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Old 03-03-2016, 11:33 AM   #1
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Pulling a 36' Trailer

Hello Happy Campers,

Recently purchased a 2016 Salem 36BHBS TT and my TV is a 2011 Ford F150 Eco Boost. Just returned from our maiden voyage of 750 miles. My WDH is a Fastaway 92-00-1000 E2 10,000lbs that I got the dealer to throw in and they did the setup. I had a few white knuckle moments when the big rigs were passing and I need to improve my setup. My original plan was to install rear helper springs on my TV to improve the bounce along with a CURT sway control on each side on the TT tongue. Recently I've been reading that the Equal-I-zer 4 point WDH is far superior to the E2 that I currently have. I have even read that with the 4 point WDH, no additional sway control is needed. Wanted to check to see if anyone else was pulling a long TT and to find out what setup they have.............thanks!
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Old 03-03-2016, 11:40 AM   #2
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There are Many things you need to Improve on your TV & Wd/SC! Do a Search at the Top and Read for a Few Days about Towing Issues! That will answer a Lot of your concerns! Youroo!!
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Old 03-03-2016, 11:47 AM   #3
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I think the 4 point would be a good start. Th reality is your camper is very long and your pickup isn't a HD so adding springs or air bags may help steady it. I switched to a 3/4T and then 1T drw from a 1/2t burb after a couple white knuckle experiences with my old 30tt.
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Old 03-03-2016, 11:50 AM   #4
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Hi we bought a 2015 30 wikss 35' flagstaff. This is the same floor plan as the windjammer 3025. Pulled the C load range tires off after only a couple of 100 miles. did not like how the trailer towed and behaved behind my F350 four door dully with 8' bed. The tires were right at the max load they could carry and looked like they were squatting under the weight of the trailer. Bought Carlisle ST load range E tires. New tires don't have that squatting look and the TT sway and waging the dog has gone a way. Run the pressure at 75-80 psi. bought them at discount tire last spring for around 500.00 balanced and installed on TT. I asked for the newest born on date which was 2-3 months old for all 4 tires. They had a set that was almost 1 year old in the shop. If I did not ask for the newest tires they would probably have sold me the 1 year old ones. Sold tires i removed from TT to lawn service for $200.

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Old 03-03-2016, 11:51 AM   #5
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Being that you have a 36' sail behind you there will be some sway no matter what, I am sure. Do you know what the real TW is on your rig? (Not the dry / lie weight from the brochure)

It is hard to tell from the pic but it looks to me like the rear is really over loaded. If you are in weight specs then the WD definitely needs to be adjusted better. is the 10K kit large enough with your TW?

If your over weight your over weight for that TV.. I will not say a bit more on that. But air bags helped me level my 1500 when it squatted a bit even when under its weight limits. They do not ADD any capacity but it will help level things off. You definitely need to find a way to get rid of the white knuckle experiences so you do not end up wheels up on the tarmac...
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Old 03-03-2016, 11:53 AM   #6
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Without knowing the exact specifics of your TV and TT, and the way you load it, it is hard to nail it down but here are some considerations....

you may need a higher rated WDH 10k seems small for that size and weight Maybe a 12k EQ 4 pt might work better

what may be happening is the weight of the truck may not be enough to counter the weight and size of the trailer

in the pic the rear of the truck looks a bit "squatty" which further validate the previous 2 points

have you weighed your setup to know what you need to do: things like adjust TW, adjust loaded items in the truck behind the rear axle,

just some thoughts I hope you get it figured out towing is not fun when it isnt set up right.
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Old 03-03-2016, 11:57 AM   #7
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Empty TW according to FR is 700lbs dry.. Which means 800 or 900lbs (guessing without know the real numbers) once loaded.. Maybe more. 1.2K might be the better size, maybe, again without having real weights.

Dry weight is listed at about 7900lbs with a CC of almost 3000lbs for those looking for the DRY specs.
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Old 03-03-2016, 12:01 PM   #8
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That's a long bumper pull, even for a 1 ton pickup, much less a half ton. Mine is a 30 footer and it gets bad enough if I get a big rig to blow by me.
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Old 03-03-2016, 12:16 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by youroo View Post
There are Many things you need to Improve on your TV & Wd/SC! Do a Search at the Top and Read for a Few Days about Towing Issues! That will answer a Lot of your concerns! Youroo!!
There are tons of threads on this.....your clothes will probably be out of style by the time you read them all.
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Old 03-03-2016, 12:32 PM   #10
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Pulling a 36' Trailer

I'd bet half the problem is p rated tires on a half ton truck pulling a 36 foot trailer.




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Old 03-03-2016, 12:40 PM   #11
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To me the fact that your trailer has glass patio doors on it tells me it is more a park model than one designed to be towed around the country. That is just a really long trailer. The E2 is not the best hitch for a trailer that long, I have one but my trailer is 16 feet shorter.
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Old 03-03-2016, 12:42 PM   #12
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I honestly gotta say, I didn't think bumper pulls came that long. I thought once they hit 34' range, you hit the 5'er category. I pull a 32' bumper pull with a 1500 and that's long enough for me from a bumper.

However, looks like your WDH needs a little adjustment, the truck looks a little saggy. I think something that long at the bumper, I would still ad some extra sway control
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Old 03-03-2016, 12:44 PM   #13
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To me the fact that your trailer has glass patio doors on it tells me it is more a park model than one designed to be towed around the country. That is just a really long trailer. The E2 is not the best hitch for a trailer that long, I have one but my trailer is 16 feet shorter.
We were at a RV show in Hartford, CT and Springfield, MA recently and we saw a few TT with a patio style door and weren't park models. One was 32' TT,
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Old 03-03-2016, 12:46 PM   #14
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I honestly gotta say, I didn't think bumper pulls came that long. I thought once they hit 34' range, you hit the 5'er category. I pull a 32' bumper pull with a 1500 and that's long enough for me from a bumper.

However, looks like your WDH needs a little adjustment, the truck looks a little saggy. I think something that long at the bumper, I would still ad some extra sway control
My friends parents had a 45 footer back when I was a kid. Pulled it with an e350 diesel plumbing van..

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Old 03-03-2016, 12:52 PM   #15
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I'd bet half the problem is p rated tires on a half ton truck pulling a 36 foot trailer.




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We have a 2014 Suburban towing a 32 ft TT. Here is what made all the difference in the world.

1) Changed P rated to LT tires E rated
2) Changed standard shocks to Monroe Reflex HD shocks
3) Equalizer 4 point WD and anti-sway hitch setup correctly, 1k

Next will be the trailer tires, but the above 3 changes made us go from white knuckles to wife comfortable driving.
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Old 03-03-2016, 12:52 PM   #16
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I agree with everything said here so far. I have already been to the Ford dealership about trading my F150 for a F250. They want $20,000.00 extra for a same year, same mileage trade......just paid mine off! Will do some reading like you all said.....thanks for the great help & tips!
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Old 03-03-2016, 01:05 PM   #17
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I just got a Wildwood 32BHDS which is similar in size and it was 8,040lbs before I loaded our stuff in it. I have a 4-point 12,000/1,200 Husky on order. You my want to find a scale to see just how heavy your camper is.
I also agree with upgrading the tires on the truck. I think you will find you have about 900-1,000lbs on the ball.
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Old 03-03-2016, 01:21 PM   #18
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Regardless of suspension upgrades and anti-sway controls, that is too much trailer for your truck. For the sake of your safety do what you can to get a beefier truck.
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Old 03-03-2016, 01:29 PM   #19
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If you upgrade to a 3/4 ton, try to get the longest wheelbase you can. It will definitely make a difference.
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Old 03-03-2016, 01:31 PM   #20
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You seem to already be on your way to upgrading your truck. That's an excellent idea for a TT that's 36'7" long.

Regarding the Equal-i-zer 4-point hitch, it provides built-in sway control using friction between the L brackets and the weight distribution bars. Check out their website to determine the size of bars you need for your Salem.
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