New 22' FB towing with a Highlander - For now.

[PatSoozy]

In the process of purchasing our first Airstream and hoping that joining this forum is not going to tempt fate too much. We were fortunate to find a late year new 2017 available in our general neighborhood so we could start out with our existing TV, a 2013 Highlander SE. We've towed a lighter, but wider trailer with this previously and seeing as the 22 FB is within the specified limits, will go ahead and try them out together. Our old trailer, which we loved in theory, but had trouble with in set up, was a 2008 Trailmanor. These are very nice pop up / pop out full size trailers which tow nicely when folded down. Unfortunately, every trip we attempted ended up with some serious back pain due to the physical demands of set up and set down.

So, we are going to start over with an AS! This eliminates the pain of set up / tear down AND we added on an electric lift. The only heavy lifting now will be negotiating the WD hitch into the receiver and setting the springs. I directed my questions about that over at the Equalizer Hitch forums. We will let you know how the Highlander works out with the 22 FB Sport!

[rmkrum]

Not to set off a vicious hitch debate, but have you considered a Hensley Manufacturing or ProPride (also designed by Mr. Hensley) hitch system?

I also have back issues, and the one big advantage of these for my tired old back is that hitching up only involves inserting the 'stinger' bar into the vehicle receiver, backing into the hitch head, latching the stinger, and tensioning the WD bars with an easily operated jack. The rest of the connections, like umbilical, etc are like any other system.

The bars, head assembly, and the jacks are installed on the AS A-frame ONE TIME, and do not have to be taken off or stored...

I got rid of an older style WD hitch that required pulling off the bars, a big hitch head, and a snap-over type chain tensioner that darn near broke my leg one time...

Others may be aware of hitch systems that do not involve heavy lifting, but I'm only familiar with the ProPride system (and I really love it...).

[Llittle54]

We tow a 2017 22fb with a 6 cyl Tacoma (tow package) and Blue Ox with zero problems! Go for it!

[dbj216]

Welcome from Colorado: I believe you will find your Sport 22 will tow fine behind your Tacoma. You will want a weight distribution hitch with sway control like the Equalizer you researched. I think you will find your truck will labor up Colorado steep grades. Be prepared to go slow both uphill and down, and watch that temp gauge.

Your new Airstream will last a very long time. We have both a 1986 and a 1975. I enjoy the vintage Airstream hobby. Both trailers are going strong. My son has a 69 Globetrotter 21'. It is roughly the same size as yours, but yours is much better equipped. He tows his trailer with a Jeep Grand Cherokee V8.

It won't be long before you can plan a trip. I'd recommend someplace close by where you can travel secondary roads and spend a couple of nights in your Airstream. It's a good way to learn all about it.

Here we are in Valentine, Nebraska, for an overnight on our way to Denver. We just hook up water, power, and sewer and are perfectly comfortable for the night.

David

[PatSoozy]

Valentine is one of my favorite places!

[PatSoozy]

Llittle54, We’re hoping it will work at least on the flatlands.
It helps to spread the big purchases out over a few years.

[PatSoozy]

RMKrum, I appreciate your experience with this. I will look into the Hensley as an option. Since we are not picking up in the immediate future, we probably still have some options.

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by PatSoozy

RMKrum, I appreciate your experience with this. I will look into the Hensley as an option. Since we are not picking up in the immediate future, we probably still have some options.

You may find that the newer, ProPride design is easier to install as well. No drilling needed.

We tow our 22’ International with a Toyota Tacoma, and the Pivot Point Projection (PPP) design of the ProPride flat out eliminated any sway we had. I really like it!

Lots of discussion on the forums. Have a look around.

Note: Although the Tacoma works, it is slow up the hills. Had I my druthers, I’d tow with a Tundra for a better Hill-climbing experience. The Tacoma needs a bit of patience on steep mountain passes. [emoji3]

[OldExplorer]

I am considering the same set up.
would love to hear how it works out for you.
I keep on going back and forth between the 16ft sport and the 22FB sport.
The dealer told me I would have no trouble with the Highlander and a regular hitch.
I'm not to sure after looking at feedback on the forum from other posts.

Best,

Serge

Originally Posted by PatSoozy

In the process of purchasing our first Airstream and hoping that joining this forum is not going to tempt fate too much. We were fortunate to find a late year new 2017 available in our general neighborhood so we could start out with our existing TV, a 2013 Highlander SE. We've towed a lighter, but wider trailer with this previously and seeing as the 22 FB is within the specified limits, will go ahead and try them out together. Our old trailer, which we loved in theory, but had trouble with in set up, was a 2008 Trailmanor. These are very nice pop up / pop out full size trailers which tow nicely when folded down. Unfortunately, every trip we attempted ended up with some serious back pain due to the physical demands of set up and set down.

So, we are going to start over with an AS! This eliminates the pain of set up / tear down AND we added on an electric lift. The only heavy lifting now will be negotiating the WD hitch into the receiver and setting the springs. I directed my questions about that over at the Equalizer Hitch forums. We will let you know how the Highlander works out with the 22 FB Sport!

[Piggy Bank]

[QUOTE=OldExplorer;2058845]I am considering the same set up.
would love to hear how it works out for you.
I keep on going back and forth between the 16ft sport and the 22FB sport.
The dealer told me I would have no trouble with the Highlander and a regular hitch.
I'm not to sure after looking at feedback on the forum from other posts.

Best,

If by "regular hitch" you mean on the ball without any anti sway or weight distribution, I and many would disagree.

A standard anti sway weight distribution like an Equalizer hitch is not very expensive, is not very heavy (hitch head weighs around 25 or so pounds and the bars weigh around 15 pounds each), and takes only 1 or 2 minutes to connect.

[Piggy Bank]

PatSoozy,

For another great place to check out, look at Mozingo in Maryville, Missouri.

South of Clarinda IA on US 71. Or take I 29 south and turn off between Mound City and St. Joe. It's where that obnoxious left-merge is.

[OldExplorer]

[QUOTE=Piggy Bank;2058874]

Originally Posted by OldExplorer

I am considering the same set up.
would love to hear how it works out for you.
I keep on going back and forth between the 16ft sport and the 22FB sport.
The dealer told me I would have no trouble with the Highlander and a regular hitch.
I'm not to sure after looking at feedback on the forum from other posts.

Best,

If by "regular hitch" you mean on the ball without any anti sway or weight distribution, I and many would disagree.

A standard anti sway weight distribution like an Equalizer hitch is not very expensive, is not very heavy (hitch head weighs around 25 or so pounds and the bars weigh around 15 pounds each), and takes only 1 or 2 minutes to connect.

Thanks I will ask the dealer if he can offer me this set up.
Would you recommend this for the 16 sport as well?

Thanks,

Serge

[Piggy Bank]

Yes because sway control is always a good thing. Even if you don't need the weight distribution.

You will be in the right lane and a semi will be passing you in the left lane. Sway control can make this easier on you.

Know that you can undo the pins and swing out the bars away from the trailer while they are still attached to the hitch head if you are backing up into a sloped campsite and don't need/want the bars creaking.

We had a 22 Sport and pulled with a Tundra. We used an equalizer with that. Husband pulled without for a few short practice runs to see if it made a difference and it does. We use the same equalizer with our 25 Flying Cloud

Another very important add-on is tow mirrors. With the narrower 22 we used the ones that snap onto the Tundra mirrors. These were just OK, as they did vibrate some, and were a bit tricky to get adjusted on the passenger side.

When we got the 25 which is much wider than the 22, and wider than the Tundra, the snap on mirrors were not sufficient. We could not see down the sides of the trailer when seated in the vehicle. Then we got the not-so-good-looking but very awesome performing McKesh mirrors. These strap onto the door frame and stick out pretty far away from the vehicle. We added the convex spot mirror on each one.

This is Mirror Bliss! You can see behind you, and the convex mirrors lets you see merging traffic on an on-ramp, and passing traffic in passing lanes right or left. These are sold on the Hensley hitch website.

[Skybear46]

We too purchased a 2018 Sport 22FB recently and pulled her home with our
2015 Toyota Highlander. Living in Colorado and planning to travel all kinds
of terrain we had concerns with whether we had enough towing capabilities
even though our salesman said we'd be fine. Imagine that. Really like the Highlander too for every day needs. So, we looked at trucks (Tundra, F150) but couldn't get into them for an everyday thing. Ended up trading for a Toyota Sequoia (same chassis and V8 as the Tundra) but with a more comfortable ride. Having an equalizer, solar and V6 batteries installed so haven't pulled the AS with it yet but feel more comfortable with this choice. Good luck with your set up.

[PatSoozy]

Originally Posted by OldExplorer

I am considering the same set up.
would love to hear how it works out for you.
I keep on going back and forth between the 16ft sport and the 22FB sport.
The dealer told me I would have no trouble with the Highlander and a regular hitch.
I'm not to sure after looking at feedback on the forum from other posts.

Best,

Serge

We will let you know. Something to keep in mind is that the 22 FB at least for the current year, is narrower than the 16 Foot Sport. We also purchased additional clip on mirrors and the dealer will be adding a camera at the back (sadly they did not order it from the factory with this addition). Visibility with the 8 foot wide Trailmanor was a concern and we really needed the extended mirrors. The new 22 FB will be about two feet longer.

[PatSoozy]

Originally Posted by Skybear46

We too purchased a 2018 Sport 22FB recently and pulled her home with our
2015 Toyota Highlander. Living in Colorado and planning to travel all kinds
of terrain we had concerns with whether we had enough towing capabilities
even though our salesman said we'd be fine. Imagine that. Really like the Highlander too for every day needs. So, we looked at trucks (Tundra, F150) but couldn't get into them for an everyday thing. Ended up trading for a Toyota Sequoia (same chassis and V8 as the Tundra) but with a more comfortable ride. Having an equalizer, solar and V6 batteries installed so haven't pulled the AS with it yet but feel more comfortable with this choice. Good luck with your set up.

Thanks! From our previous experience with the TrailManor, we think we will be fine as long as we confine our explorations to the flatlands. We are keeping an open mind about a more robust TV though and may trade a sedan for a truck later on if we decide we want to head for the hills or do some wilderness boondocking with a generator.

[PatSoozy]

Well! This has not been a nice winter, but we managed to pick up our Sport 22 FB at the dealership in Minneapolis just in between the latest snowstorms. The AWD Toyota Highlander equipped with an equalizer hitch towed the AS nearly as well as our old Trailmanor with a Reese load equalizing hitch. I much prefer the Equalizer brand for set up and I think it may provide better equalizing and sway control. Even with the extra 1000 pounds and increased height behind us, our MPG was as good as or better than with the Trailmanor.

Granted, yesterday was very nice with very little wind, but driving south and west from Minneapolis back to Omaha provided lots of hills to see how it handled. I'm a lot more comfortable with the idea of keeping the Highlander as our permanent tow vehicle.

Even using clip on extended mirrors, having a rear facing camera was a welcome addition to make that final blind spot check prior to changing lanes. The dealer installed a Furrion brand which comes with guide lines and color zones (red, yellow, and green). Green is good!

[pteck]

Congratulations! The Equilizer is a nice, almost de-facto AS/WD hitch. Many success stories.

You have a great setup between your tow vehicle and AS. Enjoy the combination.

All we need from you now, is pics!

[PatSoozy]

Trying to upload now.....

Originally Posted by pteck

Congratulations! The Equilizer is a nice, almost de-facto AS/WD hitch. Many success stories.

You have a great setup between your tow vehicle and AS. Enjoy the combination.

All we need from you now, is pics!

[PatSoozy]

Why yes it is!