Timberline Camper Towing

[Defyant]

Greetings Everyone,

We have a 2022 Timberline w/ tow package. We towed our 2022 Rockwood Mini lite 2513S with the stock Timberline when we received it. It tows good but felt "Mushy".

I added Sumo Springs (these:
Coil SumoSprings Custom Helper Springs for Coil Spring Suspension - Rear Axle
ITEM # CSS-1168R).

It was better but still wasnt inspiring confidence. I upgraded the tires to Nitto Ridge Grappers. LT 285 70R18 with a heavier towing capacity over the stock Goodyears. These are on the stock rims and look great. More importantly, they perform much better.

I am a nerd about the weight and towing capacity. The trailer at its heaviest has been under 7700 lbs. I'd like to get a proper weight on each wheel but there are no scales near me to do this. I use the CAT Scales and my Sherline LM 2000- Trailer Tongue Weight Scale: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007REK28M?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details)

Everything is with in range, but close to the limits. I am looking to enhance this truck to tow this load better. I am not trying to increase the GVWR. An F250 would be perfect but thats not an option. I dont want that vehcile. Has anyone increased the sway bars, panhard bar, springs or shocks for this purpose? I am not looking for lift kits. Just trying to reduce any towing drama.

The power is excellent. We use 93 octane in tow mode, keep speeds under 70 and usually happy in the right lane behind a slow 18 wheeler.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Meeker]

My changes (I have similar 7200lb trailer GVWR, 2018 XLT):
1) RV dealer put 750lb. WD bars (Blue Ox) - I upgraded to 1000 lb. and adjusted them properly
2) I also put light truck tires (Michelin LTX AT/2) - and I normally run them at 44 psi but increase to 55 psi when towing

Those changes are enough to significantly improve the towing in my experience.

 

[JasonH]

What psi are you running while towing?

There's been ample discussion of struts and sway bars to improve stability while towing. They all have benefits, but will make the ride stiffer when unladen. Bilstein 5100 struts and Navigator sway bars seem to be popular upgrades.

I run 65 psi when towing my 7k camper. I don't have any other upgrades and it feels fine. You're naturally going to be near the limits with a trailer that weight, since the suspension has to be comfortable when not towing.

 

[Calidad]

Tire’s definitely can play a role in the squishy feel. Timber line is targeting off road prowess. Which is the complete opposite of towing prowess. 25ft on the standard length Exp is definitely outer max in terms of wheel base length and giant box trailer length. Might be cheaper and more enjoyable to go shorter higher quality trailer vs messing up the Timberline off road focus. Just saying

 

[Defyant]

Thanks for your responses.

I run 60 lbs rear, 50 lbs front cold when towing. 40-44 lbs cold for everyday use. The trailer is just under 26 feet long. We have the 14K Equalizer WD hitch. The dealer set it up. I have weighed it with and without the bars and saw a difference. I forget what it was now.

I will check into the Navigator sway bars and Bilsteins. As much as I want to go off roading today, reality is im not. Eventually, I do expect to be on the road alot more, potentially full time camping after retirement. Definitely want to check out the western states like Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Montana... Biggest hang up is 7.6 MPG on a small gas tank !!!

 

[JasonH]

Never trust the dealership setup. They don't know what is loaded in the vehicle and frankly many of them are incompetent. The vehicle calls for 50% front axle weight restoration, so if you know you have the correct tongue weight (around 12% of total camper weight) measure the drop at the rear with the WDH hooked up. Then you adjust the WDH so that drop is cut in half. This will return weight to the front axle. So if the rear drops by 2 inches you want to reduce that to 1 inch using the WDH. Trailer weight is more difficult to get right because you'll need a scale pass. CAT has a website you can use to find the scales.

 

[Elvisinflorida]

Excellent. Thank you.

 

[Calidad]

Never trust the dealership setup. They don't know what is loaded in the vehicle and frankly many of them are incompetent. The vehicle calls for 50% front axle weight restoration, so if you know you have the correct tongue weight (around 12% of total camper weight) measure the drop at the rear with the WDH hooked up. Then you adjust the WDH so that drop is cut in half. This will return weight to the front axle. So if the rear drops by 2 inches you want to reduce that to 1 inch using the WDH. Trailer weight is more difficult to get right because you'll need a scale pass. CAT has a website you can use to find the scales.

Just a side note the more boxy and non aerodynamic the trailer the more stability errr tongue weight needed for a given speed. Its not accidental these junk box RVs have huge tongue weights when loaded. 10% is bare minimum suggested on a stable trailer