Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Tech Forums > Towing
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-22-2013, 07:38 PM   #1
Waldo_2001
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Fargo,ND
Posts: 43
First time towing thoughts

I towed the new to me 2011 Hornet 27bhs home today 50 miles in pretty windy conditions and here is what I noticed.

First the TV is a 2011 F-150 6.5 bed with the Tow Max Pkg and P series tires.
My weight distribution is the Anderson Now Sway (fairly new item but I sell them at work so I get good pricing)

I still need to play with the setup I think. The rear end is 1/2 lower than stock height with around the same at the front. Now this is the first time for me towing a large trailer so everything I noticed may be normal.

It felt like the rear end on the truck was loose and the trailer seemed to sway when looking in the mirrors. It was not a white knuckle ride by any means but I thought it would be a little more solid. Speeds were 60 mph and flat ND roads with no trees so the wind was possibly the main issue.

I figure I will make sure tires pressure is at max on next tow and will try to see if I can level the wd a bit more.

I have not done any of the weighing at the CAT scales. Do you just drive up to the scales and do the weighing or are there fees involved?

Thanks
James
__________________
2013 F-250 Crew Cab 6.2 4x4 current
2011 F-150 Super Crew 3.5 eocboost/ 6.5 Bed and Maxtow/ ProPride 3P WD Sold

2012 Springdale 303 BHS Current
2011 Hornet 27BHS Sold
2005 Fleetwood Newport sold
2009 Jayco SLX 184 sold
1995 Starcraft 1021 sold
Waldo_2001 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 05:01 AM   #2
therink
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 1,605
If you haven't loaded the trailer, it will behave much differentonce you have it fully loaded. Once loaded, take it to scale. You should have 10-13 % tongue weight for optimal weight distribution. Once you have achieved this, make final adjustments to you hitch to level out the truck, trailer.
Good luck.
__________________
Steve Rinker
Rochester, NY
2013 Outback Sydney 340FBH (12,280 lbs loaded-scale)

2015 GMC Sierra Denali 3500HD, SRW, Duramax, CC, SB (payload 3700)

https://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/...65/340FBH1.jpg
therink is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 05:30 AM   #3
muddynoll
Senior Member
 
muddynoll's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Westmoreland Co, Pa.
Posts: 133
Putting LT tires on the truck will help with that "loose" or " spongy" feeling in the back end of the truck too. Set up your hitch with the camper loaded to go camping. I helped a friend set up his new equalizer hitch last night. His dealer didn't set it up correctly at all. He called me half an hour later and said it was a night and day improvement. Taking the time to set up your hitch properly goes a long way to helping how well your rig will handle on the highway.
__________________
2004 F350,CCLB SRW 6.0Powerstroke, 4.30 Gears, Curt 1,500 Lb. Hitch with sway control *2017 Fuzion Impact 312, Sailun S637 Tires 2011 Passport 2910 BH, 2006 Jayco 232, 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 5.9L, ReeseDualCam, Prodigy P3
muddynoll is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2013, 05:56 AM   #4
audio1der
Senior Member
 
audio1der's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Airdrie, Alberta
Posts: 552
^ Agree with all the above. I don't know why they put tow packages on trucks, and then leave the P tires on, with their spongy sidewalls- grrr!
Any time you spend leveling and setting up your WD hitch for YOUR application will pay dividends. Move the hitch head angle etc one notch at a time until you feel it tows best.
As for weighing, most highway scales are free; you simply drive on, one axle at a time, and record your weights. Then drive across w/o the trailer so you can precisely calculate your tongue weight.
__________________
2013 Passport 3220BHWE, upgrade axles, Kumho Radial 857's, all LED, TST507 TPMS, Reese DCSC, DIY corner stabilizers
2012 Ram 1500 Sport crew cab, Hemi, 4x4, 3.92 LSD, factory brake controller, S&B CAI w/scoop, Moroso air/oil can, 87mm ported/polished/knife-edged throttle body, Magnaflow exhaust, 180* t-stat, Rear lowered 2", Airlift 1000.
audio1der is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2013, 06:41 AM   #5
Waldo_2001
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Fargo,ND
Posts: 43
Thanks to everyone for there insight. I went out last night to check all the tire pressures for an up coming first camping trip. I guess the dealer did not think they need to put air in the tires for me. The Camper tires were at 30 pounds so I put them at 65psi which is max cold and my truck was at 30 pounds (my fault) so I put them to the to 44psi. I can only assume now it will tow MUCH better.

James
__________________
2013 F-250 Crew Cab 6.2 4x4 current
2011 F-150 Super Crew 3.5 eocboost/ 6.5 Bed and Maxtow/ ProPride 3P WD Sold

2012 Springdale 303 BHS Current
2011 Hornet 27BHS Sold
2005 Fleetwood Newport sold
2009 Jayco SLX 184 sold
1995 Starcraft 1021 sold
Waldo_2001 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2013, 09:05 AM   #6
GaryWT
Senior Member
 
GaryWT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: MA
Posts: 3,153
The tires on my F150 ar 35psi max, can't wait for them to wear out so I can upgrade to something a little more solid. They have 55k on them so I cannot complain other than the fact they are "P" tires.
__________________
2013 Premier 31BHPR
2014 F350 6.2L
Soon to be just DW and I
GaryWT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2013, 10:25 AM   #7
Randy_K
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Cambridge Ontario
Posts: 249
For me if I have just the trailer I run 55 lb in my truck tires. If I have my motorcycles in the back of my truck I run 65lb. For normal driving I run at 50lb.

I needed new tires anyway so I upgraded before I even had the TT. I don't think I would want a softer sidewall.

Randy
__________________
Randy

2010 Ford F150 Screw, E rated tires and Air Lift
2013 Passport Elite 23RB
https://i483.photobucket.com/albums/r...ps749334ca.jpg
Randy_K is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2013, 12:00 PM   #8
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
Quote:
Originally Posted by GaryWT View Post
The tires on my F150 ar 35psi max, can't wait for them to wear out so I can upgrade to something a little more solid. They have 55k on them so I cannot complain other than the fact they are "P" tires.
Gary, If your tires are Goodyear Wrangler AS/T, the max inflation should be 44PSI. Check the tire itself, along the rim you'll see a "max load *** at 44PSI" molded into the sidewall. The truck doorjamb sticker lists the recommended pressure for "normal operation" on the yellow sticker. If you carry more payload than "normal" then you should increase the PSI in your tires. If you have a different tire than the Goodyear's, then you may find a different "max pressure" molded in the sidewall. I haven't seen a P-metric tire with a "Max" of 35 PSI since about 1995 or so.

If you find the 44PSI rating, you should consider increasing your inflation when towing. It should help significantly with sidewall roll.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2013, 05:07 PM   #9
fla-gypsy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: North Florida
Posts: 1,241
Quote:
Originally Posted by Waldo_2001 View Post
Thanks to everyone for there insight. I went out last night to check all the tire pressures for an up coming first camping trip. I guess the dealer did not think they need to put air in the tires for me. The Camper tires were at 30 pounds so I put them at 65psi which is max cold and my truck was at 30 pounds (my fault) so I put them to the to 44psi. I can only assume now it will tow MUCH better.

James
I think you will see improvement. When the trailer is loaded up reset the WD hitch and you will find it more accommodating
__________________
2006 Keystone Hornet 29RLS (The Cracker Cabana)
2009 F-250 SuperDuty CC 6.8L/4.10 (The Black Pearl)
fla-gypsy is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 12:45 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.