What Can I Tow?

[Road Geezer]

We tow a 2011 27' FC with a 10+ year old Suburban 1500 powered with a 5.3 ltr engine. Our last three-week excursion included cresting passes on Hwy 70 that exceeded 7,000 ft. We took the highest--7,900 ft--at 50 mph with the engine running 2700 rpm. I've found the grade to be more important than the altitude.

Don't exchange your TV until you've tried it in some steep mountain passes. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I've been.

[Road Geezer]

Gotta add a couple comments to my last post ....

We put vented rotors on the front wheels and we've never had brake fade. It's an inexpensive safety upgrade.

We've found in the Southwest that high altitude, mountain, two lane roads very often have passing lanes every couple miles. So when we're cruising up a long, steep grade at 40 mph, the passing lanes let the faster travelers get by before long lines build up behind us.

We have a good WD hitch, properly set up; it's takes a lot of stress out of towing. The AS tracks like it's on rails.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by dkottum

There is some comment about tongue weight as though it all is added to truck payload. It's not, the weight distribution hitch will transfer roughly 1/3 of tongue weight to the trailer axles.

Payload in the truck bed is often optional stuff, you can adjust it as needed.

Bottom line is the bottom line. You have the truck and it has plenty of capacity for your 25'; a larger truck is a waste of money and a smaller trailer will make little difference. Your truck is a good match for a 25' Airstream.

doug k

Setting it up correctly (hitch, tires, weights) is all that is wanted to make that good match.

Frontal area means more than weight for highway performance (low aerodynamic resistance, the A/S advantage).

Weight comes into play in acceleration & deceleration. 0-60 times of 20-seconds are an ancient measure of "adequate". And it would never concern me to climb a grade at a slow speed (relative to solo cars) at a higher engine rpm (under redline) as that is what it is designed to do. And for many thousands of miles without concern.

So long as the vehicle is a good match for non-towing duties it can otherwise be a good tow vehicle with attention to details in setting up the rig.

FWIW, an A/S trailer can get through a slalom course behind the best-handling tow vehicles faster than can a pickup truck solo. Not to mention stop faster. Anti-lock brakes, roll control, etc, all make pickups better than they used to be. And the changes in the drivetrain certainly make this better yet.



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[mefly2]

Not to over simplify this, but ... Mass of the travel trailer does make a difference in emergency maneuvering - it is not just the exposed frontal area; ask any pilot.The importance of TV mass vs TT mass is underestimated when mostly operating on the straight and level ... even excluding considerations for tires, brakes, WDH, hp/torque, gearing, and suspension. There are some great vids of a relativly lightweight SUV pulling an AS through a slalom course ... but it is on level ground. Compound the forces acting on the TV and TT when descending a hill and the picture changes. Few SUVs have brakes ready for the job. Our Wrangler SUV is great for occassional pulling of the AS, but is not up to the job of hauling a tandem axle loaded sailboat trailer. The AS falls somewhere in between. YMMV.

[Alumaholic]

Originally Posted by MrUKToad

Ken,

I'm one of the smugly self-righteous people, although it's not because I feel my TV is underpowered. Quite the contrary, actually, as I think my TV's 263 HP is more than adequate. I can tow comfortably at 60-65 mph and don't mind a bit if I lose some of that speed on a hill. I guess that's me being smugly self-righteous, eh?

Not sure I understand your point, Mr. Toad.
If you can tow comfortably at at 65 mph, that puts you out of the "holding at 55 mph" class and right where I advocate all Airstreamers be able to tow. It is very important to be able to keep up with the flow of traffic.

[TG Twinkie]

So does that mean if the traffic is moving at 80mph, you should drive 80?
I don't think so. As far as I'm concerned 60 to 65 is as fast as you can safely drive. Even slower if the TV is not a good match for the trailer. For example; If the brakes fail to operate on the trailer (perhaps you forgot to plug it in) or due to an electrical or mechanical problem. The TV must be capable of stopping the rig. You may be able to tow the Space Shuttle, but try stopping it going down hill. An extreme example; but to the point.
To me it's like people who drive too fast in slippery conditions. Everything is fine, until they have to stop or maneuver suddenly.
I'm sure the is some physicist out there the can do the " object in motion" thing and tell us how much more energy is stored in a 5,000 to 10,000 trailer moving at 80mph as opposed to 60mph. Not to mention the weight of the TV.
I'll drive at 60mph max and let the meatheads go on by.

[Alumaholic]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

So does that mean if the traffic is moving at 80mph, you should drive 80?

No I don't advocate driving 80.
Read any of my numerous posts on the topic, and you will see that I advocate being able to maintain 65 mph.

[Kosm1o]

I have yet to drive on a freeway where I would be keeping up with traffic driving 60 or 65. Slow vehicles stay in the right lane for a reason.

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

To me it's like people who drive too fast in slippery conditions. Everything is fine, until they have to stop or maneuver suddenly.
I'm sure the is some physicist out there the can do the " object in motion" thing and tell us how much more energy is stored in a 5,000 to 10,000 trailer moving at 80mph as opposed to 60mph. Not to mention the weight of the TV.
I'll drive at 60mph max and let the meatheads go on by.

TG

I completely agree with you.

Regarding the energy, kinetic energy is proportional to the square of the speed, so there is almost twice as much energy at 80 mph (78%) than at 60 mph.

Dan

[mefly2]

Energy= mass times velocity times velocity... in physics class, for selecting ammunition, and for towing / driving a "projectile". To follow up on what TD & TG said above, even a slight increase in speed, gains a huge increase in energy ... that which is required to stop. Of course if you double the moving mass by adding a trailer or payload, you double the energy required to either accelerate or *and, perhaps more importantly* stop.

If a 4000 lb trailer stays a constant in the equation;
as an example; 60 mph=88 feet per second; 88 times 88 = 7744
80 mph=~117 feet per second; so, 117 times 117 = 13689
50 mph =~73 feet per second; so, 73 times 73 = 5325
The energy equation speed multiplier more than doubles from 50 to 80 mph !!

That does not even take into account my lengthening reaction time - but I know that I have increased my reaction time and "slowed" a bit every year from my active flight school days. At 80 mph, I will have passed the length of a football field in just three seconds ... reason enough for me to stay well below 80 mph (50-55 is my preference) at age 64. Clearly, even a slight distraction and less than 100% attentiveness puts me and others at risk ... adjusting the audio, coffee/beverage, cigarettes, texting or even answering a non-hands free cell phone all contribute "accidentally" to crashes... OK, off the soapbox - from a former LEO and math/CS dept chair.

[switz]

Perhaps a drive in California is informative. Even motorcycles with a trailer have a 55mph posted speed limit, let alone RV trailers and semi trucks. My drive home from the AS dealership I did 55. I stayed in the right lane and was passed by every vehicle class. When I crossed into Arizona, I continued at the same speed, only I was passed by folks running much quicker than the posted 75mph. I was more interested in learning how the rig performed with the wind surges of the passing buses and trucks than setting a speed record. There are two lanes and one is called the passing lane. Unfortunately, the majority of drivers in the US lack lane discipline and even hog the fast lane at a slower speed.

I really do not care what TV one has, speed just magnifies any issues like a tire issue or avoidance of road debris. The faster one goes, the stopping distances are longer and quicker reflexes are necessary. I bought the AS as a device to enable relaxed seeing of the country side. I have done the faster driving in sports cars and on motorcycles and that faster speed required complete attention to the road, not the scenery. Ever come around a mountain curve and find a boulder in your lane? I have. Faster speed decreases one's options in a hurry.

The math from the gas embargo era was a 10% decrease in fuel economy per every 5 mph increment over 55. So running 65, one could use perhaps 20% more fuel than running 55.