# 26rs Vs. 28rss?



## CampKerzic (Mar 5, 2005)

We are debating between the 26RS and the 28RSS. Our biggest concern is our towing capacity. Our TV is a Yukon XL Denali with a tow rating of 8000 lbs. We live in Colorado so I know we need to back off 15 - 20% to account for altitude. This would leave us a max. towing of about 6400 lbs. We have three kids plus gear and we do like to fill our water tanks before leaving. The actual dry weight with options of a 28RSS that we saw at an RV show this weekend was 5500 lbs. What do you think? Could we tow this? Is the side slide and second door worth the extra weight on the 28RSS? Thanks for your thoughts!


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

I just responded to your PM regarding this in detail. Since you are rated for 8,000 towing, you must not have the 4.10 gears on the Denali, but ikely the 6 liter engine (as I would have guessed). My Yukon XL with the 4.10s and 5.3 V8 is rated to tow 8,100.

As I said in the PM, given that, and my experience towing the 26 RS (which loaded up is a full ton under the 8,100), I would recommend the 26 RS purely from a towing enjoyment (and tow vehicle wear and tear) standpoint.

Parker Outbacker has the 28 RSDS but is towing with a 3/4 ton (2500) Ford truck. He'll have the power needed to tow that beast.

If you REALLY want the 28 RSS, hold out and order a 28 RSDS.

Randy


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## Morrowmd (Feb 22, 2005)

We pull our 26RS around fine with a 5.3L Tahoe but would not want to tow anything bigger. You have longer WB and 700# more towing cap but those mountains do make a difference.

We really like the 28RSDS but will hold off until a diesel or 8100 TV will fit in the budget.

If you do go bigger, get a good WD hitch!

-Matt


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

SUV...think short!

The closer to max you get, the less safe you'll feel. If your heart is set on the 28...it's a good excuse to upsize the tow vehicle!


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## Ivy & Don (Feb 24, 2005)

One thing to keep in mind deciding between the 2 is that the kids are just going to get bigger and having that extra space with the slide makes a huge difference on those rainy days when there's games and toys spread out and Mom is trying to get things ready to eat







!! Speaking strictly from a mother's point of view! Get one with an oven as well ( chicken wings come in pretty handy on those days ).With the new floor plan of the 28rsds, the carpet under the dinette makes me glad I have the 28rss with children aged 11, 10, 8, & 6. I like the idea of having the dinette and the sofa switched but they should have put lino under the table. You have to decide if you want to upgrade the TV in the near future or your TT? Good luck....either way you'll still be happy with anb Outback!!!


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## CampKerzic (Mar 5, 2005)

You are so right about the room in the 28 trailer. We have seen a 28RSS and the dry weight listed on the sticker in the cabinet is 5520. However, now that we have seen the 28RSDS we are more interested in that. The problem is that the dealer does not have a 28RSDS on the lot and they would have to order it. There seems to be some discrepancy on the weight information on the 28RSDS and we are already pushing things with our Yukon Denali XL (max towing 8000#). We are going to test tow the 28RSS on Monday at the dealership. I cannot imagine that there would a difference in towing these two trailers since the only difference is whether the sofa or the dinette is in the slide out. We will let you all know how the test tow goes.


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

Nikki,

Be sure to tow that puppy westbound I-70 for a while.

Randy


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## Not Yet (Dec 13, 2004)

I weighed my rig this weekend after two days of camping with near full propane, food, 2 6v, clothes, 1/3 fresh tank, 1/3 gray, empty black. TT still hooked up was 6000 lbs. Need to add in the hitch weight (about 600 based upon previous truck weights) So 6600 set up to camp. The 28RSDS fresh tank is near the front of the trailer so that quickly adds hitch weight. In fact the gray is over the axles and both black and fresh are forward. I do not know the layout for the 28RSS but that may account for some additional front end weight.

Jared


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

The fresh on the 28rss is just about as far back as you can get without putting it on the Bumper. The Black and Gray are forward of the axles so your outbound tongue weight and your home bound tongue weight can be two very different numbers!


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## CampKerzic (Mar 5, 2005)

Jared -

Thanks for the info. We now like the 28RSDS over the 28RSS. What is the tongue weight on your 28RSDS? We have seen some discrepancies on this. Also, what is your actual dry weight with options? The 28RSS is 5520# with options so I would believe the 28RSDS is close. Thanks for your help!


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

How did the test tow go yesterday? How did the Denali 6 liter perform with almost 6,000 pounds behind it?

Randy


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## CampKerzic (Mar 5, 2005)

Thanks for all the great info and help. We had to reschedule the test tow for next Monday. Now we are thinking about getting a Ford F-150 for the 28RSDS since we love the trailer so much. Any thoughts on that combo?


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## Not Yet (Dec 13, 2004)

CampKerzic said:


> Jared -
> 
> Thanks for the info. We now like the 28RSDS over the 28RSS. What is the tongue weight on your 28RSDS? We have seen some discrepancies on this. Also, what is your actual dry weight with options? The 28RSS is 5520# with options so I would believe the 28RSDS is close. Thanks for your help!
> [snapback]27908[/snapback]​


From the sticker:
28 RSDS
GVWR 7200
- UVW 5775
-Fresh 415
-Gas 60
CC 950

On the scales mine was 6000 + 600 hitch

Jared


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## CampKerzic (Mar 5, 2005)

Thanks for all of the great information! We actually test towed the 28RSS trailer today (we want the 28RSDS but they did not have one in stock for us to tow). We were a little nervous when we got there and found out that we could not hook up our own WD hitch and sway bar so the dealer convinced us to just try it without the WD hitch. We were shocked at how well we were able to tow it - even into the foothills of the Rockies! Granted, we will probably have another 700 or 800 pounds once we add gear and water but we had our whole family and a full tank of gas in the Yukon XL. Do you think the WD hitch will make up for the extra weight we will have? Are we just dreaming or do you all think we will be OK with this trailer? Thanks for your input!


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

Wow....towing the 28 RSS without the W/D hitch. Didn't know that was legal! Anyway, glad the tow went well even without weight distribution (I imagine the rear-end of the Denali was a little lower than it should have been). So it sounds like you are all set then. Bring on the RSDS!

Randy


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Hi

I have towed a 28RSS with a 04 Denali before I went to the XL. I had no issues at all with the Denali. Beautiful ride and lots of power for pulling. I have towed with and without W/D bars. The Denali will self level regardless of the weight on the back. It is a nice feature. So there is no difference on the height of the back end of the Denali. The only difference I notice was that the overall ride quality was better with the W/D bars. It was a bit softer over the bumps.

As for power - I notice very little difference towing the TT empty or when fully loaded. It is just a bit harder on fuel when loaded.

Thor


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