Weights and Measures

Battery or batteries and propane unfortunately are not included. Betting no one here will think your tow vehicle is a good idea. Unfortunately!

You have several max specs you have to stay within to be legal. As you say, having some headroom below the legal limitations is a good idea for safety.

You need the loaded trailer weight to be below 3500 lbs. You need the combined total rig weight as loaded to be below the max combined gross vehicle weight rating (MCGVWR) of the Terrain. That number should be on the drivers door sticker of the Terrain. You can get your max axle loads there too and check those.

You also need the actual tongue weight of the trailer to be below the max tongue weight of the Terrain. That is probably 350 lbs but you should be able to confirm it in your manual. If you haven’t already, check there to be sure that GMC allows you to use a weight distribution hitch. Some manufacturers don’t. The wdh does not allow you an increase in tongue weight btw. Also you shouldn’t have too low a tongue weight, less than around 10% has been known to result in trailer sway in rpods.

Unless you actually weigh the loaded trailer and tow vehicle you will be guessing, the empty weight of the trailer and the listed tongue weight are not reality. So, load up both the trailer and tow vehicle as you intend to use them, gear, supplies, batteries, propane, fuel, passengers, water tank, water heater, everything you plan to take with you. Go go to a public scale. Leave the wdh installed but do not tension it or it will throw off the measurements. Get your weights adding one axle at a time. Drop the trailer, leave the wdh installed and go back through and get the tow vehicle weight, again one axle at s time. Trailer weight is total rig weight minus tow vehicle weight from second weighing. Tongue weight is tow vehicle axles from first weight minus tow vehicle weight from second weighing.

Put all your specs, weights, and dimensions in this calculator and it will tell you if and where you are out of spec, and also how much to tension you should put on the wdh to get the front axle load back up to what it was without the trailer ( front axle load goes down when to put weight on the hitch).

https://www.ajdesigner.com/apptrailertow/weightdistributionhitch.php

Bottom line is you will probably never be happy with the Terrain towing a 179, even if it’s legal. To stay within specs you will be constantly trying to save all the weight you can. Even with a 5000 lb rated tow vehicle like I have I have to load carefully, especially if you plan to boon dock and have water and dual batteries on board. You will also probably never be satisfied with the performance of that 2.0 liter engine. And considering that you will be getting around 14mpg towing (everybody does) you will be stopping for gas every 120-150 miles or so, which can get frustrating and stressful.

+2.

And then all the stuff you take out of the trailer- like water, food, lawn chairs - has to go somewhere.  Eventually you will want a generator which is heavy.  One heavy thing you can get rid of is the table contraption that FR supplied.

A 2.0 liter engine is awfully small for towing an r pod.  I towed mine a couple times with our Acadia which was a 3.6 liter and that would be the smallest GMC SUV I would ever consider towing these with.  Much happier towing it with my half ton Sierra now.  Terrains are better suited to tow something 2000 lbs GVW or lighter I would say.  I echo everyone above, probably not a good tow vehicle for an r pod.