Anyone have a Mazda Tribute v-6 with tow package

Kentsb
Kentsb Member Posts: 67
in Trailer & Towing
Looking to buy a NuCamp 2021 CS-S boondock. On paper my 3500 lb. tow rating should be adequate for this trailer. It is a class 2 hitch that is 1 1/4”. Tab says 2” required. Not sure if that means the ball or the receiver or both. Don’t trust the dealer to know or really care. They also say that because of the hitch type( c type) a sway bar cannot be used. Comments on any or all of this will be appreciated. We are ready to close the deal on this by Tuesday next week.




52 nights
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Comments

  • VictoriaP
    VictoriaP Member Posts: 1,496
    The coupler takes a 2” ball. NuCamp’s site specifies a 2” receiver, which means a class III hitch. https://nucamprv.com/blog/tab-320-s-floor-plan/

    A sway bar is fine on a 320, but most people and vehicle combinations don’t need one. (I have one on mine, due to mediocre tow vehicle and a previous sway accident years back that makes me a bit timid. A long time Tab owner who fulltimes and tows extensively, Mandy Lea, had one on her 320 and has one on her current 400.) A weight distributing hitch, however, is a no go on the 320, but certain types can be used on the 400.
    2019 320s BD Lite, white with blue (“Haven”)
    2015 Subaru Outback 3.6r (unsafe 200lb tongue weight limit until 2020 models)
    2020 Subaru Outback XT
    Pacific NW
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  • Denny16
    Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    edited July 2020
    On paper, you have 2500 lbs (avg weight) of trailer, on a short wheelbase TV, that maxes out at 3500 lbs, but has the wrong class hitch receiver.  Not the best TV situation.  At the least you need to upgrade the tow receiver assembly to a Class III ( https://www.amazon.com/CURT-13650-Class-Trailer-Hitch/dp/B001EP0GU4 ).

    The issue with the short wheel base in an increased risk of sway.  But depending on where you are towing and how fast you are going, it could be doable, but not the best all round TV choice.  I had a Jeep Renegade, similar type of SUV and same size, also with a 3500 tow rating, but decided it was just too small to haul a TaB safely at highway speeds (55-60 mph).  

    I have read reports of a few Mazda owners trying to two a 2500 boat, and they felt the Masada was at its limit with 2500 lbs behind them, and had a hard time with the load.

    The big issue is not so much the trailer weight, but the trailer frontal area, which creates drag and requires more power from the TV to move at speeds faster than 40-45mph.  This is why rental box trailers, smaller than a T@B have warning to not tow faster than. 45mph.  I rented a UHaul box trailer (10-foot unit about 5-feet high) and my Dodge Dakota (V6) with a 6,000 lbs tow rating,  had a hard time on grades maintaining even 45mph, the trailer was loaded at 2500 lbs, so about the same weight and height as a T@B CS.  So the main issue is a combo of the trailer weight and large frontal area.

    I would not want to have been using a smaller TV.  The Dakota has a long wheel base also, which is important in a TV to control any trailer sway.  Food for thought. 
    cheers

    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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