Towing Catch 22

[95TLC]

Newbie here making first post. I have read many pages of towing information on these forums and am feeling a little confused. It seems the best advice is to make sure you know your travel weights of TV and AS to be sure you get the correct WD hitch setup. This assumes you have your AS and TV already at your home and can get to the CAT scales and do your measurements. I will be purchasing a 25FB , from a private seller, about 180 miles from my home and will need to get it back home to make all the appropriate measurements so I can select the correct hitch and set it up correctly. What about getting it home the first time? The good news is that I have a strong TV (2016 F250 Diesel) but will be right at my Class 5 hitch tongue weight limit of 850 lbs (without weight distribution). Is towing it home driving below speed limit, etc. advised or should I do something different? BTW, I am in south Texas so no mountains, steep passes or anything like that between home and where I am picking up the AS. Tallest things on the horizon are fire ant mounds.

I know the risk is mine, but would appreciate some feedback.

[Acheron2010]

You will be fine. Head out early in the morning (or whenever the wind is calm), take your time. Deep breaths.

[Piggy Bank]

Before you go make sure your trailer hitch ball is the right size for an Airstream. It may not be.

THAT would be a problem.

[95TLC]

I should be covered on the hitch. I have a B&W hitch with 2 and 2 5/16 balls on 2.5 inch shaft. My boat weighs about as much as the AS but does not have the tongue weight of the AS.

Thanks for the reminder about the ball size!

[waninae39]

your fine

the F250 is more than enough for both pull and toe weight for that vehicle
go visit CANAM RV in london ON. they have very good video on towing
feel free to call andy ( the pres) ask him any towing question. He knows all the answers

good luck and have fun );

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by 95TLC

Newbie here making first post. I have read many pages of towing information on these forums and am feeling a little confused. It seems the best advice is to make sure you know your travel weights of TV and AS to be sure you get the correct WD hitch setup. This assumes you have your AS and TV already at your home and can get to the CAT scales and do your measurements. I will be purchasing a 25FB , from a private seller, about 180 miles from my home and will need to get it back home to make all the appropriate measurements so I can select the correct hitch and set it up correctly. What about getting it home the first time? The good news is that I have a strong TV (2016 F250 Diesel) but will be right at my Class 5 hitch tongue weight limit of 850 lbs (without weight distribution). Is towing it home driving below speed limit, etc. advised or should I do something different? BTW, I am in south Texas so no mountains, steep passes or anything like that between home and where I am picking up the AS. Tallest things on the horizon are fire ant mounds.

I know the risk is mine, but would appreciate some feedback.

Weight is not going to be an issue for the F250. But, weight balance can be important for the trailer axles. IMO, the most important thing to pre-set before you go is the ball height, set so that the trailer rides as closes as possible to level so that the trailer axles are loaded similarly. If the hitch is set too high or too low it can overload one of the axles and/or tires. This can contribute to sway if the tongue is too low, taking load off of the rear axle.

If your present hitch does not allow for adjusting hitch ball height, you should think about getting one that does.

The hitch ball height is given in the trailer's Owners Manual at the specifications (page 4.4). The setup height with no load should be approximately .5" to 1" higher than the spec, to allow for the rear of the truck sag with the additional load of the trailer tongue.

A link to the manual>
https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...manual-150.pdf

And,
Welcome to the AirForums!

[Bill M.]

You will be fine. But as mentioned you will need the ball height to be correct. Towing tongue up would be bad. You need a brake controller and the 7 pin plug. Which is probably already on the truck. There is no requirement for a WD hitch. You probably need a drop shank for the truck. And the trailer should have a charged battery.

[95TLC]

A W Warn - Thank you for the heads up on the hitch height. Mine will allow to raise and lower but I looked on the manual link (Thank You) and it says "Hitch Ball Height" 19. Wow that seems low. Is that to the top of the ball or bottom? I just went out and lowered mine as far down as it will go and the TOP of the ball is at 22. I expect more than one inch of sag due to the fact that I have Deaver leaf springs on my truck and it softens up the rear-end for a better ride. Keeps momma happy!

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by 95TLC

A W Warn - Thank you for the heads up on the hitch height. Mine will allow to raise and lower but I looked on the manual link (Thank You) and it says "Hitch Ball Height" 19. Wow that seems low. Is that to the top of the ball or bottom? I just went out and lowered mine as far down as it will go and the TOP of the ball is at 22. I expect more than one inch of sag due to the fact that I have Deaver leaf springs on my truck and it softens up the rear-end for a better ride. Keeps momma happy!

That's top of hitch ball and/or trailer hitch socket. There is a section in the manual that tells how to measure.

It's probably good enough to get it home, as long as there is no heavy load inside. Once you get it home, get it set up right.
The height of the hitch will vary with load added to the trailer, tire inflation, tire size, etc. So measuring level after getting it loaded is necessary.

ps:
With the trailer tongue high there will be extra load on the rear axle and tires. You will want the tires inflated to the max stated on the sidewall.

[95TLC]

Thank you. Yes, once I get it home everything will change including the hitch. Even though I don't "need" weight distribution I am going to get a WD/sway hitch. I plan to reduce my risks as much as possible.........too much precious cargo in TV to take chances.......hence the F250.

Thanks again to everyone who replied. I hope, over time, to become a valuable contributer to this forum But until then, I will have lots of questions

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by 95TLC

snip>>...too much precious cargo in TV to take chances.....<<snip

Absolutely!

[out of sight]

Originally Posted by 95TLC

Newbie here making first post. I have read many pages of towing information on these forums and am feeling a little confused. It seems the best advice is to make sure you know your travel weights of TV and AS to be sure you get the correct WD hitch setup. This assumes you have your AS and TV already at your home and can get to the CAT scales and do your measurements. I will be purchasing a 25FB , from a private seller, about 180 miles from my home and will need to get it back home to make all the appropriate measurements so I can select the correct hitch and set it up correctly. What about getting it home the first time? The good news is that I have a strong TV (2016 F250 Diesel) but will be right at my Class 5 hitch tongue weight limit of 850 lbs (without weight distribution). Is towing it home driving below speed limit, etc. advised or should I do something different? BTW, I am in south Texas so no mountains, steep passes or anything like that between home and where I am picking up the AS. Tallest things on the horizon are fire ant mounds.

I know the risk is mine, but would appreciate some feedback.

An F-250 should be able to pull a 25 FB safely at any speed without any special hitches. Just drop it on the ball and you're good to go.

[ShinyPete]

One more thought-be sure to check the tires on the Airstream. If they are older than 5 years or so (DOT code), you might want to make your first stop a reputable tire store. Don't believe the old "but they look fine" line - check the dates. Sitting and making turns is hard on RV tires.

Also, take an air compressor, or at least top them off very soon after you hook to the coach. That 25' probably has LR D tires on it that call for 65 lbs.........

Hope this helps.

[95TLC]

Thanks for the additional reminders. AS is a 2018 model with GY Endurance tires. I am pretty sure those have the higher speed rating.....???

I will also have my compressor with me to make sure I air them up properly.

The AS was purchased by a gentlemen and parked at his daughters home by the dealership as a place for him to stay while he was visiting/helping his daughter through some health issues. So it has not been moved in 18 months and he kept it hooked to shore power and city water the entire time......including now. Anything I should be concerned about with it sitting that long?

[out of sight]

Goodyear Endurance tires have a speed rating of 87 mph. They take 80 PSI.

[95TLC]

Thank you. Is there anything specific you would do considering it has been sitting for 18 months on shore power and city water? I was thinking maybe mild flat spotting of tires which should adjust pretty quickly if I air them up to 80 psi. Tanks are all empty.

[rmkrum]

Drive somewhat slowly starting out to work out the flat spots. Check air pressure and inspect tires for cracking or checking damage. If they look bad or are over 5-6 years old per date code, replace them as a precaution.

[DKB_SATX]

Check the water level in the batteries, top off with distilled as necessary. It sat there on the charger through the hot summer last year, and there's a better than 50% chance the batteries were in poor shape before the dealer delivered them. The (literal) acid test for the batteries would be to use a hydrometer. They'll be fine for the tow home as long as they're not completely toast (the house batteries power the breakaway system) but you should verify their condition before you go off camping.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Regardless of what some say, you do eventually need a WD / anti-sway hitch. You will have to get one sooner or later. It's *much* more relaxing towing with one than without.

I tow both ways (with and without). Past about 55 mph, it starts to become noticeable if I am just on the ball. At 60 to 65 it can get a bit wobbly. So by "take it slow" we're talking about below 50 MPH.

If you have the tools, you can install it when you pick up the trailer. Even if it's just "close" that's going to be *way* better than not having one at all. The whole CAT scale thing is simply a fine tuning process.

You will spend a few hours getting it lashed on. If you need a new shank to hit the trailer anyway, that's a pretty good chunk of the money you will spend on the hitch ......

Bob

[AirstreamCSH]

I'm pulling a 25FB with a 2017 F250 diesel and I'd have no problem whatsoever getting an adjustable height hitch like the one shown below and driving home without a WD. Your hitch needs to be at the correct height to hold your trailer level as the wrong height will cause additional stability/handling issues. It would be a slow drive at speed limit because the trailer will sway uncomfortably as you get faster but your equipment is totally up to the task.

Your 850# rating piqued my interest so I checked the sticker on the underside of the hitch of my 2017 and it shows 1,500# without WD. Hard to imagine there is such a change from year to year so perhaps you are looking at a brochure and not the vehicle itself?

One last point is that when the trailer is hooked to the truck, the rear of the truck gets pushed down causing the front end to rise up. This causes the headlights to point upwards and if the weight shift is enough, it will point them directly into the eyes of oncoming drivers making it look to them like you have your brights on.