Can we talk HD Tow one more time?
- Thread starter LovinPSDs
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Calidad
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100lbs of umm junk stuffed in a 2lb sack lol. Guessing he might be a former fuel delivery truck operator who thinks 60,000lbs behind a tractor is the same as a 37ft p-o-s behind a light duty Expedition lol
mwl001
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Saw this in line at a dump station on Monday.
sjwhiteley
Full Access Members
RV and TT dealers are there to sell trailers. I’ve been to RV shows where they what vehicle can tow the specific trailer: ‘your Jeep Grand Cherokee can tow this!’
when I bought my first TT many moons ago, I simply walked into an RV dealer and drove out with a 20 foot travel trailer hooked up to a Honda passport. I had no idea about weights, distribution, GVWR, and so on. They said I can tow it…(dry weight matched the max rating of the vehicle).
it squatted like crazy. Since I’m one for appearance, I thought it looked like ****. That took me down the rabbit hole of understanding, knowledge and realization.
when I bought my first TT many moons ago, I simply walked into an RV dealer and drove out with a 20 foot travel trailer hooked up to a Honda passport. I had no idea about weights, distribution, GVWR, and so on. They said I can tow it…(dry weight matched the max rating of the vehicle).
it squatted like crazy. Since I’m one for appearance, I thought it looked like ****. That took me down the rabbit hole of understanding, knowledge and realization.
Just came back with my first ever Travel Trailer and thought I would add my reflections and experiences to this thread. My Wife’s family live in Northern Michigan, while we live in South Florida. I bought the camper at a dealer In Northern Michigan, so we drove up, hooked up and then went from there. The camper is a Coachmen Spirit 2454BH weighing 5,500 lb dry. I estimate that we added another 1000 lbs. of stuff. From bumper to ball, the trailer is 29 feet. My Expedition is a 2019 Max AWD with 303A. Prior to the trip, I swapped out the 22” wheels for 18’s with Sumitomo LT tires. I also added Sumo helpers and swapped both front and rear sway bars with Hellwigs. The hitch was set up by the dealer and is an Equalizer 4 way WDH (10,000 lb).
We towed up to the Upper Peninsula and back down to South Florida, mostly on I-75, then I-95 in Florida. According to the Expedition Tow screen, we towed just under 2500 miles. I was very impressed with the power of the Expedition and Tow mode gave this newbie confidence in driving with the trailer. The engine braking and 4A mode was especially welcome on the slippery roads of the Tennessee Mountains during heavy rain and fog. The WDH, plus the Hellwig bars kept sway to a minimum (on I-10 there was a 12 mph cross wind that promoted a little sway). I was not, however, impressed with the gas mileage of 8.5 mpg overall (with 93 octane), but it is what it is (I do admit that I was probably driving closer to 80 mph more often than I should have). I am glad that the max has a 28 gallon tank. I’m also surprised that with my relatively light trailer and Sumo helpers, that there is a fair amount of squat. I don’t think it affected my steering or caused any sway, but just looks a little unbalanced. The next trip, I’ll try to move more weight behind the trailer axles. Overall, my first experience with owning a camper and towing it with the Expedition is a very positive one.
We towed up to the Upper Peninsula and back down to South Florida, mostly on I-75, then I-95 in Florida. According to the Expedition Tow screen, we towed just under 2500 miles. I was very impressed with the power of the Expedition and Tow mode gave this newbie confidence in driving with the trailer. The engine braking and 4A mode was especially welcome on the slippery roads of the Tennessee Mountains during heavy rain and fog. The WDH, plus the Hellwig bars kept sway to a minimum (on I-10 there was a 12 mph cross wind that promoted a little sway). I was not, however, impressed with the gas mileage of 8.5 mpg overall (with 93 octane), but it is what it is (I do admit that I was probably driving closer to 80 mph more often than I should have). I am glad that the max has a 28 gallon tank. I’m also surprised that with my relatively light trailer and Sumo helpers, that there is a fair amount of squat. I don’t think it affected my steering or caused any sway, but just looks a little unbalanced. The next trip, I’ll try to move more weight behind the trailer axles. Overall, my first experience with owning a camper and towing it with the Expedition is a very positive one.
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Jartmale
New Member
2018 XLT with HD Tow package (3row seats and sunroof really impact cargo capacity)
expeditiondriver
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Have you all had any issues with your headlights pointing too high while driving with a trailer? Due to the squat?
If so, any solutions?
If so, any solutions?
mwl001
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Once properly weight-redistributed my Expedition squats less than one inch in the rear, probably 500-600lbs on the hitch.
shane_th_ee
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Would you expect anything different from Camping World?
That is the exact camper I am wanting to trade my Keystone Passport 3290bh in for. How do you like it?
I need to downsize to be able to have more access to the National Parks.
We like it a lot! It's just my Wife and teenage Son, but plenty of space for 2 or 3 more people to sleep in. I'm pretty OCD about straight build lines and the construction, especially during a pandemic, impressed me. It seems like they really paid attention to the assembly, as opposed to just slapping it together. Really, really like the back cargo door. I don't know why they wouldn't put this on every bunkhouse. It tows great, to this newbie, and at 29 feet (OAL) I had no problems in any campground. There were 3 times we were only staying overnight and I had enough room to stay hitched up. I definitely recommend. If you have any detailed questions or want pictures, just let me know.
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bill_b
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Looking at a Stealth Nomad toy hauler. I'm thinking this is going to be too much with my Yamaha Wolverine X4 in the garage (1920lbs with accessories).
FRONT GAWR: 1531 KG (3375 LB)
GVWR: 3379 KG (7450 LB)
REAR GAWR: 1987 KG (4380 LB)
The combined weight of occupants: and cargo should never exceed: 689 KG (1520 lbs.)
FRONT GAWR: 1531 KG (3375 LB)
GVWR: 3379 KG (7450 LB)
REAR GAWR: 1987 KG (4380 LB)
The combined weight of occupants: and cargo should never exceed: 689 KG (1520 lbs.)
It depends — how much other “stuff” are you planning to bring in the trailer? With only your ATV and accessories you’ll probably be fine.
bill_b
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I would say at most 40lbs of luggage, a 5 gallon gas can (35lbs), my UTV tool box we carry (35lbs), aluminum race jack (40lbs). 2 adults and 2 children totaling around 500lbs including their car seats.
I think the biggest thing that would crush my tongue weight would be filling up the fresh water tank (46 gallons = around 400lbs). That's going to suck not being able to fill that up before we leave...
I think the biggest thing that would crush my tongue weight would be filling up the fresh water tank (46 gallons = around 400lbs). That's going to suck not being able to fill that up before we leave...
X BRONCO OWNER
Active Member
toy haulers are built with a heavy unloaded tongue weight. The rear axles are set further back then a regular trailer. When you put your toys in the back it will reduce your tongue weight a bit. Best bet is to measure tongue weight when its fully loaded
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Shutterbug57
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When we were RV shopping, we found dealers that told us my Expy could pull 12,000 trailers. I’m pretty sure some would have said my wife’s Fiat 500 could pull a 5er if they thought it would sell the trailer. Believe what RV dealers tell you at your own peril. Most aren’t malicious, just willfully ignorant.
bill_b
Full Access Members
Thats a great point I hadn't considered, loading my wolverine slightly behind the rear axle will counterweight the tongue.
I think you're right, best bet is to find one locally and properly distribute the weight with my wolverine in the back.
Thanks for the help!
GlennSullivan
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Ok so Im comparing my Gen3, 4 wheel drive, Limited with HD Tow (Included with Limited) and if you look at the attached pic compared to the build and capacity tags listed above; my front axle is the same at 3550, rear axle is 4300 (80 short of above) and GVWR 7500, but total capacity is only 1361?
Is this because:
a) this is a Gen 3 with a mostly steel body vs aluminum.
b) The aluminum body of Gen 4 plus more power than Gen3
c) ?? please tell me why.
Is this because:
a) this is a Gen 3 with a mostly steel body vs aluminum.
b) The aluminum body of Gen 4 plus more power than Gen3
c) ?? please tell me why.
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GlennSullivan
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One more question. Someone mentioned in this thread that running 93 octane when towing improves performance, again does this apply only to Gen4TT engines or also to Gen3TT? I dont remember ever seeing that in my 2017 owners manual.
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