Tow info please

Steve079

Advanced Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2017
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82
Bought a 25 ft Funfinder last February, but due to the covid closures, we have yet to use it. It has the conventional tow setup, not a fifth wheel. We picked it up at the dealer about 70 miles away, and towed it home with our 96 Dodge 2500 HD. It has a gooseneck setup, the previous owner was a large animal vet, and pulled a large stock trailer.
Anyway towing it home was apiece of cake, the trip home was all two lane highway, the last 15 miles are a twisty uphill pull. The truck was great, felt very solid and with the V10 had plenty of power.
Our friends tow with a Tundra, and a new Dodge 2500 diesel, (but don have the HD suspension and sway bars as my truck does), and have equalizer set ups, and wonder why I haven't bought one. It doesn't feel like I need one, the truck dropped maybe a 1/2". I'm guessing I may have a couple hundred more pounds of gear on board, am I crazy for making our maiden voyage at the end of the month without one?
Appreciate the help!
 
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Perhaps "crazy" is too strong a word. Most folks towing trailers have some sort of anti-sway device. A good weight distribution hitch is the gold standard for safety.

It is true that if you load up properly (with enough tongue weight), you are unlikely to have any sway. Some experienced folks do that and skip the WD setup.

My own bias is in favor of redundant safety -- proper loading AND a WDH. (My trailer is too small to handle a WDH -- only 12 feet.) That is what most folks do.

Sway is one of those things that develops suddenly and catastrophically -- I am sure you have watched several youtube videos.
 
We can't use a WDH due to our Tow vehicle, Kia Sorento AWD, being a unibody and manufacturer recommends against use of WDH's. I am using the one side friction type for what little sway we say from our 16ft FF. It tows it easily thru North Ga. Mtns .
 
I do have a WDH, but he mounting brackets that attach the bars to the frame, are for a smaller frame. I'll have to see if I can find the bigger size. Better safe then sorry. Thanks you both for taking time to reply.
 
Steve079
When I purchased my 2012 toy hauler new; XT-276,I had a Ram 1500 4X4 - 5.7 hemi and purchased an Equalizer WD hitch at the same time. It towed wonderfully well, never any sway even in strong crosswinds of 35 - 45 mph or when meeting semis on the highway. The Equalizer WD hitch has a built in 4 way sway control - check their web site for details.
After several years, I upgraded pickups and went with a 2500 4x4 crew cab with tow package and 6.4 hemi as didn't want an oil burner and still use the Equalizer WD hitch. I have never pulled the toy hauler w/o the Equalizer WD hitch so no idea how it would handle but with the experience pulling with the 1500 and having the WD hitch, using it is a no brainer for me.

BTW - had a 2500 with the V-10 and it was a beast for pulling anything hooked to it. I loved the Ram V-10 that puts out 390 HP. I put in a K&N air filter and installed Borla Exhaust system that enhanced the performance & upped mileage to 18 MPG running empty at 80 MPH. IMO, it out performs the 6.4 hemi that puts out 410 HP.
Happy camping.
 
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Bought a 25 ft Funfinder last February.. I'm guessing I may have a couple hundred more pounds of gear on board, am I crazy for making our maiden voyage at the end of the month without one?
Appreciate the help!

Steve,
No, I don't think you are crazy but... I have a 2003 F250 diesel longbed with a gross vehicle of 20,000 lbs and have have pulled relatively short distances without a WDH or sway bar. But as others have said earlier, for piece of mind I use a WDH and antisway bar to have confidence in handling the unexpected. In 2019 we pulled our trailer on a 9000 mile trip which included crossing Idaho west to east and on the day we did there was a strong, gusty cross wind. The speed limit was 80 and you'd get run over doing less than 70. I eased up to that and the truck/trailer felt stable even when being passed by the semis. I would guess 90% of the time you don't need a WDH but I would encourage you to have such a setup for the remaining 10%. I have had trailers which tended to sway and it was white knuckle time. In the past I have picked up WDH and anti sway setups on CL or OfferUp but this last time I spotted a deal on Amazon which could not be beat.
Be safe out there and enjoy your FF!
 
Thanks for the input! This trip came about rather suddenly, I didn't know about until about 2 weeks ago. We keep the RV at out place, keep it plugged in year round, ive gotten into the habit of running the heater, AC and refer once a month, but I still have things to check on and its just short run down the coast, but if I have time, I'm going to check the equalizer situ squared away for future trips.
I would love it if changing out that air filter and exhaust would net me 18, I've been getting 10-12, living up in the foothills there are any straight roads that don't run up and down the canyons. My previous tow rig was an 89 Ford, 4wd 460, with the 3 speed auto. It just ran out of gears and only got 8-10, but it toted out 10-6 Lance camper all over the western states and out to Colorado and Idaho for hunting. If it had the 5 speed lik my dodge, I'd still be using it, but I do love that Dodge. It only has 117K on it, should be good for as long as I want to travel.
 
Steve, that's the way I feel. My Powerstroke 7.3L has >200K on the clock and I have no doubt it will outlive me! The 4 speed auto trans may need some repair at some point but the rest of the truck is in great condition with normal maintenance.
V-10s are known for power but not mpg. Like you I had a couple of 460s back in the late 80s.
 
My advice is to not worry about MPG when you are towing a trailer. No matter what, it is terrible -- ten mpg is great. Weight is not the issue -- it is wind resistance. Imagine towing a vertical sheet of plywood down the road at 60 mph. That's what we are doing, all day long. It's the price of freedom. ;)
 
My advice is to not worry about MPG when you are towing a trailer. No matter what, it is terrible -- ten mpg is great. Weight is not the issue -- it is wind resistance. Imagine towing a vertical sheet of plywood down the road at 60 mph. That's what we are doing, all day long. It's the price of freedom. ;)

Thank you, I agree with you. I bought this truck last year from my brother for 3500, and it had 107K, and gets, as I said 10-12. My son in law just bought a new Dodge diesel 4wd, close to 60k. He gets better fuel economy, but I don't want the 700 month payments, not to mention insurance.
The price of this freedom is well worth it! I love this truck, it and I were a perfect fit from day one. Thanks you for your input!
 
Need vs ??

I like really short posts. Here it goes: By the time you realize you need a WDH, it is too late. Accident already happened.
 
I like really short posts. Here it goes: By the time you realize you need a WDH, it is too late. Accident already happened.


^^^^ VERY TRUE ^^^^^^

A WD hitch with sway control is like having insurance for a safe trip and positive outcome IMO.
 
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Not crazy at all. WDH’s help reduce the affects of tongue weight lifting the front of the tow vehicle and diminishing steering grip. Your Long wheel base and heavy V10 also helps mitigate the problem. Short and light vehicles benefit more from WDH’s
 
If you are hauling much water or hauling on a windy day, it can make a big difference. I bought an Andersen anti-sway hitch.
 
Sorry for the derail of your thread, I noticed in your one post you leave your trailer plugged in all year, you might want to flip the breaker on the microwave, I have heard of people leaving the trailer plugged in and in the cold weather the touch pad on the microwave contracts and starts the microwave and burns the inside of the trailer. Not a nice surprise to find . Not something we think about until it's too late.
 
Sorry for the derail of your thread, I noticed in your one post you leave your trailer plugged in all year, you might want to flip the breaker on the microwave, I have heard of people leaving the trailer plugged in and in the cold weather the touch pad on the microwave contracts and starts the microwave and burns the inside of the trailer. Not a nice surprise to find . Not something we think about until it's too late.
Thanks, I flipped all the breakers for winter
 
Thanks, I flipped all the breakers for winter

Keep in mind that if you intend the battery to be charged by the Converter that the Converter will no longer be powered. On our FF the breaker for the Converter is labelled "Conv."

I use an external battery charger/minder so the trailer does not need to be connected to AC power.
 
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I have a situation similar to that of the OP. Our ‘07 x210 FF has an overall length just under 24’. My tow vehicle is a ‘04 RAM 2500 QC with 5.9 Cummins Turbo Diesel. I have towed it using the OEM Class IV receiver hitch but generally speaking that is usually when I’m taking it out to the storage barn or bringing it back to our place for the camping season. For camping trips, I do use a WDH but do not have an additional anti-sway device. I’ve yet to experience any sway issues and that includes trips through the Western U.S. where crosswinds can be an issue! IMHO, a tow vehicle with a HD suspension, use of a WDH and a properly loaded travel trailer with dual axles minimizes the need for anti-sway devices. I certainly won’t fault anyone that does use one and agree that vehicles that can’t employ a WDH and/or travel trailers with single axles would benefit greatly with an anti-sway device installed.
RE: mileage, I agree with profdant139 and others that say it’s never going to be good! Diesel powered tow vehicles fare a bit better than those with gasoline engines but in the end, you have what you have and mpg is always going to be pi$$ poor when towing! The “price of freedom” per profdant139!!
 
To know for sure if you need weight distribution look at your TV specs for weight carrying or dead weight tow rating. For example my Chevy 1500 has a weight carrying rating of 5000/500 meaning that towing a trailer over 5000 lbs or with a hitch weight over 500 lbs requires a weight distribution distribution hitch.
 
To know for sure if you need weight distribution look at your TV specs for weight carrying or dead weight tow rating. For example my Chevy 1500 has a weight carrying rating of 5000/500 meaning that towing a trailer over 5000 lbs or with a hitch weight over 500 lbs requires a weight distribution distribution hitch.

I agree with the 500 lb limit on hitch weight but the total GVW cannot be exceeded by installing a WDH.
 

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