Bunkhouse Travel Trailer for Behind the '15 EL?

[07xln]

Lots of good info at RV.net but the weight police are out of control over there. As soon as someone posts that they have any sort of SUV and they want to tow a trailer of decent size they'll come out in full force and flame on you pretty bad. That's why there is a lack of SUV related towing threads over there. And don't worry Ive searched for anything related to the 15-17 Expedition over there and only came up with a handful of threads, most of little or no value

 

[07xln]

The killer for our vehicles is not tow weight its tongue weight. You should figure 12%-15% of the trailer weight will be on the tongue. I know my vehicle has about a 950 lbs tongue weight limit so if you take a 8000 lbs trailer that's 920 lbs at 12% tongue weight at 15% you're way over capacity at 1200 lbs. Another thing that we did was upgrade to the E rated tires. It made a HUGE difference in handling.

If you don't mind me asking what tires did you go with and how are they when you're not towing. I would think the extra pressure you have to keep in them would make the ride horrible

Thanks

 

[tkoden]

Michelin Defenders. Ran 70 psi when towing and 55 - 60 when not. Really didn't notice that harsh of a ride.

 

[montecarlo31]

I can give you some additional advise no one so far has. Stay away from the low end lightweight trailers, they tow like complete crap apples to apples. I've seen first hand how 25'-32' lightweights from Forest River, Keystone etc tow compared to nicer ones with heavier axles, better suspensions and stiffer frames like Highand, northwood etc and it's night and day different. A lot of these lightweight trailers also come with suspect 14" and 15" tires, combined with axles that are working at their max capacity and tires with soft sidewalls it makes for a scary ride. Cheap trailers tend to be cheap all around so when frames flex and twist it translates into the towing experience as well. Also tank placement, weight balance side to side all play a roll in how a unit tows. Also make sure the trailer is aligned, believe it or not most trailer alignments out of wack and when the tires are pointing 4 different directions it's not fun.

The Open Range builds some nice units, they are heavy but I think you will be fine with the expedition especially with some good LR E tires and the correct hitch set up (get the stiffest equalizer bars you can to help smooth the ride and distribute weight). The biggest issue for you towing heavy is going to be the ecoboost, while they make great power it's for limited times (out of 40 plus ecoboost we have yet to have one go over 110K miles without an engine failure). Otherwise give the Open Range a try, it will be more enjoyable than a similar light weight unit simply due to the quality construction and components used.

 

[07xln]

out of 40 plus ecoboost we have yet to have one go over 110K miles without an engine failure).

I would like to hear more about this and why no such failures especially of this quantity has ever been reported anywhere in any major publication? Don't get me wrong 40 vehicles is a mere fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the total amount of Ecoboosts sold but still. 40 engine failures with barely over 100K miles seems like an issue that should be reported somewhere

 

[rollinstone]

I tow a 3100 lb R-Pod Model 178 with slideout. Perfect for me, wife and two little granddaughters.

 

[rcanfiel]

FWIW, I have seen on RV forums that they do not like to exceed 75-80% of the max tow capacity.

 

[rollinstone]

FWIW, I have seen on RV forums that they do not like to exceed 75-80% of the max tow capacity.

Good rule of thumb to go by.

 

[ManUpOrShutUp]

If you don't mind me asking what tires did you go with and how are they when you're not towing. I would think the extra pressure you have to keep in them would make the ride horrible

Thanks

Michelin Defenders. Ran 70 psi when towing and 55 - 60 when not. Really didn't notice that harsh of a ride.

I've got Michelin Defenders on my truck right now. Due to a faulty tire gauge I ran them at 42 psi (vs 36 psi) just for a single trip and it was like trying to steer a truck with 4 fixed wheels. It's not something I even noticed on the interstate, but driving down the local state route home sucked. Granted their not an identical tire to the E-rated tire, but I imagine the handling characteristics would translate over within that product line.

 

[tkoden]

What vehicle are these on? We ran ours on the 07 expedition EL 4x4 for well over 80k miles ( different sets) and never noticed any steering difference other then significantly better handling in the corners both towing and not.

 

[mwells]

Have to agree with Bedrck47. Watch the tongue weights, and actually measure it. I tow a Sunnybrook 267RL with my 2014 Expy XL 4wd. The tt overall length is 29.5'. Rated dry weight was 6300 lbs. I bought a tongue weight scale, about $125.00 but you can jury rig a bathroom scale. The calculated tongue weight of 13 to 15 percent was in range, but after loading the tt, and check with the scale, I was at 1100 lbs. Over the 920 lbs. rating on the hitch. I did the required weight shifting and am now in range.
This is a critical measurement which is often overlooked and very much underrated, especially by those who sell travel trailers.
I suggest all who tow trailers to determine the actual trailer weights at a CAT scale, the cost is minimal, and determine the actual tongue weight. Keep within the specified maximums for safety.

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

About ten years ago I moved from Oklahoma to Indiana. I took a load with me when I headed this direction, because my wife and kids were coming after school was out. Anyway, I didn't have a scale to measure the tongue weight but the guy at the UHaul place said that I should use 250 to 300 lbs tongue weight. My 18 year old son at the time weighed 270 lbs so I had him stand on the trailer hitch and I measured the deflection in inches. When I loaded the trailer I just made sure that I had the deflection. It worked perfectly.

 

[Deesko]

I am wayyyyy late on this thread but figured I'd throw in my 2 pennies...

We were looking for a travel travel that would sleep anywhere from 6 to 10 people comfortably and something that could be easily towed with an Expedition or Yukon style SUV.

We picked up a 2017 Coachmen 289TBSS. It's in their ultralite series. It has a queen bed, 3 twin bunk beds, 1 twin sofa bed, 1 full/queen sofa bed and the dinette that turns into a full bed, full kitchen, bathroom, motorized awning, camp kitchen w/ exterior fridge etc.

We routinely camp with my wife & I, our 3 kids plus my BIL and his kid comfortably and don't even need to fold out the couches or dinette and have plenty of space for everything.

It runs around 5720 "dry" and GVWR is around 7600 which gives us plenty of headroom on the max tow weight of the Expedition IMO.

http://www.coachmenrv.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=62&ModelID=2076#Main

 

[B-McD]

Almost the same as mine! 2015 300BHS. Looks like the same Equalizer WD hitch setup too!

 

[theoldwizard1]

My daughter's family has a very similar rig, '14 Expedition EL and a Jayco 267BHSW. Because it did NOT come with the HD trailer tow option, they added the HD radiator and the auxiliary transmission cooler. No problems towing from MI to Disney World and back last year, plus several other much shorter trips.

 

[cullinan18]

Just to further the very late to the party comments, I'm looking at the Winnebago Minnie 2455bhs. With just 4 in my family, it would offer enough space, quality build, and relatively easy towing.

http://www.haylettautoandrv.com/rv/...o+traveltrailer/7222/winnebago+minnie+2455bhs

 

[B-McD]

Won't miss that baby in the campground! Enjoy!

 

[Waterlizard]

It is a 4x4 so the max would by 9,100.

Yes I am asking because I have doubts about towing the one mentioned behind the Expy. I don't like playing that close to the limits.

I do "have a line on" the travel trailer mentioned above, but haven't commited in any way, I just like the lay out, a lot and have actually been in it. I have my truck to tow it if I were to get it, but would like to use the familytruckster rather than the toy to haul it. Hence why I was looking for opinions, here, from those whom own similar cars on what they might have behind theirs. If this site is just for lightbulb reviews I'll just post elsewhere. To those with helpful posts, thank you.

Like what has been mentioned before, you are not pretty much over the capacity of the expy. Here are my thoughts for finding a tt to tow behind the expy. Your expy can tow 9100 with a 150lb driver and nothing else in the cab. Last time I checked average American is slightly heavier. I added my wife kid and 3 more adults just in case we bring some family with us and then some to my calculations. For me that means I wouldn't let myself get more than 8000 loaded. Always always first look at loaded weight, and tongue weight. Again give yourself wiggle room on tongue weight, because that's where your storage is and it is easy to add 100-200lbs with things. I tried to stay under 800lbs. Next is length, don't make the rookie mistake(not saying you will) of thinking the number in the model is the true length. We have the Salem cruise lite 273QBXL which is advertised as a 27ft tt. Busy out the tape measure and it is 33ft tip to tail(I wouldn't go much over that). With something that long absolutely requires sway control on the hitch. We have a husky round bar hitch with two sway bars and it would not be safe or smart to tow without sway bars!! If you're like me it helps to see the numbers of other people's set up. I have a 2008 expy not el towing Salem cruise lite 273QBXL.
Dry Weight
6,118 lbs.
Payload Capacity
1,642 lbs.
GVWR
7,760 lbs.
Hitch Weight
760 lbs.
I have had zero issues towing this with my expy!! Lastly on the rv forums you may find a good amount of people that will say not to tow more than 26ft with the expy and will just say use your power stroke. I'm here to tell you your expy will tow beautifully! Hope this helps!