I have a 2015 Outback 3.6R with OEM towing package. Some friends put a camper trailer they’re fixing up (Ameri Lite 16BHC) on our property, as they don’t have a good place in the city to store it and once it’s fixed we can use it for extra guest accommodations (win/win). Currently, they also do not have a working vehicle able to tow it, but since the dry weight is only 2,612lbs and my Outback is rated for 3,000lbs I figured that if it needed moving that was no issue. I’m new to towing though, and did not realize that the tongue weight of the trailer is 360lbs, close to double the Outback’s hitch weight rating.
I understand that adding a load behind the trailer’s axle to reduce tongue weight is generally bad for stability. My question is, is that or another method at all feasible for moving this trailer? I would obviously be looking at back-roads travel to keep speeds low, and not over great distances (the most it might ever need to be moved in any case would be ~90 miles over flat land, but likely rather less, and infrequently). The only real alternative we have available currently is renting a truck, and I don’t know when our friends will have a working tow-capable vehicle.
