How much does length affect towing stability?

[Ranchertx]

Your situation is do different than a 8500 lb 1 ton pulling a 15,000 lb right.

One thing that hurts the half ton trucks is lighter tires. They are squishy under a heavy load and you cannot air them up enough to get rid of it. Also the suspension is not as stiff.

The best towing trailer I ever had was a 43’ Sundowner toy hauler with a Vnose. That thing was low profile, heavy, and knifed through the wind.

Unfortunately most RVs are not very aerodynamic.

[goducks14]

Grand Wagoner payload is in the 1400 lb range, last I saw.

Less than that as you get close to the $100K models. LOL for 100K I'd go 1 ton Limited and pick a better trailer to pull.

[Boogiejack75]

I should clarify. I fully expect to feel wind, and I do feel it even when I'm not towing. But when towing, even in calm wind, I get "bumped" around and have to use steering to stay centered in the lane. I hooked my trailer up to a friend's RAM 2500 on a windy day and it pulled straight effortlessly. I knew the wind was there, but I wasn't having to fight it constantly. I wish Ford would come out with a new Excursion or Chevy a Suburban HD. Until then, I'll probably end up deciding between a bigger TV or smaller TT.

You answered your own question with the loaner 2500. You do not have enough tow vehicle. 6000 GVWR and 25ft trailer would be my max with your SUV. You certainly have the right hitch. Propride are the best. IMO you have two choices: more truck or less trailer.
Good luck and happy travels!!

[RV Sailor]

There you have it. Your SUV is just that. Not qualified to SAFELY pull that load no matter what wifey wants or says.

Facts and safety should take precedence or feelings and emotion.

[[email protected]]

Hi everyone! I pull a Transcend Xplor 265BH (32' 9") behind a Ford Expedition Max with a ProPride hitch. I've verified I am within all of my weight ratings at the CAT scale. While I have zero sway, I do get pushed around more than I'd like by wind and semis. I imagine it's because the trailer is 7,800lb pushing my 6,000lb vehicle with a 132" wheelbase. When the wind is calm, it tows great. A few weeks ago we got caught in 35mph gusts and it was unnerving. I never felt out of control, but I was getting pushed all over the lane.

We absolutely love the trailer, but we're toying with the idea of getting a shorter one to improve the towing experience. My wife REALLY doesn't want to switch to a heavy duty truck and lose the 3rd row seats (we have 3 kids). We walked through an Imagine 2400BH and think it could work well for us. It'd be about 4' shorter and 750lb lighter than our current trailer. Would that make a significant difference behind the wheel?

I have had similar issues in the past. I resolved it by purchasing a Hensley Hitch. The Hensley Hitch makes towing a dream. With the Hensley Hitch i never had an issue with sway no matter what the conditions.

[squark]

This is all great information. Thanks, everyone!

I was excited when the Wagoneer L debuted, but was quickly let down by the low payload capacity. It's rated to tow just under 10,000lb, but you'd be way over payload with a TT and passengers. Marketing at its finest. My Expedition has 1,644lb of payload, which is barely enough for my TT and family. I've looked at Suburban 2500s and Excursions, but low mileage examples are so expensive I'd probably opt for a newer truck and give up the third row.

You answered your own question with the loaner 2500. You do not have enough tow vehicle. 6000 GVWR and 25ft trailer would be my max with your SUV. You certainly have the right hitch. Propride are the best. IMO you have two choices: more truck or less trailer.
Good luck and happy travels!!

Thanks. This is my dilemma. Trucks are very expensive and hard to come by right now. Ford's not taking orders for 2022s, RAM is months behind, and used ones are more expensive than new ones. Plus we'd lose the third row, but that's not the end of the world. That has me leaning towards less trailer. The Imagine 2400BH is high on our list, but I'm not sure if 29' and 7,500lb gross (based on my current setup I'd be closer to 7k) is enough of a difference from my current 33' 7,800lb TT to make a huge difference. My dealer let me hook up a Blue Ox SwayPro to an Imagine 2500RL to test drive. It seemed more stable in light steady winds, but had a huge amount of truck suck. But of course it'd be different when the trailer is loaded with more gear (tongue weight) and the ProPride.

I have had similar issues in the past. I resolved it by purchasing a Hensley Hitch. The Hensley Hitch makes towing a dream. With the Hensley Hitch i never had an issue with sway no matter what the conditions.

Thanks. I currently pull with a ProPride, which is a Hensley hitch with a few modifications that's made by a different company.

[trailrydr]

A heavier tow vehicle will inherently tend to resist disturbances better, but if you can't go there....

Look to get stiffer tires for the truck - load range "E", and pump them up to the max on the sidewalls (typically 80 psi). Even now, with whatever you have, pump them up to their rated max. The goal is to reduce sidewall flex as much as you can. Solicit lots of opinions when shopping for the stiffest sidewall tires you can find.

With your new tire pressures, and/or new tires, relook at the setup of your ProPride. Download the manual (if not pretty recent), they have clarified and improved some sections about the setup. Start from the beginning, and recheck everything. I had the same issues and after redoing mine completely it vastly improved the truck suck and wind behavior. So much the conversations went from the other driver saying "We ought to sell this trailer" to "It tows as well as the old fifth wheel". Make sure that when ready to roll, the trailer is slightly nose down. While Ford says you only need to recover 50% of the weight lost on the steer wheels, many report (and I confirm) that getting 100% back improves things greatly.

I sometimes do still feel the passing semi's that blow past me going 20 mph faster, but it has to be an extreme speed difference. And winds up to the 30+ category are no issue. Yes, there are times when gusts are 35-40 that I know it. But I no longer have white knuckles while driving, and generally can do it one handed. And she's taken over driving a fair share again, too!

On my 2013 F150 SCREW Short Bed 6.2l, I added Billstein 5100 shocks, Hellwig swaybar, dual path airags, Hankook DynaPro AT2 LT's @ 50 PSI and the difference is night and day. Don't fight the truckruts anymore, and weather/semi wind doesnt effect my truck when towing my RV hardly at all.

But, yes, stiffer wall LT's are a must IMO when pulling a long, tall, or heavier trailer. And the most important outcome was, its DW approved!

[Rolltide1]

Hi everyone! I pull a Transcend Xplor 265BH (32' 9") behind a Ford Expedition Max with a ProPride hitch. I've verified I am within all of my weight ratings at the CAT scale. While I have zero sway, I do get pushed around more than I'd like by wind and semis. I imagine it's because the trailer is 7,800lb pushing my 6,000lb vehicle with a 132" wheelbase. When the wind is calm, it tows great. A few weeks ago we got caught in 35mph gusts and it was unnerving. I never felt out of control, but I was getting pushed all over the lane.

We absolutely love the trailer, but we're toying with the idea of getting a shorter one to improve the towing experience. My wife REALLY doesn't want to switch to a heavy duty truck and lose the 3rd row seats (we have 3 kids). We walked through an Imagine 2400BH and think it could work well for us. It'd be about 4' shorter and 750lb lighter than our current trailer. Would that make a significant difference behind the wheel?

I have the same camper but tow with a Suburban 2500 with no problems all over the country.That includes the Rockies , Wyoming etc.. It’s not about what you can pull it’s what you can handle with the weight of the tow vehicle. Kinda like waltzing with the appropriate size partner.. Somebody has to lead.
With those three kids you will continue to love that floor plan compared to anything out there.
I’d suggest suspension updates with Road Warrior and Sumo Springs.. Made a big difference in towing. Also Sumo for your truck as well..

[DaveSewell]

I have not read all of the reply posts so what I am suggesting may have been previously stated. I firmly believe your issue lies with the wheel base of your tow vehicle in relationship to the length of your trailer. Case in point... we previously tried towing a 26 foot TT with a Grand Cherokee. All the numbers worked and we were within the specifications. First trip out we made it to the camp ground about 2 hours away driving county 2 lane roads being cautious, two hands on the wheel. On the way home we came out of a wooded area and took a cross wind which sent us over the centre line with no warning. The next day I ordered a pick up truck. Someone posted a link with a wheel base/ trailer length chart from E Trailer. I believe that chart to be very accurate and would suggest adhering to it. Don't know where you reside but if you are anywhere close take a drive to Can Am Rv in London, Ontario or call and make an appointment with Andy (the owner) or if nothing else call and have a chat with him. I don't know of anyone better in the industry who knows how to hook up a RV to a tow vehicle better than him. He is certainly a respected expert in the field.

[sirtate]

I have not read all of the reply posts so what I am suggesting may have been previously stated. I firmly believe your issue lies with the wheel base of your tow vehicle in relationship to the length of your trailer. Case in point... we previously tried towing a 26 foot TT with a Grand Cherokee. All the numbers worked and we were within the specifications. First trip out we made it to the camp ground about 2 hours away driving county 2 lane roads being cautious, two hands on the wheel. On the way home we came out of a wooded area and took a cross wind which sent us over the centre line with no warning. The next day I ordered a pick up truck. Someone posted a link with a wheel base/ trailer length chart from E Trailer. I believe that chart to be very accurate and would suggest adhering to it. Don't know where you reside but if you are anywhere close take a drive to Can Am Rv in London, Ontario or call and make an appointment with Andy (the owner) or if nothing else call and have a chat with him. I don't know of anyone better in the industry who knows how to hook up a RV to a tow vehicle better than him. He is certainly a respected expert in the field.

Andy Thomson knows.
If the OP, or anyone else FTM, are within a couple of hours of London ON, you should swing by and have a talk with him...
In the meantime; here are some articles he's written... www.rvlifemag.com/tag/andy-thomson/