Truck was all over the place.. need some thoughts

[Kiwi]

Originally Posted by TDI-Minnie

I agree with these two points that were already made:
#1- tires! You need strong sidewalls and I would try them at max pressure and see how it is

#2- ball hight. If the trailer in even slightly nose-high, it will be less stable. I run mine slightly low in the front.

To the second point, you may actually have too much weight distribution OR too little hitch weight. Make sure your tanks are empty and load some cargo forward in the trailer.

Best reply yet to this thread.... AIR UP, NOSE DOWN (slightly).

[chawkins99]

I pulled a Flagstaff 27BHSS with an '03 Expedition for 6 years. Man, was I tired at the end

The flagstaff was around 5000 dry and about 6200 loaded. Had a 10,000lb Equalizer hitch which was setup by the dealer.

Never any problems. Always felt very stable. Even with a blown tire.

I'm not sure I would want to add another 1500lbs to it though.

[zrone91]

I had a 2011 expedition el with tow package. Towed a tt that weighs 7500lbs with a tongue weight of 850lbs. I was within tow rating of 8700lbs and barely within pay load. I also have a Hensley hitch. I just return from a 2000 mile trip. There was plenty of power and braking was no problem. While I did not have any problems I did not feel a 100% comfortable. The truck had a squishy feeling and I do think it was due to the p rated tires and the independent rear suspension. I increased the air pressure in the tires to five pounds below max and that did help a little. I could probably tow this combo all over the country with no problem, but to make me feel better I just traded the expy for an 2015 f-250

[wandering1]

Get a truck with a stiffer suspension. The expedition is not enough truck to control the trailer no matter how many wdh or sway controllers you have.

[Cummins12V98]

I learned the hard way! I was told my setup with load levelers and sway bar were all I needed by a trailer shop. Rolled completely over (that was no fun) and learned I needed more "DOG". Later towed the same trailer with a Dually with no load levelers or sway control and it was a rock solid towing experience.

So you noobies take note when someone tells you your rig will "two just fine" don't believe them unless you really are willing to gamble with your families lives.

[PushedAround]

I towed a 24' racecar trailer (full Reese strait-line dual cam WD hitch) with a Yukon Denali XL. 9,000 lbs and a lot more aero than a travel trailer, and though large enough weight & wheelbase-wise, the Denali was not stiff enough to control the trailer comfortably. Moved everything over to a 2500 Dodge Diesel Mega cab and it was like the trailer was no longer there. Rock steady at 80 mph.

So I am in complete agreement with those who say to get a bigger horse, but if you can't at least see about stiffer shocks, sway bars and real truck tires for the Expedition.

[cimplexsound]

Is the weight stabilizer matched up with your trailer properly? It might be that the stabilizer bar your using made for a much smaller trailer, and cannot handle something this big. I think you should probably see the service techs at State Trailer Supply on this. Because my guess is you need to have your towing and stabilizer setup fine tuned by someone who doesn't have to second guess.

[cimplexsound]

I was behind a small pickup that was towing an unloaded or empty car dolly the other day. Same problem. The car dolly was all over the highway due to a lack of weight. I thought the dolly was going to disconnect from the truck and the dolly and my rig were going to meet. Fortunately I was able to get out from behind him. So I'll never know if the truck jack knifed or not. But maybe it's better I don't know. 😬


1979 Dodge Tioga Class C 24 foot. 1987 Fleetwood Bounder 34 Foot.

[mtnmum]

New to the world of RV ing.
We have a 2013 Jayco Swift TT that weights 2700 lbs empty.
We have a 2006 Ford F-150 5.4L. King cab.
Towing package is 7200lbs.
Will we have any problems towing the camper?

[NFlcamper]

Originally Posted by mtnmum

New to the world of RV ing.
We have a 2013 Jayco Swift TT that weights 2700 lbs empty.
We have a 2006 Ford F-150 5.4L. King cab.
Towing package is 7200lbs.
Will we have any problems towing the camper?

Welcome to IRV2 and my best guess would be NO, no problems. That truck outweighs the trailer and I'm guessing adding all your stuff it would be under the max.

You will get better results starting your own thread instead of tacking on the back of someone else's. I almost thought you were remarking on the OPs problem.

[Kiwi]

Originally Posted by mtnmum

New to the world of RV ing.
We have a 2013 Jayco Swift TT that weights 2700 lbs empty.
We have a 2006 Ford F-150 5.4L. King cab.
Towing package is 7200lbs.
Will we have any problems towing the camper?

Welcome to the forum. Just because the numbers look right does not mean you may not have problems.

1) If you tow tail heavy you can have major problems.
2) If you are towing nose up you can have lots of sway and make it hard to control.
3) If ALL your tires are not aired up correctly (I run the max) you can haave problems.
4) If your hitch is not properly installed, you can have a fight on the road.
5) If your brake controller is not correctly set up, you may have few tools to pull out of a bad situation.

This is not to scare you or deter you, but these rigs are not the same as hooking on a 500# boat and going to the lake.

Note, that I pull a much heavier trailer with a F150. Not a problem if done correctly.

[jbenoit28]

To the original poster. I agree with the comments about ensuring the WD hitch is set properly. Also think those are OEM P Type tires on the Expedition. All that being said I used to tow my 20' enclosed race trailer with our Expedition. Made sure the hitch was set right and it took major pressure from the bars to compensate for the soft rearend. Trailer was about 7000#. It was not at all comfortable towing with this setup. Towed the same trailer with an F250 just on the ball, no WD. Was totally fine. We traded the Expedition for a Excursion...