New 250 and Hitch shopping

[Moflash]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

The new(er) F-250's *are* high off the ground. That does not do anything good for stability. That's true with a trailer hooked up or simply driving around. Yes, I own an F-250

One thing to consider is how much money you want to spend. If something in the three or four thousand dollar range is "in budget" that puts pretty much everything on the market in play.

Another thing to consider is how much you are bothered by this or that when hooking things up. Some of these systems are a bit more involved to work with than others. Is it a matter of another 5 or 10 minutes? ... that depends.

Past that, there is no real argument that the fancy stuff ( ProPride etc ) works better than the less exotic systems. What gets debated endlessly is just how much you *need* that added margin. Like the questions above. Only you can make that call.

Bob

Unfortunately you statement is not true Bob.


I have had both F150 and three F350's since 2010.The f350 stability in all weather conditions ( I have pulled in 75 mph winds near the Grand Canyon) is far superior to the F150 in stability and control.I have pulled the same 28ft International with both.These observations come from people that have never driven or owned a 2012 and up Ford Superduty truck.


By the way I have 23 years of experience with Ferrari and Lamborghini and while they due have a low COG but would suck at pulling a Airstream.Every vehicle has a purpose, A Ford Superduty was built pull trailers with comfort and ease but they are not for the racetrack.




I have pulled with a Airsafe Hitch coupled to a Equalizer 4 point WD for the last 60,000 miles and I would not change a thing.

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Most certainly would drive it differently. The reason you spend $450K on that sports car in the driveway next door *is* to drive it differently. If not, why spend all that money?

The point is that the design compromises that go into the sports car are what make it more stable. The fact that it can't make it over a typical bump in the road is just "the way it is". If they *could* get over those bumps and still pull a million g's in a curve, they most certainly would. That's the only "handling" category that the truck beats it.

If I hop in and start down a bumpy road, I really get knocked around in the sports car. The F-250 is nice and smooth by comparison. I'd have to go back to a "bad old" F-250 from a decade or two ago to get a truck that rode that harsh. Yes, magic springs are part of it. A lot of it is an entire suspension (shocks etc) that is now tuned for comfort rather than stability.....

Then you get into axles and even more exotic issues ....

Again, to be clear - I'm not into a build it yourself TV. There are very few "off the shelf" solutions to this problem. I'm ok with the compromise I have. If I was going to a DIY answer to the problem, who knows where that would get to...

Bob

Mine on the front would look like a Corvette and rear end like an F-350 :-)

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Moflash

Unfortunately you statement is not true Bob.


I have had both F150 and three F350's since 2010.The f350 stability in all weather conditions ( I have pulled in 75 mph winds near the Grand Canyon) is far superior to the F150 in stability and control.I have pulled the same 28ft International with both.These observations come from people that have never driven or owned a 2012 and up Ford Superduty truck.


By the way I have 23 years of experience with Ferrari and Lamborghini and while they due have a low COG but would suck at pulling a Airstream.Every vehicle has a purpose, A Ford Superduty was built pull trailers with comfort and ease but they are not for the racetrack.




I have pulled with a Airsafe Hitch coupled to a Equalizer 4 point WD for the last 60,000 miles and I would not change a thing.

Hi

I don't own multiple trucks at the same time and tow with them on alternate days ... sorry about that. My comparisons are to older trucks I owned "back in the day" and what I now own.

Bob

[KCCO]

Originally Posted by Moflash

Unfortunately you statement is not true Bob.


I have had both F150 and three F350's since 2010.The f350 stability in all weather conditions ( I have pulled in 75 mph winds near the Grand Canyon) is far superior to the F150 in stability and control.I have pulled the same 28ft International with both.These observations come from people that have never driven or owned a 2012 and up Ford Superduty truck.


By the way I have 23 years of experience with Ferrari and Lamborghini and while they due have a low COG but would suck at pulling a Airstream.Every vehicle has a purpose, A Ford Superduty was built pull trailers with comfort and ease but they are not for the racetrack.




I have pulled with a Airsafe Hitch coupled to a Equalizer 4 point WD for the last 60,000 miles and I would not change a thing.

Uncle bob seems to like his truck - enjoys towing with it and doesn’t seem at all interested in towing with a sports car.

He simply said the height of the truck lends itself to some degree of a lack of stability. It’s a more than fair statement. And it’s coming from a person who owns the larger truck and has experience with it.

Why get cranky about it?

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by KCCO

Uncle bob seems to like his truck - enjoys towing with it and doesn’t seem at all interested in towing with a sports car.

He simply said the height of the truck lends itself to some degree of a lack of stability. It’s a more than fair statement. And it’s coming from a person who owns the larger truck and has experience with it.

Why get cranky about it?

There are way too many cranky old farts around this site.
State what, with and how you do it and that's that.
Each to his own, whatever floats your boat.

[KCCO]

Originally Posted by franklyfrank

There are way too many cranky old farts around this site.

State what, with and how you do it and that's that.

Each to his own, whatever floats your boat.

Yes!

[ITSNO60]

Originally Posted by Moflash

I have pulled with a Airsafe Hitch coupled to a Equalizer 4 point WD for the last 60,000 miles and I would not change a thing.

I would like to know more, I am on the fence between Pro Pride or a conventional WD setup and an Air Safe. What hitch do you use with the Air Safe? Did you go with Air Safe just so the TT will ride smoother?

[Moflash]

We use a Equilizer Hitch by the Airsafe is the key.You can use virtually any WD hitch that you choose except Propride or Hensley as they are not compatible with Airsafe.The Airsafe makes a big difference in how the trailer rides and the normal jerk back felt when going over bumps is not existent.

[njaspers]

Originally Posted by Moflash

We use a Equilizer Hitch by the Airsafe is the key.You can use virtually any WD hitch that you choose except Propride or Hensley as they are not compatible with Airsafe.The Airsafe makes a big difference in how the trailer rides and the normal jerk back felt when going over bumps is not existent.

Would you be able to post a photo of your Equilizer/Airsafe setup?

[CLOUD9WYO]

Hi, Recently switched from Curt (had an older one from a previously owned car hauler) to Blue Ox. Partly to avoid the collision of the lever tabs on the Curt with a storage hatch on our 26RB. We haul with a 6.7L TurboDiesel F250. The trailer is 1/3 the capacity of the truck, but we haul through significant mountains, snow / ice, mud & curves to the great places we love to go (and the interstates too) and love the control and power. Found that the properly rated Blue Ox was an amazing upgrade ! Easier to adjust, install and quieter. Most of all - amazing performance . Really happy with the decision.

[Eagle & Bear]

One of the things you might want to take into consideration is the age of your trailer. Front end separation can lead to other problems but be sure that you know what caused the front end separation and correct it. It might just be due to a tread separation or scraping the bars along the pavement when crossing a dip.

All of our rigs are susceptible to breakage if taken off road, over stretches of washboard or when driving through a deep dip. I have a 29' 1976 Airstream. I used the original hitch and bars for several years before I started doing the research. For the most part I could see little difference in a broad range of hitches. It took me several weeks to decide on the EZ Lift. It was as close to the original set up of any of the other brands without any of the creative add ons that do not seem to do anything more than the original hitch system. It also cost $200 on Amazon and that included the antisway and shipping. We have used it for the past six years of full timing and have towed the trailer for over 150,000 miles. So far the EZ Lift has performed to my satisfaction even in cross winds.

What I have not done is soften the suspension of my TV. It is a Ford E350 that is on a modified, aggressive 4X4 platform. Since my '76 has a 5" frame I am fairly sure that the A frame will not crack but I did develop a crack in my frame between the two axles. Not sure what caused the crack but before taking your Airstream on the road you might pull the belly pan back and look at the frame. Might save you some real heartache down the road.

Given that my TV suspension is built for extreme terrain and lifted I have not attempted to soften the ride. If you are driving a TV that has not been modified you might consider making the ride for the trailer a bit softer. Airing down the rear tires is not an option. The most common solution I have seen are the inflatable devices that are placed between the springs and the frame. They can be inflated or deflated depending on your needs but keep in mind that they do not increase the weight capacity of the TV.

There are other options like spring over shocks or progressive rear springs but that may take some more research. There are several really old guys in this forum who have specialized in restoring old Airstreams. Alumatic, toairishuman and others have a lot of experience in towing their many Airstreams. Might want to check other areas of the forum as well.

Best wishes, Michael Springer

[Jones man]

On our third Classic airstream and have pulled them all 30 to 31 footers with half ton 4X4 pickups , 3/4 ton big block suburbans, 3/4 ton GM Duramaxes , and now 3/4 ton Ram cummins crew short bed 4X4 I have used Reese Dual cam sway controls, they worked fine , then bought our second airstream in 2000 a 2001 Classic 30A limited and decided to upgrade to a Hensley Arrow Absolutely the best hitch I have ever used . After 16 years of using that rig all over north america we were headed home to Idaho and were rear ended by an 18 wheeler . He smashed the right rear corner pretty good but the hensley had some damage but was repairable Sadly our Airstream of 15 years and a real member of the family was declared a total by the insurance company . After 40 years of towing travel trailers my choice in a truck tp pull an airstream that is above 6000 pounds dry weight is a 3/4 ton pickup because of the stronger chassis and more robust brakes and for me a diesel as we tow a lot in the mountanous west at high altitudes where a turbo diesel really shines and a hensley or pro pride hitch as the technology in the anti sway geometry has to be experienced and you will become a believer .

[Tsunami-v2]

Here's my setup and I'm extremely happy with it. I've used this Equalizer for over 12 years with zero issues. The addition of the Gen-Y has been a huge plus. Having towed our 28 foot AS several thousand miles, I can say, the Equalizer/Gen-Y combination works very well for me

[CarterKraft]

Whatever hitch you get make sure you get the right size WD shank for the truck's reciever hitch. I believe the gas F-250 will have the 2.5" Receiver hitch.
Make sure you get a WD shank to match that size, not a 2" with a 2-2.5" sleeve. That will bend pins and make all kinds of noise when towing.