Maximum towing speed for single axle 22' ?

[Wingeezer]

Originally Posted by Budget M3

Thanks to all who helpfully point out that our trailer tires are rated for only 65mph. I was not aware of that.

Don't feel bad, I had been towing various trailers regularly at speeds of 75-80 for years on interstate trips before I learned of the 65mph rating!

I now drive mostly in the 60-70 range. Of course I'm older now, and retired, so I have more time to get where I'm going at a more relaxed pace!

The only problem I ever had with a set of tires was delamination - throwing tread - and in hindsight that was likely my fault as the tires in questions were ten years old.

I now replace tires at five year intervals irrespective of wear or apparent condition. That seems to be the most common recommendation.

I also use tire pressure monitors.

Brian.

[Budget M3]

Originally Posted by Friday

You are looking at this from the wrong angle... ie, the speed rating of the tires. Trailers gain momentum exponentially the faster they go, so especially in a single axle, if it starts wagging, it won't matter how many turbos you've got under the hood - you are going for a ride.

With the possibility of tire failure on a single axle, I would invest in a TPMS for it.. then if you are going to test the boundaries of safe towing, at least you'll be informed.

Or, just slow down and enjoy the fact someone else did as well, and got your trailer to be 50+ years old and still operating.

Obviously, tires are only part of the equation. Load distribution, tow vehicle handling, sway control, and several other factors come into play. So I would say the recommendations about tires from previous posters are the right angle, but are understood to be only part of the view. The same would be true to only look at load distribution, or only at a sway control hitch, or only at the handling capability of your 1972 Country Squire station wagon on bias ply tires versus a modern SUV on 20-inch radial tires....etc...

TPMS is a great idea! I will add those when I change the tires (and maybe wheels, too, considering several PM recommendations I've received that provided strong rationale for changing to 16-inch wheels--thanks for those recommendations guys!).

Regarding age and speed--I am as old as my trailer, but I am not about to let that slow me down I want to tow safely, and it sounds like as long as I equip the trailer with adequate tires/brakes and keep it around 65-75 on the freeway I should be just fine.

[SteveH]

Just shows it can happen to anyone....that's a late model F150, and they have electronic sway control.

It would be interesting to know what kind of hitch they were using, and how fast they were driving.

[AlbertF]

Originally Posted by Budget M3

Hi Gang,

Just bought a completely restored 1960 22' Safari. I haven't weighed it yet, but advertised original weight according to airstreamguy.com was only 2900lbs dry. It was restored by Revitalized Trailers, Inc, and has had the axle replaced with modern parts including electric brakes, but it is still a single axle. I will be towing it with a Porsche Cayenne Turbo which is capable of travelling much faster than I am sure is advisable with the single axle trailer.


So....looking for recommenations on what folks would consider "too fast" for an old single axle AS. Thoughts?

Your safe towing speed depends on a number of factors, including trailer loading, tongue weight, tires, and tow vehicle stability, and your own experience and comfort level. I'd expect that a weight distributing hitch would help considerably. The Cayenne/Touareg receiver seems quite capable of handling the torsional forces of a WDH.

You may get away without a weight distributing hitch, but at least a friction sway control would be advisable.

You need LT tires (not ST) that will handle at least 2000 lbs each. Q-speed rated (160 km/h or 99 mph) are ideal. Michelin and Yokohama are the best choices from my perspective. I'm not sure about the reliability of the Kumhos. Do some web research on tire problems.

While Airstreams are great on the highway (the 1970s brochures suggested 70 mph towing was normal), fuel economy does suffer with speed.

[Budget M3]

Just got home with the AS after towing over 800 miles off mostly freeway driving, including three fairly steep mountain passes. Turns out the guy who sold the trailer included a Reese WDH with anti-sway in the deal, and the trailer already had almost new Yoko LT's on it. Hooked it all up with a partial load (winterized pipes, luggage, full propane) and a very light WDH setting (minimal weight distributed forward). I set the cruise at 70mph most of the way with occasional slow down for construction zones and a few 75mph sprints for passing large trucks.

This set up was SOLID as a ROCK! Even in strong cross winds and sharp bumps, I felt very safe at these speeds. It was like night and day compared to my dual axle V-nose enclosed car trailer of about the same weight but no WDH. I'm sure I could have safely gone even faster with the AS, but kept to the plan of 70-ish making the entire trip a non-event from a towing standpoint. While fuel economy was not great (10-11mpg), that is only 6mpg less than I get with the Cayenne alone at 75-80 mph on the same stretch of road. I was expecting sub-10mpg, so getting 10+ was a nice surprise

Only problem I encountered was after backing the trailer up my driveway, I could not get the d@#% 50-year old coupler unhooked! After battling with it for an hour in 90-degree heat, I finally "coaxed it" into releasing the ball. Gonna definitely have to get that fixed before the next outing!

[mefly2]

I am glad that you found out just how nice a single axle will tow. Some of us have gone back to single axle trailers for a variety of reasons. Don't be overly concerned that your single axle tires may "blow" unless you are running tubed tires. Modern tubeless tires may lose air quickly, but they rarely suffer a blow out like tube type tires... and you are far less likely to shred a tired on a dual axle and damage the wheel well - as was stated above ... the single axle will immediately telegraph tire issues.

You have a great combination for your Porsche with the lighter classic AS ... just a caveat to not drive beyond your (or the TV/AS combination) limits - all the qualities that you love in your SUV will be severely compromised when "pulling" not the least of which will be the brakes. Take the time to slowly get used to your new combo. Search on line and there is a great video of the Porsche towing and making evasive turns. Congrats!

[Budget M3]

Originally Posted by mefly2

I am glad that you found out just how nice a single axle will tow. Some of us have gone back to single axle trailers for a variety of reasons. Don't be overly concerned that your single axle tires may "blow" unless you are running tubed tires. Modern tubeless tires may lose air quickly, but they rarely suffer a blow out like tube type tires... and you are far less likely to shred a tired on a dual axle and damage the wheel well - as was stated above ... the single axle will immediately telegraph tire issues.

You have a great combination for your Porsche with the lighter classic AS ... just a caveat to not drive beyond your (or the TV/AS combination) limits - all the qualities that you love in your SUV will be severely compromised when "pulling" not the least of which will be the brakes. Take the time to slowly get used to your new combo. Search on line and there is a great video of the Porsche towing and making evasive turns. Congrats!

Thanks, mefly. I've seen that video and find it to be quite entertaining. :-). Have you seen the BBC show "Top Gear"? They tried to set. a land speed record for towing a caravan (euro-speak for TT). It was also quite entertaining to watch a 700+ hp race car tow an SOB at 120+ mph. The SOB started losing parts at about 100mph!

IMO, the brakes are the weak link on my set up so am definitely spending some time tuning the trailer brake controller for optimal use with the TV. I wish there was more science as opposed to art for the brake controller set up. . 5v signal on boost level 1 seemed to work pretty well for the last trip.