Tow Vehicle Experiences

[Macdonald]

Towing a Super Lite 32' Flagstaff travel trailer.
First, I had a 2017 F250 Lariat 4 dr 6.7 diesel. Pulled to Montana from Texas. Tons of power but tough to handle in crosswinds.
Second truck, 2019 F250 XL extended cab 6.2 gas rig. Satisfied with power yet nothing to compare to the 6.7. Wind still and issue and the transmission constantly shifting to compensate for the loss of engine torque.
Third and current tow vehicle, 2018 Ram 3500 single cab 8' bed dually with the 6.7 Cummins. So far, really impressed with going to a 1 ton. The power is very good.

What should I expect once I hit the road and face some decent crosswinds? Will the shorter regular cab long bed dual rear wheel truck be more stable? Thoughts?

[007matman]

The Dually will be more stable. You have a high profile rig.. juut keep that in mind.

I use a WD hitch.. I know it's not necessary (I have a 2007 F-350 LWB CC Dually w/ the 6.0 Powerstroke) but i still use it. We travelled out to the Grand Canyon last year. Experienced some pretty good crosswinds and didn't experience anything hairy.

Love the power and stability of my Dually.

[valleyduo]

Pulling any trailer in high winds can be tricky. Your dually will definitely be more stable than your previous rides, but you'll likely still feel that superlite being blown behind you.

[Macdonald]

Originally Posted by 007matman

The Dually will be more stable. You have a high profile rig.. juut keep that in mind.

I use a WD hitch.. I know it's not necessary (I have a 2007 F-350 LWB CC Dually w/ the 6.0 Powerstroke) but i still use it. We travelled out to the Grand Canyon last year. Experienced some pretty good crosswinds and didn't experience anything hairy.

Love the power and stability of my Dually.

I have a 12.5k weight distributing hitch as well. I'm curious what the expect by going to the dual rear wheels? I've shortened the truck, added more weight capacity and gone with dual rear wheels? My biggest challenge was the winds in west Texas, it even kept blowing my steps out of the cradle until I put a bungie around them. Never pulled with a dually, so excited to see what happens.
Thanks for the input!

[moose074]

I live in west Texas as well I pulled my 2012 northtrail 31QBS with four different trucks as well. I bought a 2011 2500 Ram crewcab 6.7 with 6.5 bed. Truly never could feel the trl. However every time I looked in mirror TT was swaying. So I got an equalizer 4 pt WDH. This took sway away. The hitch saved me when I bought 2014 Tundra as it really sagged from the weight. My 2014 F-150 same thing but even more sag. Then I bought 2016 F350 crewcab 6.7 8’ bed. Again the truck never knew it was there. First time towing it I pulled over on way to Alpine to put bars on. The sway of TT was horrible. I now have 5th wheel and Ram Dually 6.7 8’ bed crewcab towing a 42 ‘ 5th wheel and I feel it rides same as my SWD F-350 did with the same 5th wheel

[thebrakeman]

You have twice as much rubber, and a wider effective rub track on that rear axle. That is twice as much resistance to whatever trailer sideloading that the WDH can't handle. I do not have the experience, but I think you've done just about as much as can be done (short of a $3000 hitch) to stabilize your combo. You should rest assured.

[llr]

If the wind is really blowing the steps out I suspect it is too high to be driving. Any idea what the actual wind speed was at the time?

Any large vehicles will be pushed in the wind, especially light ones like TT and empty trucks. I have had a couple of times that I thought I had an issue, until I stopped to checked and realized the wind is probably over 30MPH. Only solution is to wait or slow way down.

Even in the wind the truck and TT moved as one with no sign of sway but not a comfortable drive at all.

Straight line winds can flips trucks and campers and to me it seems much easier when you are moving.

[frank4711]

I am OK pulling up to 20-25 when it starts gusting above that we just take a day off towing .... to much wind for my kite 13' 1"

[KSH]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

You have twice as much rubber, and a wider effective rub track on that rear axle. That is twice as much resistance to whatever trailer sideloading that the WDH can't handle. I do not have the experience, but I think you've done just about as much as can be done (short of a $3000 hitch) to stabilize your combo. You should rest assured.

I'd buy the 3k Pro pride hitch and call it a day. Doesn't look like cost is his concern. My propride on my TT was amazing. Purchased it for the same reason, sway in wind was terrible. Never budged after that.

[Macdonald]

[QUOTE=llr;2249246]If the wind is really blowing the steps out I suspect it is too high to be driving. Any idea what the actual wind speed was at the time?

Any large vehicles will be pushed in the wind, especially light ones like TT and empty trucks. I have had a couple of times that I thought I had an issue, until I stopped to checked and realized the wind is probably over 30MPH. Only solution is to wait or slow way down.

Even in the wind the truck and TT moved

Estimating the wind speed around 30-35. The only area I had any issue was outside Amarillo on I40. It was also a southern crosswind, which explains the stairs popping out several times. I was headed west.
Next time I run into that circumstance, we will wait to travel. Not worth the risk and danger to other traffic. I was able to stay in my lane at 55mph, but still had to replace the drivers seat cover from my butt grabbing it a few times! LOL

[pilotpip]

While you don't need it, a good WD hitch with built in sway control will help. Additionally, how is your trailer loaded? You may want to move some weight forward.

There isn't much you can do about super strong crosswinds except pull off and take a break.