? for you guys that pull larger than 30ft

[mrmjbenn]

My first tow was an18' boat then a 22' pontoon thought that was big now we have a 35' TT . I never gave towing it a thought until I pulled out of the dealership that thing was Huge but then I was just going down the road don't even think about how big it is just pay attention to it and like a friend told me about my first boat "it will go where you go" goods luck

[locogk]

It is long that's for sure but I got use to it. I actually can see the back better when backing

[theck]

Started out with this tiny popup, so small I had to sleep in one side with one kid and the wife in the other with the other kid:


I pulled the popup with an Element for a good 5 years you knew it was back there for sure, in some mountain areas I'd be doing 50 max. We upgraded to a colorado and pulled much better. Then we upgraded to a F-150 4x4, 145 5.0l S-crew 3.55 expecting to buy a hybrid camper in the future and it pulled the popup like it wasn't even back there... took it on a 8 hour trip and didn't lose any gas milage.

Upgraded to a 281qbxl with sway and weight distribution setup:


Just got back from a couple days to test and get familiar with the 281qbxl on a 1.5 hour trip and I went back to knowing it was back there ha... We are plenty under my max for the truck. I don't carry much in the trailer; few dishes, pots and pans, bit of clothes and bedding, couple tools for just in case, tanks are empty, propane full, and just have a couple bikes or kayaks in the truck depending on where we are headed. It went fine, some larger hills I kicked into 4th for a bit, the transmission only hit a max of 202 degrees for a second or two (usually under 196 most of the time) and the winds where pretty high so every now and again I could feel that sway from time to time... Never did over 60. I mostly got nervous on the highway with a lot of traffic when we got into the big city, people love to fly around you don't realize you can't stop on a dime. We'll be taking it to our usual 8 hour drive mid summer and breaking it into 2 days of 4 hour driving but plan on doing some more 1-3 hour trips in it before then to get more accustom to it. Had I known we were going to be buying a trailer not a hybrid I probably would shelled out for the 250 instead (though I LOVE my f150 and would never talk bad about it).

Overall though loving the enclosed trailer much easier to do weekend trips, no more hassle of 3-4 hours of setup.

[redcloud1]

After we had the new 3008 Windjammer sway on us a little bit on the first trip out I read on the internet that they recommend you run dual sway bars on any Trailer over 6000 pound or 26th feet in length. so I install a left side sway bar on to the trailer today and we'll see how it pulls tomorrow

[theck]

Originally Posted by redcloud1

After we had the new 3008 Windjammer sway on us a little bit on the first trip out I read on the internet that they recommend you run dual sway bars on any Trailer over 6000 pound or 26th feet in length. so I install a left side sway bar on to the trailer today and we'll see how it pulls tomorrow

I read that as well, be interested in what you think after you've had it out. My sway wasn't that bad, not like we crossed over lanes but I could feel it in the truck's backend a little... couple here and there, let off the gas and it straightened out fine.

[redcloud1]

I'll post tomorrow how the Trailer acts having the to sway bars on it

[crunchman12001]

Originally Posted by theck

I read that as well, be interested in what you think after you've had it out. My sway wasn't that bad, not like we crossed over lanes but I could feel it in the truck's backend a little... couple here and there, let off the gas and it straightened out fine.

I believe the correct answer to control a swaying trailer is to give it MORE gas to pull it out of the sway condition. The worse thing you can do is apply the breaks and let off the gas. Only let off the gas AFTER you get the sway under control. (this is if you have somewhere to accelerate to)
Pull to the side of the road and change your shorts.
crunchman

[theck]

Originally Posted by crunchman12001

I believe the correct answer to control a swaying trailer is to give it MORE gas to pull it out of the sway condition. The worse thing you can do is apply the breaks and let off the gas. Only let off the gas AFTER you get the sway under control. (this is if you have somewhere to accelerate to)
Pull to the side of the road and change your shorts.
crunchman

Thanks for the tips... still working out the dos and don'ts. Habit I think is to let off the gas... got to get into a new one, I guess. I applied the brake control's trailer brakes once to test and see if that helped as well, which it did. Heck, I'm not even sure if it really was a lot of sway or not, maybe I was being too sensitive to it since I was looking for it?

[crunchman12001]

Originally Posted by theck

Thanks for the tips... still working out the dos and don'ts. Habit I think is to let off the gas... got to get into a new one, I guess. I applied the brake control's trailer brakes once to test and see if that helped as well, which it did. Heck, I'm not even sure if it really was a lot of sway or not, maybe I was being too sensitive to it since I was looking for it?

I did forget to mention...
As you are giving the truck MORE gas to pull it straight you should also feather the trailer brake via the slide on the brake controller to bring the trailer back in line. (you did good on hitting the trailer brakes)
I learned the hard way, My old trailer came almost to an 8:00 to my 3/4 ton cargo van as I tried to stop the sway by applying the van's brakes. ( The sway got much worse ) I did save it before I flipped it by feathering the slide on the brake controller. I am pretty sure I could have got it under control sooner had I punched the gas too.
I still watch for the sway since the incident but I am getting very comfortable with the new setup. I replaced the van, trailer and WDH. No more white knuckles.
crunchman

[mike.t]

Use the trailer brake's if you don't have enough horsepower to pull er straight.

[1surveyor]

Here is my story , we started with a 27' jayco 5th wheel , traded up to a 38' Terry 5th wheel, then 32 TT ( hated it ) had for 3months and our 32' surveyor 5th wheel. 1st 5er was not quite big enough 38'Terr was to big but lots of wasted space it pulled great, the 32'TT hated pulling it , it was all over the place , our 32' 5er surveyor is a dream come true pulls great easy to back and we love the setup inside . we will keep this one

[redcloud1]

Took the Windjammer 3008 out today with the dual sway bars on, pulled a lot better. Couldn't hardly feel it when trucks passed me.

[gashog]

Originally Posted by redcloud1

Took the Windjammer 3008 out today with the dual sway bars on, pulled a lot better. Couldn't hardly feel it when trucks passed me.

I probably need to add a 2nd sway bar, but wondering what are you pulling with (1/2 or 3/4 ton)?
Mine pulls IMO pretty good, but maybe a 2nd sway bar will make it even better. My Husky Round Bar WDH is what I consider to be a cheap one, but it gets me by.

[redcloud1]

Pulling with a 1/2 ton Silverado

[mike.t]

Originally Posted by theck

Started out with this tiny popup, so small I had to sleep in one side with one kid and the wife in the other with the other kid:


I pulled the popup with an Element for a good 5 years you knew it was back there for sure, in some mountain areas I'd be doing 50 max. We upgraded to a colorado and pulled much better. Then we upgraded to a F-150 4x4, 145 5.0l S-crew 3.55 expecting to buy a hybrid camper in the future and it pulled the popup like it wasn't even back there... took it on a 8 hour trip and didn't lose any gas milage.

Upgraded to a 281qbxl with sway and weight distribution setup:


Just got back from a couple days to test and get familiar with the 281qbxl on a 1.5 hour trip and I went back to knowing it was back there ha... We are plenty under my max for the truck. I don't carry much in the trailer; few dishes, pots and pans, bit of clothes and bedding, couple tools for just in case, tanks are empty, propane full, and just have a couple bikes or kayaks in the truck depending on where we are headed. It went fine, some larger hills I kicked into 4th for a bit, the transmission only hit a max of 202 degrees for a second or two (usually under 196 most of the time) and the winds where pretty high so every now and again I could feel that sway from time to time... Never did over 60. I mostly got nervous on the highway with a lot of traffic when we got into the big city, people love to fly around you don't realize you can't stop on a dime. We'll be taking it to our usual 8 hour drive mid summer and breaking it into 2 days of 4 hour driving but plan on doing some more 1-3 hour trips in it before then to get more accustom to it. Had I known we were going to be buying a trailer not a hybrid I probably would shelled out for the 250 instead (though I LOVE my f150 and would never talk bad about it).

Overall though loving the enclosed trailer much easier to do weekend trips, no more hassle of 3-4 hours of setup.

Wife and i started out sleeping in the back of our truck on a mattress with the kids. TT are wonderful.

[vibe]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

Pulled a 33' Flagstaff 831RLSS over 40,000 miles with my Silverado 1500. Just make sure you get rid of the P rated tires and put on LR D or LR E and get a good sway control package. I used 2 friction sway controls and had no problems.

Does having two friction sway controls make a difference? I asked a tech at camping world and he didn't think it was necessary .

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by vibe

Does having two friction sway controls make a difference? I asked a tech at camping world and he didn't think it was necessary .

It made a big difference especially when being passed by buses, MH and semis. I also tightened them down very tight in dry weather and if we were caught in rain on a curvy road and had the opportunity, I loosened them until we got out of the rain. If we were on interstates, I didn't bother loosening them.

[Zolin]

A longer trailer means more advance planning to find campsites that will accommodate. Going from a 22.4 ft hybrid to 34.6 ft Windjammer for me was a change in towing but it was quick curve to learn, mostly just planning to get in and out of tight turn places like parking . Probably the most challenging part now is finding and planning for campsites that will fit a TT my length and wide enough to accommodate 3 slide outs and a 21 ft awning....and still have room for my 21 ft truck.

[1surveyor]

Originally Posted by mike.t

Wife and i started out sleeping in the back of our truck on a mattress with the kids. TT are wonderful.

i pulled our first 1 with f250 04 ext cab 6.0 diesel ford , the second with 08 f350 v10 , the 3rd with 2012 f150 Eco boost loved the truck but not big enough for pulling camper and used it twice with our present 5er that sucked now we have 2015 4dr Silverado duramax long bed , it pulls like a dream

[dcheatwood]

I camped beside a 27' solaire this week with 3 slides. Ultralite and impressive for 27 feet.