Finally ready for towing?
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Tuned
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 406
Likes: 5
From: Fox Island, WA
Finally ready for towing?
Finished all of my mods this last winter to put me in my comfort zone for towing over the Cascade mountains with my 25' 6k TT.
I'm still fairly new to towing and only have done relatively flat tows with it the last 2 years within a 100 miles of home.
Now that I'm getting ready to tow several hundred miles with steep grades, i wonder if my setup is good to go as far as towing?
First off my truck and trailer sit nice and flat with my setup. I throw on the equalizer bars for some of my trips, but don't really notice improvement. Are these things helpful even though I don't need my weight "equalized" I guess? Do they help with sway?
Also should I invest in a "Sway" bar for my hitch? I found one for $60 and my hitch already has a ball for it.
I guess my question is anyone's opinions on towing with a rather light light load by these trucks standards, do I really need anything but a simple hookup, or do either or both of these things really help? Thanks!
BTW, going over I-90, Hwy-2 and Hwy-12 this summer.
I'm still fairly new to towing and only have done relatively flat tows with it the last 2 years within a 100 miles of home.
Now that I'm getting ready to tow several hundred miles with steep grades, i wonder if my setup is good to go as far as towing?
First off my truck and trailer sit nice and flat with my setup. I throw on the equalizer bars for some of my trips, but don't really notice improvement. Are these things helpful even though I don't need my weight "equalized" I guess? Do they help with sway?
Also should I invest in a "Sway" bar for my hitch? I found one for $60 and my hitch already has a ball for it.
I guess my question is anyone's opinions on towing with a rather light light load by these trucks standards, do I really need anything but a simple hookup, or do either or both of these things really help? Thanks!
BTW, going over I-90, Hwy-2 and Hwy-12 this summer.
Posting Guru
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,498
Likes: 3
From: Windsor, Colorado
Just make sure your trailer brakes are in good shape. I just purchased a 6k lb TT and it pulls fine without a distribution hitch. I just loaded it up (gear and full water tanks etc) and noticed the X scagging a bit, so I will be using my equalizer hitch just to be safe. I pulled it home in 30-40 mph cross winds and had no issue with sway. Helps to have a solid tow vehicle.
Another note, if you are in strong crosswinds and it seems uncomfortable. Just slow down a little. Makes a huge difference!!
Another note, if you are in strong crosswinds and it seems uncomfortable. Just slow down a little. Makes a huge difference!!
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,993
Likes: 2
From: Bend, OR
Yup, throw the weight bars on. I dont have the sway bar set up, doubt I will ever get one.
I drag this big old girl with me everywhere... She has been down to PHX twice, Denver twice, Santa Fe NM, Bakersfield, all over the damn place.
Point and shoot.
I drag this big old girl with me everywhere... She has been down to PHX twice, Denver twice, Santa Fe NM, Bakersfield, all over the damn place.
Point and shoot.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 18,849
Likes: 179
From: Puget Sound
I've towed that weight many times (White, Chinook, Blewett, Satus, Vantage, Waterville, Manastash, etc... ) with electric and surge trailer brakes. It's a non-event for these trucks. As you get closer to max hitch weight (you're not there with your load), the sway bars and load-distribution hitches are more effective. The tandem-axle configuration helps with the stability, but you couldn't be faulted for playing it safe by adding the hardware. Really check your brakes and make absolutely certain your trailer axle bearings are well-maintained - they are easy to neglect. Even with the stopping power of the brakes on the truck and the "Snake Brake" (decel tune), you don't want a piece of failed trailer brakes on any westbound passes from the summits. Slow down on the Vantage bridge when the sock is up... that's a baddy. If you ever hit my neck-o-the-woods, Bebee bridge is a trailer shredder if the surf is up on the river - best to take 97A through the tunnel.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,243
Likes: 16
From: AZ
Absolutely correct Barney and great advice! The generalization of the "You can go too slow 1000s of times..." is "There are old truck drivers and there are bold truck drivers, but there are no old and bold truck drivers"...saved my sorry *** many times over the past 40 years or so.
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Tuned
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From: Fox Island, WA
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