A Fool-Proof Method for Judging your Tow Vehicle

[CWSWine]

Originally Posted by CaptnJohn

The length of my 5er is only 35'. With full water at the rear pin is just over 18%. Cross winds on western interstates have not been noticed. Front and bedroom storage is light. Wife liked that front LR Montana but now I'm thinking it is not a good idea.,

I talk to several people that had the same 5er and 173" wheelbase and the comments was that it didn't tow as well as there last 5er but they didn't have the problems like I was having(I guess length does matter). Notice that the 3711FL floor plan was only a current floor plan for about 18 months.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by CWSWine

I talk to several people that had the same 5er and 173" wheelbase and the comments was that it didn't tow as well as there last 5er but they didn't have the problems like I was having(I guess length does matter). Notice that the 3711FL floor plan was only a current floor plan after about 18 months.

Just 2 of us and we pack light so not the floor plan for us

[rondelou2]

New to TT towing, although I have had multiple motorhomes and pulled horse trailers. Just bought 2015 Microlite 25 DKS and a 2013 Suburban 1500 with towing package. Specs all good. Unit came with Pro Series WDH. Thought I'd done my homework and I was all set.
The tow home scared me to death. Swaying all over the place! It was not loaded and high in the front, so we corrected those things and tried again. Tons of sway.
Just installed an Anderson WDH yesterday and it is only minimally better. Semi goes past and it's all over the place. This is supposed to be a great sway elimination hitch, but it is not working as advertised. I really don't know what to do now. Love the camper, but may just have to forget the whole thing. ugh

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by rondelou2

New to TT towing, although I have had multiple motorhomes and pulled horse trailers. Just bought 2015 Microlite 25 DKS and a 2013 Suburban 1500 with towing package. Specs all good. Unit came with Pro Series WDH. Thought I'd done my homework and I was all set.
The tow home scared me to death. Swaying all over the place! It was not loaded and high in the front, so we corrected those things and tried again. Tons of sway.
Just installed an Anderson WDH yesterday and it is only minimally better. Semi goes past and it's all over the place. This is supposed to be a great sway elimination hitch, but it is not working as advertised. I really don't know what to do now. Love the camper, but may just have to forget the whole thing. ugh

The 'Bur should handle the trailer. Most of the time the Anderson will work. If you know someone with an Equalizer 4 point ask to borrow it for a couple days. I have never seen one properly set up that did not tow very well. Those with money to burn will be chirping about the Hensley. There is one more thing ~~ electronic that attaches to your A frame that is supposed to be fantastic, when I get back I'll look it up if no one else chirps in 1st.

[northstar1960]

Originally Posted by rondelou2

New to TT towing, although I have had multiple motorhomes and pulled horse trailers. Just bought 2015 Microlite 25 DKS and a 2013 Suburban 1500 with towing package. Specs all good. Unit came with Pro Series WDH. Thought I'd done my homework and I was all set.
The tow home scared me to death. Swaying all over the place! It was not loaded and high in the front, so we corrected those things and tried again. Tons of sway.
Just installed an Anderson WDH yesterday and it is only minimally better. Semi goes past and it's all over the place. This is supposed to be a great sway elimination hitch, but it is not working as advertised. I really don't know what to do now. Love the camper, but may just have to forget the whole thing. ugh

What's the weight of the TT what's the payload of the suburban ? sounds like you have the tt loaded with not enough TW . what tires on the suburban ? aall this matters . i use the andersen with great results no sway ever . your TW needs to be closer to 15% then to 10% . looks at your weights and how they are distributed

[hbillsmith]

Originally Posted by rondelou2

New to TT towing, although I have had multiple motorhomes and pulled horse trailers. Just bought 2015 Microlite 25 DKS and a 2013 Suburban 1500 with towing package. Specs all good. Unit came with Pro Series WDH. Thought I'd done my homework and I was all set.
The tow home scared me to death. Swaying all over the place! It was not loaded and high in the front, so we corrected those things and tried again. Tons of sway.
Just installed an Anderson WDH yesterday and it is only minimally better. Semi goes past and it's all over the place. This is supposed to be a great sway elimination hitch, but it is not working as advertised. I really don't know what to do now. Love the camper, but may just have to forget the whole thing. ugh

At FR site, the 25DKS lists a Hitch Weight of 443# and an Unloaded Weight of 4656#. The GVWR shows TBD but you can back in to it by adding the UVW 4656# plus Cargo Carry 1459# to get an assumed GVWR of 6115#. For a front weight ration (443# Hitch divided by 4656# UVW) its only 9.5% which is less than the minimum recommended 10%. BUT..that 443# is without battery ~45# and propane ~35#, add those (443# + 80# = 523#; divide 523# by 4656#UVW = 11.2%) and you're over the minimum slightly. As you said, loading some cargo in the front bin should move you closer to 15%. These weights and my personal experience using the Andersen WDH for 3 years tell me you should be OK unless its an adjustment issue.

I used tow with an SUV that had a 600# hitch weight rating but I suspect the Suburban 1500 is more (look at the label on the hitch receiver itself to tell). If you are overweight, your SUV will sag but you wouldn't get sway because of overweight.

My Andersen WDH experience suggests to me that you need to tighten down the chains/compression nuts more. I used a $20 Harbor Freight tork wrench that I kept in the storage bin. On clear days with little wind (the usual towing) I'd crank the nuts down until I could see 5 threads. If it was windy or I was on the interstate expecting a lot of 18wheelers passing me, I'd crank the nuts up to where I could see 7 threads. At 7 (or 8 for that matter) the chains get significantly tighter and an improvement in sway resistance is noticeable.

By the way, except for a Hensley or Propride (both heavy and expensive solutions that significantly reduce both bank account and available payload) with any normal WDH (Andersen or the others) you will still feel a large truck passing, its just that properly adjusted, any good WDH will reduce the effect to only a minor sensation. Don't expect the feeling to completely go away, you may still feel it but a glance to your rear view should confirm for you that the trailer isn't swaying out.

[CaptnJohn]

On your numbers ~~ since 2007 new RVs weights include full propane tanks....

Originally Posted by hbillsmith

At FR site, the 25DKS lists a Hitch Weight of 443# and an Unloaded Weight of 4656#. The GVWR shows TBD but you can back in to it by adding the UVW 4656# plus Cargo Carry 1459# to get an assumed GVWR of 6115#. For a front weight ration (443# Hitch divided by 4656# UVW) its only 9.5% which is less than the minimum recommended 10%. BUT..that 443# is without battery ~45# and propane ~35#, add those (443# + 80# = 523#; divide 523# by 4656#UVW = 11.2%) and you're over the minimum slightly. As you said, loading some cargo in the front bin should move you closer to 15%. These weights and my personal experience using the Andersen WDH for 3 years tell me you should be OK unless its an adjustment issue.

I used tow with an SUV that had a 600# hitch weight rating but I suspect the Suburban 1500 is more (look at the label on the hitch receiver itself to tell). If you are overweight, your SUV will sag but you wouldn't get sway because of overweight.

My Andersen WDH experience suggests to me that you need to tighten down the chains/compression nuts more. I used a $20 Harbor Freight tork wrench that I kept in the storage bin. On clear days with little wind (the usual towing) I'd crank the nuts down until I could see 5 threads. If it was windy or I was on the interstate expecting a lot of 18wheelers passing me, I'd crank the nuts up to where I could see 7 threads. At 7 (or 8 for that matter) the chains get significantly tighter and an improvement in sway resistance is noticeable.

By the way, except for a Hensley or Propride (both heavy and expensive solutions that significantly reduce both bank account and available payload) with any normal WDH (Andersen or the others) you will still feel a large truck passing, its just that properly adjusted, any good WDH will reduce the effect to only a minor sensation. Don't expect the feeling to completely go away, you may still feel it but a glance to your rear view should confirm for you that the trailer isn't swaying out.

[hbillsmith]

Originally Posted by CaptnJohn

On your numbers ~~ since 2007 new RVs weights include full propane tanks....

Thanks CaptnJohn, I've heard that about the propane tanks, just never have been able to prove it out. Also not sure if the Battery is in or out. I still see differences when comparing marketing materials to dry weights on the trailer label. As others have said, a visit to CAT is a recommended stop while you nailing down your load placements and hitch adjustments.

Also just had another though for the OP, the Andersen has adjustable hitch height. If the nose is too high, adjust the ball down.

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by hbillsmith

Thanks CaptnJohn, I've heard that about the propane tanks, just never have been able to prove it out. Also not sure if the Battery is in or out. I still see differences when comparing marketing materials to dry weights on the trailer label. As others have said, a visit to CAT is a recommended stop while you nailing down your load placements and hitch adjustments.

Also just had another though for the OP, the Andersen has adjustable hitch height. If the nose is too high, adjust the ball down.

The battery, like a 2nd AC or other dealer installed item, is not included in dry weight. When propane is considered at 4.2# per X 40 or 60 it adds up quickly.

[lbrjet]

Yep, it is only a guess to what is included in the marketing materials. My brochure back in 2010 listed 6250 and the sticker is 6906.


2010 F250 5.4L 3.73
2011 Flagstaff 831FKBSS
Equal-i-zer 4pt 12K

[rondelou2]

Thanks for the info! I'm soaking it all in.
The allowable hitch wt for the Suburban is 1,000. Rated to tow 10,000, but I'd never go there.
I have a few things in the front storage pod, probably less than 125 lbs and 2 propane tanks and one battery. According to the sticker the dry wt is 4185 and I can carry 1800 in cargo. So I was figuring 6,000 GVW more or less. We probably won't carry that much, we are mostly weekend warriors, but are you saying I should be at 900 lbs TW even if I'm not fully loaded? Hitch wt is around 500, so 400lbs more at all times?
Also, what about tires? It has P275/55R20s Good? Bad? Is there a better tire to help my towing sway?
Also the Burb has rear airbags that supposedly help it self adjust the load.

[dannyabear]

"P" tires are part of the problem, get LT 10 ply; that will help a lot, then find a scale and set hitch up properly

[Johntgif]

I ended up ordering a new 2017 GMC 2500HD Sierra when I found my 2008 Sierra 1500 was not qualified to handle my FR-321BHTS safely. I towed for 2 years but always knew I was pushing safety limits. I know I will feel more confident when I get to tow with my new TV.

[Brand2328]

This is such a true statement. Be very wary of dealers the salesman want to sell they are far from the expert when it comes to tow ratings. See it in writing and then it is safe

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by Brand2328

This is such a true statement. Be very wary of dealers the salesman want to sell they are far from the expert when it comes to tow ratings. See it in writing and then it is safe

Both RV salespeople AND TV salespeople. Most just have no clue as most do not tow and never will.

[carpenter3129]

Originally Posted by dannyabear

"P" tires are part of the problem, get LT 10 ply; that will help a lot, then find a scale and set hitch up properly

Just got 10 ply . U you can tell the difference

[carpenter3129]

Originally Posted by carpenter3129

Just got 10 ply . U you can tell the difference

. Firestone 10 ply tires Works beautiful

[Brand2328]

Just bought a 2015 Ford F350 what a monster

[tom2t]

Originally Posted by Maron

Keith, the "tow/haul " button, as it was explained to me, affects the transmission. It holds the transmission in a gear longer and doesn't allow it to go through the gears as quickly moving up or down. I don't know why Toyota thinks that is important...but they do.

The tow haul button turns off the electric overdrive

[Too Tall]

On my ram, it doesn't turn off the OD but delays the shift point just like all the other gears. Tow mode keeps from lugging and protects the transmission from overheat.