97 expy 4.6 towing 30' jayco eagle camper gvwr 7500 need help!

[withrow556]

Okay so my wife found a good deal on a 2000 30' jayco eagle camper 304bh. the gvwr on it says 7500#. I have a 97 expy with only 100,000 miles on it in great shape. BUT it has the 4.6 in it. the tag on the door says 19, so its a 3.55 non-limited slip. tires are 16'' A/T. my question is is this able to haul this camper from ohio to flordia? if not is there upgrades that could be performed to haul it. please any info will help.

 

[Bedrck47]

You are going to have one white knuckled trip with that set up.
But there will be many that will come on the forum and tell you that you will be just fine

Take your set-up and have it weighed at the CAT scales
Also read as much as you can about weighing on the scales

 

[Bedrck47]

your owners manual list 6100 lbs as max trailer weight

 

[Bedrck47]

I would suggest that you go onto the Jayco Owners Forum and ask the same question
as you will get a wealth of information there from people that tow Jayco's and you can do a search for the following

How to Weigh Your TV/TT

CAT Scales; Why/How/What they tell you.

By the time your done you will see why you are over weight and under powered

 

[withrow556]

okay i have heard that doing a gear ratio change would bump the haul weight up to what the 5.4 is?

 

[withrow556]

The gvwr on the camper means the max weight for the campers axles correct? i cant find a sticker for the actual weight of camper. i need to get it weighed but that will be a month or so

 

[Bedrck47]

your unloaded weight is about 5155 lbs your dry hitch weight is about 815 lbs

if the max that ford says you can tow is 6100 lbs

By the time you add weight of the passengers and gear you will be close to if not over max and with that engine you will not have a very enjoyable trip.

Again go to the Jayco owners forum and ask your question

Just because ford says it can tow 6100 lbs there is a big difference in towing a TT that weighs 6100 as compared to towing a flat trailer that has the same weight.

 

[stamp11127]

The vehicle will tow the camper as in move it - but it will be overweight at the gvwr, lack the proper cooling, may overheat the trans and have inadequate braking. Not a suggested setup.

I would only tow it if I had too and limit max speed to maybe 50 mph while leaving a whole bunch of space in front of me. Also I would add a huge trans cooler.

If your are like most people towing trailers - please don't.

What is the trailer weight empty?

 

[Bedrck47]

Stamp Based on the 2003 Jayco brochure as I cant get the 2000 infor the dry weight is 5155 lbs dry tongue weight is 815 lbs This is for the same model of the 2003 model year

 

[Pappy]

GVRW is based on the maximum capacity of the axles, springs, tires and coupler, and is the MAXIMUM SAFE weight of the LOADED trailer, not the weight of the trailer its self. If the actual trailer weight is less than or equal to the max trailer weight of your vehicle, you CAN tow the trailer with a weight distributing hitch.

All that being said, it WILL be a chore. Your problem is going to be stopping being able to control sway. If you're willing to drive 40 or 45 mph MAX, you'll probably be OK.

My best suggestion is to tow the trailer close to home and see how the rig works before you head out to Florida. Having to miss a day or two at a lake 100 miles from home because your rig isn't safe is better than missing a week in Florida, or worse yet, a crash.

I'll bet you wind up with either a different tow vehicle or a smaller trailer.

I tow a 21' with my '02 5.4 L. I have enough power and brakes to make ti go and stop, and with a WDH the sway isn't a problem. I'd be reluctant to regularly tow a load that was much bigger than what I have now and I've been towing trailers for close to 40 years.