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I got the new B&W hitch base and wanted to run the truck and trailer across the scales.
One of my biggest concerns was if my 5th wheel would ride level with the higher everything on the 2017. You can see from the picture that it fits fine. I have slightly more clearance between the bed rails and the overhang than before which means the new base is slightly higher than the old one. It's currently set in the middle position. I will have to watch the little lip on the back of the tailgate that pokes up an inch. That is where I had the biggest chance of contact on the previous truck. Going over a bump or into a wash is where the back of the tailgate would just about kiss the underside of the trailer cap before.
The new B&W hitch has brought the trailer forward a little bit. I cranked the truck over as far as I dared and even though that was an extreme angle that I don't think I ever get to in the wild it is closer to the cab. Fortunately I have some adjustment holes available on the trailer so I'll just extend the king pin forward. Should put me back to where I was.
The back end of the truck sags less than the 2011. With the 1.5 inch level on the front I could probably get away without airbags. I will probably install them on the truck just out of habit though. This truck handles the weight of the trailer much better than the 2011 without airbags. No bouncing, chucking or harshness. This same trip with the 2011 showed very clearly airbags were necessary, on the 2017, not so much. Very comfortable and stable.
The tailgate when down comes closer to the trailer. There was plenty of room for me before but now I have to squeeze between it and the trailer. One thing that is going to be a pain is that I can no longer lift up a front door panel on the trailer with the truck attached. We'll see if this is still the case when I adjust the trailer king pin box.
Weights are about what I expected. My trailer is heaviest on the pin when unloaded and overloads the rear axle by 190 lbs. As soon as I load it up it should take about 200 lbs off the pin which will finally let me just squeak inside the ratings. And it's true that the front of the truck starts out weighing significantly less than the 2011. I shouldn't have too much trouble with axle ratings when fully loaded up.
Underway the truck tracks straighter with less effort. Perhaps the front end components were wearing a bit on the 2011 but it would wander just a bit and I had to pay more attention to lane travel on that truck. This one just goes straighter.
Rear end shudder on heavy acceleration is gone. I pulled pretty hard on an on ramp and there was no sign of it. I would have to let up a bit on the 2011 in the same situation. I do miss the turbo sound when solidly accelerating. It was just cool to hear that whine and feel the torque. But having that gone is a good thing. It was one of those failure points things that nagged at me over the last couple of years. My buddy just replaced his turbo and I'm glad I never had to.
Exhaust brake really works. I can hear it and feel it. The rear differential was 140 degrees after I pulled into the truck stop. It feels hot to the hand but I've been checking the temps lately and the rear diff seems to be about 125 degrees just running around town. Hotter than I expected but the towing temp is lower than I expected. This was not a quality test mind you but it's something.
This was a 40 mile round trip that was mostly uphill one direction and then pulling against a strong south wind coming back. Truck got 7.8 mpg. I think the 2011 would have been about one mpg better than that. But this truck is new, tires are bigger and wider and the front air dam has a hole in it. It will take a few trips until I can figure out what mpg this truck will do. Overall the 2011 got 10.4 on average towing.
Trailer looks pretty level! Awesome looking truck. Next up could be one of those gray Fuzion toyhaulers to match. There's a place not too far from you that sells em!
Trailer looks pretty level! Awesome looking truck. Next up could be one of those gray Fuzion toyhaulers to match. There's a place not too far from you that sells em!
It would look good, wouldn't it...
Originally Posted by Dylan01
Nice rig and reporting. Those Next Level Toyhaulers are well built, and HEAVY!
It was funny how casually I picked up this trailer. Unlike Rodney who specifies the steel alloy of the frame and the grade of carpet fiber in his RV, I was in a hurry, as usual, and just needed something bigger. It was December and looked new, dealer wanted to get rid of it, made me an offer I couldn't refuse and I drove away with it. I found out later it would be an awesome trailer. Everything has always worked and the only failure has been an axle and a spring. Those have since been upgraded. And yes, it's heavy. 14,800 unloaded. But who cares? The Ford pulls it without problems.
Looks great. Thanks for the write up. I was having reservations about getting a bigger trailer. Looks like bigger should not be a problem. Just pulled mine 200 miles and it's night and day difference in how well it pulls over my old 08 truck.
Personally, I'd be concerned about being more than 800# over your payload rating. I'd be very concerned about being above the axle rating. It looks like you upgraded your tires, otherwise, you'd be over the 7280# OEM 18" tire ratings as well. Hopefully you don't need to add more passengers and cargo to your truck and the pin lightens a lot when your garage is full.
Personally, I'd be concerned about being more than 800# over your payload rating. I'd be very concerned about being above the axle rating. It looks like you upgraded your tires, otherwise, you'd be over the 7280# OEM 18" tire ratings as well. Hopefully you don't need to add more passengers and cargo to your truck and the pin lightens a lot when your garage is full.
There's nothing new with the trailer. It's a known quantity. I pulled it 20,000 miles over all terrains, temperatures and elevations with the 2011. This truck is more capable in every category.
Epic man that is one GREAT looking setup you have there! I would take a trip or 2 without airbags and see how she does.
Did you happen to notice how the adaptive steering slows down the ratio? I did on mine on a clear back road as I noticed when I swayed it real hard on purpose.
By the way, is that a non extended pinbox on your rig? Holy, and everyone thought I was a rebel not running a slider!
Interesting that it was the hitch height that I was all concerned about. Turns out that is absolutely no biggie. But the hitch position is more forward than the previous. First time I pulled out of storage and turned sharp onto the street I glanced back there and saw that big old trailer cap sooner than expected. It was like, "Well hello there... this is different." So yes, I want to get back that two inches of cab-to-cap clearance that I used to have. I was thinking I had an adjustment hole available on the box but now I'm not sure. Need to start looking into it. Are there extenders of some sort or do I just look for a longer king pin assembly that will mount into the existing box?
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