a vehicle’s max ratings.
cheers

You can use a mid size truck with a factory tow package, like a Dodge Dakota, Chevy Colorado, Tacoma 2X (not four wheel drive), and the Jeep Gladiator.  I had a Jeep Renegade, and knew that would not handle a TaB 400, so I upgraded it to a Gladiator, always wanted a Jeep truck!  These all have a smaller 5-foot bed, but with factory tow can handle from 5,000 to 6,000 lbs trailer.  They also have about the same tire width/track and should tow well. A larger 1/2 ton truck is nice when you have extra stuff and passengers you are taking with you, or are doing a lot of mountain driving like in Colorado or the Rocky Mountains.  Traveling Robert used a mid size truck, towing a Winne Mini across the country.  The Winnie Mini is about the same size as a Tab 400.

@ChanW, but it's gonna be a little tough on the t@b, unless she's getting a t@b 4000!

@ChanW, we were in Big Bend NP in January and a family pulled in with a 5th wheel being towed by a big rig. They bought it just to pull their trailer because they went through to many pickups towing. 

I do not think so, i get about 14mpg average towing out TaB 400 with the Jeep Gladiator.
not m ugh better, but still 4 more miles per gallon.
cheers

jenniferlzr said:

I drove 140 miles today round trip to the RV place, and she said my Volvo would absolutely have no problem towing the TAB. I'm not convinced!
lol  It WAS my first time seeing a TAB in person though. 

Dealers will tell you anything to make the sale. Definitely do your own research on that score.