Towing with the bumper ....

[brunoffrance]

Hi there;
I haven't seen this question on threads so i would like to know , if a lot of Airstream owners, tow with a ball on the truck rear bumper ?

My FORD F150 is not equiped , for the moment with a trailer hitch. i've ordered one , three monthes ago , fom USA, but , apparently, it is lost or stolen.The dealer is going to make a claim with US POSTAL but that certainly 'll take time. Now, holidays are approching and i try to find a quick solution for towing .

On the bumper, there are indications about towing capacities and tongue weight. it has the capacities for my A/S but the only problem is the height. My F 150 is a 4x4 with tires in 265; i suppose it 's too high for towing...
Is there anything we can mount to decrease the hight for towing, from the bumper ?

thank you , one more time for your advices

bruno;

[dmac]

Pickup bumpers are normally used for very light duty towing - like 2000 lb maximum. I would be very surprised if yours is rated to tow your airstream. Also, there is no weight distribution or anti-sway when using a ball on the bumper.

[brunoffrance]

Hi dan;
On the bumper , there are the indications about 2300 kg ( 5000lbs )for towing and 227kg ( 500 lbs) for the tongue weight.
My 1971 A/S is about 1800 kg ( certainly more with all inside ) ; sure , there is not a great difference but can i tow in this way ?

Bruno.

[overlander64]

Greetings Bruno!

Originally Posted by brunoffrance

Hi there;
I haven't seen this question on threads so i would like to know , if a lot of Airstream owners, tow with a ball on the truck rear bumper ?

My FORD F150 is not equiped , for the moment with a trailer hitch. i've ordered one , three monthes ago , fom USA, but , apparently, it is lost or stolen.The dealer is going to make a claim with US POSTAL but that certainly 'll take time. Now, holidays are approching and i try to find a quick solution for towing .

On the bumper, there are indications about towing capacities and tongue weight. it has the capacities for my A/S but the only problem is the height. My F 150 is a 4x4 with tires in 265; i suppose it 's too high for towing...
Is there anything we can mount to decrease the hight for towing, from the bumper ?

thank you , one more time for your advices

bruno;

The possibility of towing your Overlander with the "Bumper-Step-Hitch" poses at least two problems. The first is ball-height - - the ball height will likely be 3" or more too high. The second problem, and the one that will be the biggest issue is hitch weight - - the empty weight on your Overlander is at least 4,500 pounds which means that with just water and LP on board, your coach would exceed the 5,000 pound limit of the built-in hitch - - the problem would be compounded by the fact that Airstreams typically carry more than just 10% of the coach weight on the hitch - - your Overlander has a hitch weight of 440 pounds before adding the weight of LP fluids and other personal possessions carried in the coach. My '64 Overlander actually weighs in at approximately 6,000 to 6,100 pounds when ready for an extended trip, and the loaded hitch weight is approximately 725 to 750 pounds. Another problem that would likely be encountered is that the pre-drilled factory hole in the bumper-step-hitch for the ball usually will not accommodate the large shank of the ball rated to carry the weight of an Airstream

Beyond having a welder custom fabricate a frame mounted hitch, a bolt-on receiver is about the only solution that will provide for a safe towing experience.

Good luck with your hitch quandry!

Kevin

[overlander63]

Bruno, most, if not all, bumper hitches are too light duty for towing anything aproaching the weight and size of an Airstream. Even if you don't exceed the capacity of the bumper, you will have no sway control, and your truck's rear will be overloaded, making the front go up in the air, and not enough weight on the front to steer properly.
Also, you may find that hooking up the bumper hitch for your Airstream may cause the rear bumper of the trailer to drag the ground.
Terry

[john hd]

bruno

in a word NO!

bumpers on pickup trucks have bolts that are designed to break off in the event of a rear end collision, then allowing the bumper to swing down.

if you hook anything more than the rated capacity you might look in the mirror and see no trailer!

wait for your reciever to show up!

john

[53flyingcloud]

bruno
John HD said it well~ "NO" and, again NO~!
I hate to even think of the sad ending of your trailer after all you went thru to get it over there~
Wait for the proper equipment to arrive~
ciao
53FC

[Stefrobrts]

Don't do it, Bruno! Sorry to hear your hitch got lost in the mail, but you really do need it to tow the trailer safely. It's just too big to do otherwise. You'll be very happy with how it tows with weight distribution and sway control - it's worth waiting for. After all, the alternative is you could end up without a bumper OR an airstream following you down the road!

How long until the holidays for you? It is different over there - you all have your summer holidays at once, is that right? Have you ordered another hitch yet? If it's lost you will probably have to and let the Post Office reimburse you for the lost one (assuming it was insured). Get the next one sent Air Express if you can. It will be expensive, but it will get there quickly and be tracked. I've never lost an express package.

Good luck, and sorry to hear of your troubles!

[qqq]

I did it... 1500 km with no problem.

Ron

[brunoffrance]

Hi ron;
I have certainly found a solution to install a heavy truck hitch trailer on my F150 But, the another problem, after the damages on the wall, the fire to get parts, the hitch stolen or not sent... ,is that my F150 is equipped with LPG and most of holes on the chassis, are taken to fix the gaz bottles...
So I think that it's possible to mount it.
If impossible, I'll use the rear bumper, waiting an other solution; I haven't bought an A/S and a Ford F 150 for nothing; the holidays are important and I want to spend time in my A/S, towed by my pick-up trailer.

Bruno;