Max safe speed to tow??

jaylight65

Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2023
Posts
14
Location
Reedville, VA
We have a 22MLE trailer and an F250 tow truck. While I know that the paperwork states a safe max tow speed of 55.... not sure that is going to be optimal out West this summer. Thus, what is a reasonable, safe speed to pull this trailer? Those small wheels do concern me...
 
There may be many opinions on what is safe, I often have folks towing RVs fly by me on the highway going much faster than I would want to go. Personally 60 mph to 65 mph is my sweet spot. Another consideration is the wear and tear on the trailer. When driving faster, even a small bump has a bigger impact. I have found that slower speeds coupled with the Sumo Springs I've installed combine to mean everything is in place when I arrive at my destination.
 
We have a 22MLE trailer and an F250 tow truck. While I know that the paperwork states a safe max tow speed of 55.... not sure that is going to be optimal out West this summer. Thus, what is a reasonable, safe speed to pull this trailer? Those small wheels do concern me...
Another factor is the speed rating on your tires, you dont want to exceed that.
I usually tow around 65 mph...my tires are rated for 75mph
 
Safe towing speed has many components to it, and some of them are constantly changing during the course of a trip. Some of the factors include how well the tow vehicle and trailer are maintained, condition of the tires and their speed ratings, condition of the road(s) you are traveling on, whether or not the traffic is congested or you have mostly wide open spaces around you, weather conditions including heat/rain/snow/wind. These are just some of the factors and each and every one of them need to be considered both before and during the trip. In other words, if/when conditions change during the trip, re-evaluate what is "safe" We've all done just that probably hundreds of times in our lives when you encounter a rain storm and you slow down....or you are out in the middle of Kansas and there is not a car in sight, you might have sped up a bit. It's the same thing towing a trailer except you have many other factors to put into the equation.
 
Those small tires are fine if they're not overloaded. If you have GY Endurance which is what GD is putting on these days then the speed rating is 87 mph. With your F250 and a good WDH and the proper tongue weight the TT should be rock solid when towing.
Max safe speed is what feels right at the time. Out on the wide open prairies where the speed limit is 80 mph then your max speed would be what you feel comfortable with. Anything can happen at anytime so it's up to the driver to determine the max speed.

I tow a much bigger TT with a 3500 truck but my limit is 70 mph regardless as thats my comfort zone. Normal interstate towing for me is around 65-68 depending on traffic and winds.

FWIW back in the day I had a Honda Goldwing and towed a small DIY cargo trailer that had the Carlisle 4.80-8" ST tires on it. It weighed less than 250 lbs or so. The consensus on the Goldwing forums was to air the tires down to around 20-25 lbs to soften the load. I cruised all day long at 70+. Never an issue. The tires on the little trailer were way cooler than the tires on my wing riding two up.
 
We have a 22MLE trailer and an F250 tow truck. While I know that the paperwork states a safe max tow speed of 55.... not sure that is going to be optimal out West this summer. Thus, what is a reasonable, safe speed to pull this trailer? Those small wheels do concern me...
Some of that depends on our tires and their speed rating. For example, Goodyear Endurance is rated for 80 mph...while I'd be crazy pulling my fifth wheel at those speeds. The next question is your truck's rating, relating to its GVWR. That GVWR is the total weight of the front and rear axles plus the total weight of the loaded RV axles...added together. Those three weights legally need to be below the tow truck's GWVR, which you will find on the door frame. I hear sales point to the tow vehicle's max tow ability...which is incorrect. For example, I had an F250 diesel when we moved to the 260RD Reflection. I had to move to an F350 to ensure I met the GWVR. I was only slightly over on the F250...but safety is always number one should I have a blowout or be confronted by emergency traffic conditions. I needed to ensure I could maintain control of the truck and trailer.
 
Same for me. 68 is my standard cruise setting.

I’m always amazed at the numbers I see in these threads because when I’m on the road at 68, I get passed by nearly every tow behind and drivable.

I’ve observed that the fastest towable is apparently a toy hauler pulled by a lifted truck.
 
Same for me. 68 is my standard cruise setting.

I’m always amazed at the numbers I see in these threads because when I’m on the road at 68, I get passed by nearly every tow behind and drivable.

I’ve observed that the fastest towable is apparently a toy hauler pulled by a lifted truck.
I’m usually 68 to 70 on the interstate that hear the limit is 75. I just shake my head every time bubba passes me like I’m parked pulling as big a 5er as me with a 3/4 ton with the nose way up in the air
 
65mph is my cruising speed. I don't like going over 70; I can, i have, but it isn't my sweet spot. So, for me, 65 is safe. Trucking schools use to teach that once over 63mph you are no longer in control - the truck is; not sure what modern driving schools teach; technology, and drivability have come a long way.

On today's interstates/expressways/speedways/etc., you know, the ones with speed limits of 70+, I consider anything UNDER to 61mph to be UNSAFE.

Lately I find in metro areas going significantly slower than most traffic is even more of a hazard in that folks come up on them too fast and end up aggressively braking. So at slow speeds you become a hazard if traveling too slow.

My biggest pet-peeve about driving on interstates are the bozos who decide that even with little to no traffic they have to drive in the middle lanes of highways with 3+ lanes. And those bozos are barely doing the speed limit many times (especially the RVers). Trucks do it but waaaayyy to many RVers do it. While I can understand staying out of the right hand travel lane when many exits/entrances are close together, I just don't get it when there is clear traffic and few on/off ramps. I consider those people unsafe but mainly poor drivers.
 
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Care to share what some of those words are? :ROFLMAO:

On second though, that may not be a good idea!
lol.... didn't catch that self correcting typo. i guess my computer knows me better than it should... lol..... I fixed it. Thanks for the heads up.

And for reference - my "cursing" speed is directly related to the speed of others cruising around me on the roads. :cool:
 
65 works best for me. Much slower and the truck down shifts more often.
If towing out west be aware California has a 55 mph speed limit statewide when towing, although it appears to be widely ignored.
 

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