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Old 06-14-2019, 01:44 PM   #1
dabbill
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First Travel Trailer

Hello from Spokane, WA.

Last month we picked up a 2019 Bullet 308BHS. Here is a picture from the maiden voyage. (other then taking it home from the dealer, and after resetting up the hitch correctly) Dealer had about 1 - 2" rise on the tongue. Made for a fun pull home with 18MPH winds. In this picture we towed it 95 miles one way to visit my father. Towed really well at ~60Mph. Heading out we had ~16Mph tail wind, ended up getting almost 15MPG. Headed home we had a 10Mph head wind. Ended up getting 10Mpg average over the trip.



We will be taking this to San Diego in July for first family vacation in the trailer. Taking 4 days on each end of the trip for traveling. To make sure we are not rushing to get anywhere.



TV - 2017 Ford Expedition (added parts to convert to HD towing).

TT - 2019 Keystone Bullet Ultra-Lite 308BHSWE
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Old 06-14-2019, 04:15 PM   #2
Logan X
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Welcome to the forum!

I bet towing with some cross wind was “fun.” That is a pretty big trailer for an expedition.

There are lots of good people here with good information.
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Old 06-14-2019, 04:19 PM   #3
dabbill
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Welcome to the forum!

I bet towing with some cross wind was “fun.” That is a pretty big trailer for an expedition.

There are lots of good people here with good information.
While I would agree this is pushing the limits of the expedition. It was very stable both directions. Even semi's passing me really did not push me around.
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Old 06-14-2019, 05:22 PM   #4
NH_Bulldog
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What is it with dealers not setting up the hitch properly? We picked ours up 750 miles away at s dealer in OH and had a horrendous trip home. I checked the hitch set-up and it was too high by 2” like yours. The trailer brackets were also different distances from the ball, and the bolts for the ball mount to shank were not tight. After I got it set up and torqued to specs based on the INSTRUCTIONS, it has towed awesome. I should never had trusted someone else with such a vital task.....lesson learned!

Anyway, congrats snd enjoy!
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Old 06-14-2019, 06:02 PM   #5
dabbill
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Originally Posted by NH_Bulldog View Post
What is it with dealers not setting up the hitch properly? We picked ours up 750 miles away at s dealer in OH and had a horrendous trip home. I checked the hitch set-up and it was too high by 2” like yours. The trailer brackets were also different distances from the ball, and the bolts for the ball mount to shank were not tight. After I got it set up and torqued to specs based on the INSTRUCTIONS, it has towed awesome. I should never had trusted someone else with such a vital task.....lesson learned!

Anyway, congrats snd enjoy!
I feel for you. I only had to tow mine ~20 miles. After 6 miles I pulled off and called the dealer to complain. Honda's were sucking me over towards them. I am glad no semi's passed me on that trip. They also did not have enough preload on the WDH. I had to add another washer to mine. I still need to get over to the scales to see if I need to add another washer to the hitch. The service manager was like, "The tech that worked on your vehicle has done 1,000's of hitches with no complaints." Thinking to my self, " I wonder how many people took their trailers home and then tried to sell them, or not towed them any amount of distance, due to the hitch not being setup right." I even told the guy when I picked up the trailer that the hitch didnt look like it was setup correctly. I was told, well that was probably as close as they could get it. The picture in the post is with the ball dropped between 2 and 3 inches. Trailer now has a 1" drop in the front over the length of the 36 foot frame.
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Old 06-15-2019, 05:14 AM   #6
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A away control bar also makes a big difference
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Old 06-15-2019, 07:18 AM   #7
dabbill
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A away control bar also makes a big difference
Yeah. I am not sure I would want to tow any traditional travel trailer with any truck with out sway control.

Here is the hitch that the dealer set me up with.

10K (RB) Fastway e2
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Old 06-15-2019, 08:29 AM   #8
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That is the same hitch dealer setup on the last trailer we had. it two was off and the tow was terrible; readjusted and was some what better but wanted a more stable tow so went with the equalizer 4pt. and wow what a difference. kept the e2 as brackets and pins are the same so as to have spare parts. Call fastway before I bought the hitch to see what the difference would be. They recommended the E4 on trailers 30 foot plus.
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Old 06-15-2019, 07:51 PM   #9
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Congrats on your new trailer and welcome to the forum from SE Texas. When you scale be sure to look at all of your weights. That is way too much trailer for an Expo. Be sure to load it like you will for your Cali trip before you hit those scales. Good luck.
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Old 06-15-2019, 08:05 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by dabbill View Post
Yeah. I am not sure I would want to tow any traditional travel trailer with any truck with out sway control.

Here is the hitch that the dealer set me up with.

10K (RB) Fastway e2

You may want to think about a couple of things in this post;

1) An Expedition is not a "truck" in the truck sense of the word. It is not, and was never meant, to be a "tow" vehicle.

2) The E2 is not an appropriate wdh/sway for an 8000 lb. trailer on the back end of the Expedition....it just ain't.

You've made a trip and had "head" winds and "tail" winds (small)....those are irrelevant. Cross winds. High winds (30 +) will put you in a tailspin at any speed.

Bottom line? Don't be comfortable with that combo or the wdh you have. Neither is up to the task of what you are putting on it.
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Old 06-16-2019, 06:19 AM   #11
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Welcome from Oregon! Been to Spokane a few times on my way to Idaho, beautiful country up there.
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Old 06-16-2019, 06:26 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by sourdough View Post
You may want to think about a couple of things in this post;

1) An Expedition is not a "truck" in the truck sense of the word. It is not, and was never meant, to be a "tow" vehicle.

2) The E2 is not an appropriate wdh/sway for an 8000 lb. trailer on the back end of the Expedition....it just ain't.

You've made a trip and had "head" winds and "tail" winds (small)....those are irrelevant. Cross winds. High winds (30 +) will put you in a tailspin at any speed.

Bottom line? Don't be comfortable with that combo or the wdh you have. Neither is up to the task of what you are putting on it.
While I cannot argue with all you points, but saying an expedition isn’t a truck or tow vehicle isn’t necessarily correct.

It’s a body on frame with a straight axle in the back. Much like any 1/2 truck. I have an 05 Navigator and it was “rated” at 10k towing. I pulled the 06 Sandpiper down the California and back a few times, fairly effortlessly. Over the mountains in Oregon as well when we were “truckless” for a year. (Why I thought we could do that was beyond me)

I will say if you can get a four point hitch (equalizer 4) somehow out of the dealer or send yours back, I would try really hard.

Again, safe and happy travels.
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Old 06-16-2019, 08:12 AM   #13
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It’s a body on frame with a straight axle in the back. Much like any 1/2 truck.

*Ahem* A 2017 Expedition does NOT have a solid rear axle.. it has the independent rear suspension. So, Danny was correct in that is NOT really a tow vehicle, especially for a trailer as larg as the OP's.

https://www.mojavefordbarstow.net/ne...arstow-htm.htm
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Old 06-16-2019, 08:21 AM   #14
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Here is the 2017 Ford Towing Guide for the Expedition. I know you added parts to upgrade towing capability, but please be careful, as that trailer is too much for the Expedition on a good day!
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Old 06-16-2019, 11:46 AM   #15
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Well whiffed on the soiled axle, (thanks for clarifying) but I’ll still stand by that you can safely tow a load that it in it’s ratings.

Describe what a “Tow Vehicle” is. If it has features on it that allow you to tow, then it’s a tow vehicle. Sorry Danny no disrespect.

And yes OP does have to be careful based on the specs of the trailer and his TV. He’s right there, zero wiggle room.
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Old 06-16-2019, 12:49 PM   #16
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Well whiffed on the soiled axle, (thanks for clarifying) but I’ll still stand by that you can safely tow a load that it in it’s ratings.

Describe what a “Tow Vehicle” is. If it has features on it that allow you to tow, then it’s a tow vehicle. Sorry Danny no disrespect.

And yes OP does have to be careful based on the specs of the trailer and his TV. He’s right there, zero wiggle room.

Ha! Don't take it that way. We all share our thoughts and perspectives. And yes, in one respect, as you state, if it has "features" that allow you to tow, it is a "tow" vehicle (word used loosely - and possibly dangerously IMO). But then, to me, a TOW vehicle is one that was designed with that being one of its primary functions; not a bolt on Class II (example) receiver, P rated tires etc. Purely semantics and I think we both can be right in this case.
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Old 06-17-2019, 12:47 PM   #17
dabbill
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Welcome from Oregon! Been to Spokane a few times on my way to Idaho, beautiful country up there.

I was born and raised in Vancouver, WA. Spent lots of time in Oregon.
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Old 06-17-2019, 12:53 PM   #18
dabbill
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Originally Posted by NH_Bulldog View Post
Here is the 2017 Ford Towing Guide for the Expedition. I know you added parts to upgrade towing capability, but please be careful, as that trailer is too much for the Expedition on a good day!

The only thing different between the standard towing and HD towing for the expedition is:

1. Slightly thicker Radiator
2. Transmission cooler
3. 7 pin trailer connector
4. Trailer brake controller


I have added the transmission cooler, 7pin connector and trailer brake. I will be monitoring engine temps closely to see if the radiator is really needed. I have quite a bit of towing experience with a range of trailers / trucks / SUVs.
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Old 06-17-2019, 05:01 PM   #19
dabbill
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Originally Posted by Retired Copper View Post
That is the same hitch dealer setup on the last trailer we had. it two was off and the tow was terrible; readjusted and was some what better but wanted a more stable tow so went with the equalizer 4pt. and wow what a difference. kept the e2 as brackets and pins are the same so as to have spare parts. Call fastway before I bought the hitch to see what the difference would be. They recommended the E4 on trailers 30 foot plus.
Have you seen any documentation that says that? I would like to have something before I got to my dealer with it. I bought the trailer about 1 month go, and have only done 1 ~200 mile tow with it.
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Old 06-18-2019, 08:57 AM   #20
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Have you seen any documentation that says that? I would like to have something before I got to my dealer with it. I bought the trailer about 1 month go, and have only done 1 ~200 mile tow with it.

I just got an answer back from from fastway hitch.



Hi Ryan,

Thanks for contacting us, there is no issue using the Round bar hitch with a 30ft trailer, usually a trailer this long though will have a pretty heavy tongue weight. that hitch is a bit lighter weight hitch, this is why usually a different hitch might be used with a 30 ft trailer. however if your trailer is with in the hitch weight limits then that is totally fine.

Thanks!


So It seems I am not going to have any fighting power to get the 4pt hitch with out paying for it out of pocket.



Here is the response from the dealer.



Ryan
The e2 hitch we installed for you can handle your trailer no problem we
install 100's of them per year and by far the best bang for your buck. The
only thing above the e2 we installed on your trailer which would be the
equalizer e4 hitch with has 4 point sway control which does give a little
more sway control but it about double the cost as the e2. We have had great
success with the e2 as they are actually made by the same company as the e4
and have a great customer response from the e2.



Trailer is rated at ~730 lbs tongue, 6400 lbs dry, and GVWR 7,600 lbs. So its with in specs of the e2 hitch.



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