[AFMajor]

I have an 07 V10 that came with the tow package and Air suspension. I would like to buy a 29' Airstream camper and want to know what I would need to do to be able to tow it. I know I will need a ball and the thing the ball attaches to but does it require any special type or will something from Walmart do?

The current owner of the camper has installed a weight distrobuting thing on the camper? However, I read something in my manual about not to use this? Does it really matter?

There is a cover next to my tow hitch and I removed it and there is a round plug inside. Where do I get what plugs into it to hook to the camper to make the lights work?

Also, the camper has brakes. Will I need to buy something special to make them work?

Thanks in advance,
Jerry

 

[nickm]

I have an 07 V10 that came with the tow package and Air suspension. I would like to buy a 29' Airstream camper and want to know what I would need to do to be able to tow it

29' is a long trailer for the Touareg, I wouldn't get anything longer than a 25' trailer length with 28' overall (ball to bumper) length. This is a wheelbase issue and nothing to do with the ability of the Touareg to tow.

I know I will need a ball and the thing the ball attaches to but does it require any special type or will something from Walmart do?

Not sure what brand or quality walmart sells but make sure you are getting a quality part that can handle the expected load. You'd probably be best off at an RV shop for this one...remeber your life relies on this part.

The current owner of the camper has installed a weight distrobuting thing on the camper? However, I read something in my manual about not to use this? Does it really matter?

You have air suspension and don't need weight distribution. Yes it does matter (and varies..for steel suspension use WD, for air..don't). Lots written on this so do a search for other opinions

There is a cover next to my tow hitch and I removed it and there is a round plug inside. Where do I get what plugs into it to hook to the camper to make the lights work?

Do a search on this site, this has been covered...you can pay a lot at your dealer or you can buy it through others for a few bucks.

Also, the camper has brakes. Will I need to buy something special to make them work?

Yes, buy a brake controller...you will need to wire the brake controller from the hitch all the way up to under the dash.

 

[AFMajor]

Trailer length is actually 27' but still more than what the above poster recommended. Wonder if this would be close enough or should I look for smaller camper?

 

[roadtrippers]

Trailer length is actually 27' but still more than what the above poster recommended. Wonder if this would be close enough or should I look for smaller camper?

I would recommend that you have some-sort of sway control devise installed otherwise you would definitely have your hands full as you drive down the highway.

 

[aircooled]

AFMajor, I'm moving your thread to the Towing forum.

Smaller. Even a 25' is likely too much once you add up all of the weight of the options and accessories, LP gas and tanks, water, WD hitch or swar bar, etc, you will likely exceed the tongue weight on the Touareg (616 lbs).

There is also the lack of brake controller wiring that will need to be added before you can hook up any Airstream. You NEED to have a brake controller.

A 27' would be out of the question IMHO. If you are looking for more information regarding the Airstreams, consider browsing our sister site Airforums for more information.

FWIW, I tow a 19' Bambi CCD. I love my Airstream, but I want people to know what they need to tow safely.

 

[Devoman]

Sway

Controlling the sway is very important.As for the W/D part...you really dont need it.I have an equalizer hitch and it can be used for the W/D but I have it set at the lowest setting.It has worked very well for me and I have pulled my Airstream for several thousand miles.No problems as of yet.
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[AFMajor]

I looked at your link and what is the length of the trailer being pulled by the gold colored Touareg?

 

[aircooled]

Devo is running a 25' Safari. It's a six sleeper, isn't it Devo?

 

[Devoman]

25'SS

Yes...It is a 25'SS.One thing though is that I do live in Florida.The most I have ever climbed up a mountain with this thing was around 4500 to probably 5000 feet going thru the Shanondoah and blue ridge.It did very well going thru there and I just took my time with it.Also going the speed limit around 65 mph helps also.Your trailer tires are rated at that amount anyways.If I were to go to where Aircooled lives I think that would be a different story.Those are some big mountains so going slow would be the way to do that I think.I feel it would be hard on the engine a bit more also but I would not know until I tried it for myself which will be a while before I do.

 

[Devoman]

Pic

Here is a pic when I got my first Airstream.I was at the dealership when I took these.You will notice that the back end was a bit low but that was because it was not adjusted right.After I got home I fixed it and everything was perfectly level.This was a V6 w/no Air and I used an Equalizer hitch or W/D hitch.

 

[Devoman]

Pics

Here are some with the new Touareg and Airstream.Also here is a pic from(I think it is called trailer life magazine.I think they are a Canadian company.)a magazine of them towing with a 2004 V10 and a 30' Airstream.
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[spencer500]

Here is another testament to the capabilities of the Touareg. Originally the owner of the rental place said "no" to allowing me to tow this. I had to show him the owners manual to convince him that it was capable of towing this machine. By the time I loaded it up...he was eager to see what it could do.

 

[nickm]

Here is my aforementioned setup

 

[khaug1]

This is an old thread, so what I'm going to add may be too late to be useful, but...

You need to know a couple of things:

-What is the weight of the trailer you're considering? The Touareg V10 is a very capable tow vehicle, but it does have it's limits: 7716# is the max your vehicle is certified to tow.

-Trailer tongue weight is limited to 770#, assuming you have the latest version of the hitch receiver and a ball mount rated for this much weight.

The figures above are manufacturer's stipulations. Good luck if you exceed them! If you do exceed them, you are skirting on warranty issues, and are leaving yourself potentially liable in the event of an accident that might involve the design limits of the vehicle.

Of course, you will need trailer brakes and a brake controller (if your trailer has electric brakes).

Further, the owner's manual explicitly cautions you NOT to use a "load equalizing" hitch. Using such a hitch can damage the chassis of the Touareg.

Trailer length has no official bearing on tow capability. I tow a trailer that's ~ 23' long and 5600#, and the TDI handles it magnificently. But you need to be cognizant of the design limits of the vehicle, and not just take opinions from the WWW!

Regards,

 

[Devoman]

W/D

An as stated in every other thread and I think this one also.(Just have not looked here lately.)But the sticker on the hitch says otherwise.Why would VW allow this?Also My tech guy said it was fine as well as the rep from what I remember a couple or so years ago to use a Weight Distribution hitch.
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[nickm]

The endless debate, and I hate to get into it again, but my hitch says its OK, my manual says its not. I wouldn't use one with air suspension since you will confuse the suspension. (and you don't need it, the suspension does the leveling/balancing work)

You don't have much of a choice but to use one with steel suspension when the loads get heavy. If it rips the back of my truck off VW can send me another one since their hitch decal says its a-ok.

 

[AFMajor]

Thanks for the info. Still looking for a camper and I will make sure less than max weight allowed. Most likely it will be way under. Since I have the air suspension I will not get the load leveling hitch. Thank for the great info.