First tow. Equalizer hitch bucking

[dsrace]

Originally Posted by emcee

I think this is probably it. The fresh water tank is in the front 1/3 of the TT so I can add water to that to control the hitch weight. The problem with that is I'm adding to the load on truck which already seems overburdened. Maybe the ecoboost engine would have been a better choice but I was leery of the reliability of the two turbos.

the 3.5 ecoboost is a far better choice vs the 2.7. the twin turbos are reliable but one does need to let the truck idle for 2 or 3 mins ( cool down ) before shutting down, while pulling. if you tow a lot with the truck then change the oil more frequent then the computer states. the oil pass's through the turbo's and get very hot vs the engine temps. ford doesn't use turbo timers nor does any other manufacturer that i know of. i know two guys pulling their lund fishing boats with f150's. one a 3.5 and the other a 5.0. the v8 gets 2 mpg less then the 3.5 does and he's pulling a slightly smaller boat. driving styles play a big role in that as well but both run 75 mph on the interstate following one another to the lakes. the 2021 with the 3.5 has 1800 lbs cargo capacity and the 2022 v8 has 1650 lbs.



i agree with cummins fan on the spring bars adding to the " bucking " you describe. that sensation will happen no matter what, with a tt vs a fifthwheel and can happen with a fifthwheel. i have owned both personally. the drop in mpg's is normal for towing a wind catcher, wind drag can be worse then dead weight behind a truck! i use the anderson wdh with chains vs bars. it is currently on its second bumper hitch and i like it. not everyone may like them but they do work and the sway reduction in the head unit works better then any add on friction bar. the chains don't bounce back like torsion bars do, they don't need to be removed from the trailer to unhitch either.



as far as the suction from passing vehicles, an aftermarket sway bar will help with that and/or a traction bar. i would go with the better sway bar first and then consider a traction bar. i added the ouo traction bars to my truck. i did so as i was experiencing axle wrap as i doubled the rear wheel tq. what i didn't expect and was very happy with, was that the ouo traction bars reduced the suction felt by larger passing vehicles by 90% .


my first tow out with them, as a semi was passing, i moved over as i was preparing to be sucked over like normal lol and nothing. i thought the wind must be coming from a different direction on that stretch of road and continued on. interstate turned ahead and again passed by a semi and again nothing. that was a 9hr drive that day and pleasantly surprised at the reduction.



an aftermarket sway bar will look better then traction bars and may reduce the suction more then one thinks. might be enough to make the tow experience more comfortable or enough.

[dpliske]

Originally Posted by emcee

First off I'm new to TT towing so I have nothing to compare this experience to. We just picked up a new TT today and towed it home with our F150.

The trailer specs:

Hitch weight 598
Dry weight 6265
GVWR 7495

The truck specs:

Towing capacity 9,100
Payload 2098

The hitch = Equalizer 10K
.

The following comments are from my experience only and my opinions are based on my experiences.

First some background.

First trailer was a 2015 Cougar 21 RBSWE and a 2013 GMC 1500, 5.3L V-8, with an Equalizer E-2 hitch.
Cougar: hitch weight 580
dry weight 5200
gross weight 7000
length 26'
GMC: Towing 9600
Don't remember the payload

The truck was great when towing at sea level but not so much climbing mountains. It was tiring driving all day. The E2 hitch was wonderful, no sway and only minor sucking when passed by semi's. After 6 years of towing started having issues with the cooling system and the transmission. Personally I do not recommend towing with a half ton truck.

Fast forward to today.

Trailer: 2021 Cougar 26RBSWE and 2018 Ram 2500 6.7L Cummins, with an Equalizer 4 point sway control hitch.
Cougar: hitch weight 690
dry weight 6728
gross weight 8800
length 30'
Ram: towing 17250 lbs
gross 10000 lbs

I now tow a longer, heavier trailer and I pass semi's even climbing 7000 feet
over mountain passes. I drove back from the Grand Canyon for over 13 hours (never again) and was not anywhere near as stressed or tired as when driving the GMC.

My control arm brackets are 27" from the ball, don't know about the ball height (dealer installed the hitch also) and my trailer is level when towing. As far as mileage goes, I got about 9-10 mpg with the GMC and about 11-12 with the Ram.

IMO you need more truck period especially for the long run.

[Rexlion]

If you want something done right, do it yourself. I can almost guarantee you that the Equal-i-zer needs to be set up better, simply because they didn't both-er to follow instructions. They think they know so much, they're exempt from following mfr specifications... a perfect recipe for error. Back in 2005 when I bought an Equal-i-zer, I'd read plenty of complaints on another rv forum (now a shadow of its former self) posted by owners who had to re-do theirs because of dealers who didn't set up the hitches the proper way, so I read the directions and did it myself. It's not brain surgery to set up an Equal-i-zer, but too many dealership wrenchers think they can do it their own way; they are no better than a doctor who never cracked a book in med school, never got the degree, but hung up a shingle anyway.


BTW, your 5.0L is made to do work. A turbo will let an engine run under heavy load at a lower rpm than a non-turbo engine, but they will both tow. The 5L just needs to run at a higher rpm to reach the higher torque and hp. Don't be concerned that the engine is working too hard just because it sounds loud and faster paced at those higher revs; it's perfectly fine. When climbing a rather steep grade, if the engine can't keep up speed you either slow down or shift down (or both) and let the 5L do its thing.

[Jay D.]

Originally Posted by Rexlion

If you want something done right, do it yourself. I can almost guarantee you that the Equal-i-zer needs to be set up better, simply because they didn't both-er to follow instructions. They think they know so much, they're exempt from following mfr specifications... a perfect recipe for error. Back in 2005 when I bought an Equal-i-zer, I'd read plenty of complaints on another rv forum (now a shadow of its former self) posted by owners who had to re-do theirs because of dealers who didn't set up the hitches the proper way, so I read the directions and did it myself. It's not brain surgery to set up an Equal-i-zer, but too many dealership wrenchers think they can do it their own way; they are no better than a doctor who never cracked a book in med school, never got the degree, but hung up a shingle anyway.


BTW, your 5.0L is made to do work. A turbo will let an engine run under heavy load at a lower rpm than a non-turbo engine, but they will both tow. The 5L just needs to run at a higher rpm to reach the higher torque and hp. Don't be concerned that the engine is working too hard just because it sounds loud and faster paced at those higher revs; it's perfectly fine. When climbing a rather steep grade, if the engine can't keep up speed you either slow down or shift down (or both) and let the 5L do its thing.

EXACLY! I tow a 26' 6500#T/T ready to camp WITH A 2010 GMC 5.3 it tows perfect. you have to let the engine rev up to its max hp and torque when climbing hills. mine pulls great at 3500 to 4000 rpms. letting the engine lug down is the worst thing you can do to an engine, especially if its working. when i come to a long climb i step down on the go peddle the trans shifts down a few times and i hold it at about 3800-4000 rpms thats about 55-60 mph. i then put the wings out and fly!
Jay D.

[THeGAME]

Hi emcee.
First thing I see is that you are way over your towing limit with the F150. Including bare minimum in the truck and unloaded dry weight of the trailer, you are probably over 2000lbs what the F150 can realistically pull, and thats without additions such as water, food, a generator, blankets, clothing, ect.. I say this because there is no F150 made that can handle this weight. Let the arguments commence..


Looks like you got a install of a WD/anti sway hitch. Recheck the set up. You can use google and a tape measure to make sure the dealer wasnt screwing you. Its easy to adjust. Take it slow when driving. Not at all surprised at the "bucking" and labored tow. Also, take a look at your electronic braking control. It might be set too high. Take it down a flat road and play with it and dial it in. That can cause the bucking too.


From here, Id say if you want to pull that thing with minimal worry, you need a bigger truck. Sorry, but thats a fact. Being said, you can still tow it, but its going to put a lot of pressure on the F150, and will probably wear and tear your transmission and engine.


Tips from here:
Drive like you are a blind Grand Ma. Slow and steady, right lane.
Do not put water into it until you get to your site, and empty it before you leave.
Only pack what you need for your trip and split it up between the truck and the trailer, distributing the weight between the rear axle of the truck and the front of the trailer.


Just take it easy and dont over pack. Best solution is to get a more powerful truck. That will open up a world of benefits for you and your new purchase..

[emcee]

Well I went through the hitch setup again and made the following adjustments:

Moved spring bar brackets back to 32" (as per instructions) from 29" (they said they were putting them at 27 but must have changed their minds after I spoke with them). This decreases the effective weight distribution but provides for "the most comfortable tow experience" (less bucking?)

Moved spring bar mount height up one bolt hole so there are now two open holes above and below as per the instructions. This increases the effective weight distribution.

Lowered the truck ball height 1" so the trailer is now level when attached to the truck with spring bars attached. This should increase tongue weight some. I need to weigh the tongue in the future.

The truck height at the front wheel well is now the same before and after attaching the trailer and spring bars. This is perfect per the instructions.


I also learned a bit more about the transmission. In addition to using tow/haul mode (I was) it is a good idea to lock out some of the higher gears (8-10) to keep the rpm's up. This results in cooler engine and transmission temps and higher mpg's.

I don't have another tow planned until the first week of April so I'll report the results after that.

[Jay D.]

I would think the trans should shift down on its own BUT i don't own a Ford SO??? with my GMC when i come to a hill it shifts down on its own to the gear needed keeping the rpms up in the power band. it also shifts down when going down hill with a tap of the brakes.
Jay D.