New T12DDST, and new to the forum - Page 2

jimdic · 07-29-2013, 12:34 PM

I tow with a 2013 Ford Escape with the 2 liter turbo. It is rated for 3500 pounds. My Rockwood tows like a breeze. No sway or problems with side winds. We love the camper. I have towed it over 1000 miles with no problems or concerns. Welcome to the forum.

Pooneil · 07-29-2013, 01:52 PM

I've used a WDH with my Tundra to help make the ride more comfortable because Tundra's have a bouncy rear suspension to give them a comfortable city ride. If you axle weights are OK, then there is no requirement for a WDH. Right now I do not intend on putting a sway bar on the Aframe. Compared to other campers I've towed, it has about a foot of extra length between the hitch ball and the axle that makes it very nicely behaved. The loading area of the Aframe is almost all in front of the axle, making it difficult to negatively affect the balance of the trailer by loading coolers an other heavy items inside. About the only way to cause the sway potential to increase would be to install a bike rack on the back, which I have no intention of doing.

D-mo · 07-29-2013, 05:53 PM

hate to burst anyones bubble here .. but a ford explorer can seriously only tow 3500 lbs max. WDH/Swaybar is not going to do it ..because the size of the puller .. verses the sizes of the pullee has to me more that the pullee .. if you know what i mean ...

just to day I had someone come buy at the campsite .. and ask the same question ...
a beefier truck/SUV is definately recommmended ..

d-mo

Wojo · 07-29-2013, 06:12 PM

Not all Explorers are created equally. I have a 2009 with a V8 and tow package, including a 6 speed tranny and a rear end geared for towing. It was a company vehicle spec'd to tow 5,000 lb generators to communications tower sites, and has a 6,500 tow rating.

D-mo · 07-30-2013, 04:22 PM

i stand corrected then ... i was almost certain that explorers came with a v6 and a very light towing range ...most likely thinking 11 and up ..

d-mo

Wojo · 07-30-2013, 08:58 PM

You're likely right on the later models. I haven't looked at them to know. I'm still fond of my '09 Exploder.

Wojo · 07-31-2013, 08:31 PM

We have the camper home.

She towed like a dream. No sway at all. That, and the gas mileage is outstanding. We averaged 9 mpg on our last outing with the Trail Cruiser. We made 18.3 mpg on the 1 1/2 hour drive home from the dealer. That'll drop some when we load our gear, but not drastically.

Guess who is sleeping in their new camper out in the yard tonight? This guy!

Jeep4Two · 07-31-2013, 09:00 PM

Congrats! Enjoy the home camping!

handbuilder · 07-31-2013, 10:19 PM

Congrats on bringing home your new trailer! Woo hoo! Here's to having a good nite sleep tonite!

Wojo · 08-01-2013, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeep4Two

Congrats! Enjoy the home camping!

Quote:

Originally Posted by handbuilder

Congrats on bringing home your new trailer! Woo hoo! Here's to having a good nite sleep tonite!

Thanks!

First night in the new camper, and it was pouring down rain. I slept like a baby.

I was expecting the rain to be a whole lot louder because of the skylights. I was pleasantly surprised.

Pooneil · 08-01-2013, 08:44 AM

There is nothing quite as nice as sleeping comfortably while listening to the rain. Congratulations on the new camper.

Wojo · 08-01-2013, 09:45 AM

Nope, nothing like it. Thank you.

Wojo · 08-05-2013, 01:37 PM

My wife is out organizing the inside of the new camper. She's going through everything we pulled out of the old camper and is eliminating anything we haven't used. I'll be heading out after work to load/organize the front storage trunk.

We're going to camp at Camp Wojo this weekend...a shakedown run so close to home that it's in our yard.

We're going to play around with some organization mods, and we'll have easy access to tools. I'm also going to play around with options for the EZ Up that we'll be using like an awning. My wife wants it to be "connected" to the popup. I have a small section of Pop Up Gizmos covers, the slideout cover for our old Viking. It may work out well, with it secured between the camper and the EZ Up. It works in my head, anyway.

JalopyBob · 08-05-2013, 07:30 PM

Congrats, I am just starting to look at the A frame models.

GalsofEscape · 08-05-2013, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D-mo

i stand corrected then ... i was almost certain that explorers came with a v6 and a very light towing range ...most likely thinking 11 and up ..

d-mo

Yes, the redesigned Ford Explorer year 2011 and up now only comes with a V6, but I believe the towing capacity is 5000 lbs (but down from the 7000 lbs that the V8 would have given you in the earlier models). The specs for this now look like the Toyota Highlander. I was looking at the Explorer when I was upgrading my TV in 2011 and crossed it off the list when this one came out.

Wojo · 08-05-2013, 08:46 PM

Having moved from the Trail Cruise hybrid to the A frame, I might be putting the Explorer back on the list when shopping for a new TV in the spring. I have 140,000 miles on my '09 Explorer, mostly work miles, and it's nearly time to start shopping. I'm really leaning towards a pickup this time, though.

GalsofEscape · 08-05-2013, 09:09 PM

The pickups do have the advantage of the open bed to stuff lots of stuff. My noncamping life style was more suited by an SUV and I was after a tow capacity of 7000 lbs. as I wanted extra (my loaded weight is 3800 lbs). I found for the money, the durango was the best buy over the explorer. They were about the same price but I could get the v8 and more tow capacity with the dodge. I also looked at the nissan pathfinder but would have needed to get the top trim to get the v8 and tow capacity I wanted.
If you are looking for only a 5000 lbs tow capacity, there are a few more choices to consider in the SUV. I found shopping for my TV was a lot of fun.

Pooneil · 08-06-2013, 06:22 AM

My next TV will likely be a Tacoma. I was looking for one initially but somehow my kids talked me into bringing home a Tundra. A 4x4 pickup with a bed cap is a very flexible camping vehicle. The V6 Tacoma has a 6500 lb tow rating that gives ample ability for anywhere you need to tow or go.

Wojo · 08-06-2013, 06:34 AM

I was checking out the Tacoma online yesterday. I can speak from experience on their quality. We have a 2002 we bought new and have handed down to our son. It's been one very solid and dependable vehicle. I like the look of the new ones, too.

onaqwest · 08-06-2013, 03:48 PM

I pulled my A122S with a 2005 Chevy Equinox V6 with a weight dist hitch once...was a bit of a strain...car had 90,000+ miles on it...upgraded my vehicle to a 2012 Jeep V6 with factory installed tow package (makes all the difference in the world that I saw the build sheet and it was factory installed)...do not need the WDH any longer..will be selling after using once...the Jeep pulled the popup down the road to the rally like it wasn't even there....and I got 19.8 mpg....so many salesman were telling me I could add a hitch...not only was that not true, but warranty would have been voided and there would have been all kinds of issues...thanks to forums like this I was able to research and do my homework...Thanks everyone !!!

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