Help..upgrading TT ....tow question

[4mycowboyz]

Wife and I are talking about upgrading from our 23B Jayco Hybrid to an enclosed TT. Thought all was well, but now I'm 2nd guessing.

TV is a 2008 Expedition EL (131" Wheel base, 3.73 rear diff, HD tow pkg, and 8750 tow rating).

We've been looking at several TT's with dry weights around 4700 and gvwr of no more than 6300.

Based on trailer and and the trucks capabilty, I'm assuming a 2000lb buffer is adequate.

What I did not consider (until recently) is trailer length. Many of the units we've been looking at were 29' overall length (almost 7ft more than my Jayco).

Going by the old school Wheel base vs. trailer length calculation, my max should be about 26ft.

Now the confusion... Many mfgs are marketing the ultra lightweights (under 6500gvrw 29-30ft) as towable by full size suv's. Likewise , I see MANY people pulling these 28 to 30 footers w/ durangos, tahoes, expy's, etc.....w/ no apparent issue.

Anyone have experience towing in this manner?

Am I foolish to go from a 26 to 29-30 footer?

The one thing I do not want to sacrifice is towing comfort for a white knuckle drive.

Thanks

[450Donn]

Personally I would never consider towing any TT longer than about 26 feet ever again. My last big TT was a 30 footer pulled by a standard wheel base Ford e350 van. Van had plenty of power, the problem was i could never get the wiggle out of it. No matter what I did. Hated that feeling. Stick with your gut on this one. 25-26 feet of trailer and IF the Exp does have a towing rating of that much??? Then you should be OK. However i would be very suspicious about that number. Generally speaking all tow ratings are with one 150# driver and 1/4 tank of gas using a stripped vehicle. Load yours up like you normally go camping with kids, dogs, ice chests, everything that you will carry and go to the scales. B willing to bet you will have far less weight carrying capacity than Ford claims.

[TXiceman]

The length to wheelbase ratio is a guideline. With an Expy, I would stop at 26' max length just so you will not get to the tail wagging the dog stage. You see people pulling larger with the Expy or Tahoe and so far they are OK. But for comfort and safety, I'd not push the envelope so hard.

Your 8750# tow rating is a maximum and based on a base model truck, no options, accessories, no hitch and only a 150# driver. For every pound you add over the base weight including passengers, you will reduce the tow capacity by the same amount. So to know for sure you need to load up the truck for normal travel with the hitch and full fuel and get it weighed. Now with the GVWR and the GCWR you can determine the maximum you are rated to tow.

Ken

[4mycowboyz]

thanks for the input.

we looked at a 2009 rockwood 2501ss this weekend and it seems to be our choice. The hitch to bumper length is 27'2" which is only a foot longer than our Jayco 23B (26'6" overall). Of course, we're talking/ 1500# of additional weight (loaded 5000 max vs 6500max).

The actual mfg wght (w/ all installed options) is at 5500, leaving 900 for everything else. Our packing habits puts us (maybe) at 500# worst case.

Seems to allow a well enough buffer, but I think I will load up the expy EL and run up to the local Pilot just to put my mind at ease.

The Jayco's pulled like a charm w/o any sway control, but I would be adding that on any larger upgrade. We had a smooth 10hr ride to the smokies (TN) and I'd like to keep it that way w/ any upgrades in TT.

[TXiceman]

I have had TT in the past and used a friction sway control. When we went to the old Silver Streak, I went with a Reese Dual Cam HP. I first pulled the trailer with the old friction sway control and it did wiggle a tiny bit, but I have more than enough truck to handle it.

The Dual Cam HP....no wiggle.

My biggest grip with the Expy is the 5.4L engine. I have not had the opportunity to drive one with the 3 valve design, hopefully it is better.

Basically, the longer the wheelbase and shorter the rear overhang, the better the truck will tow and trailer ride.

Ken