Towing experts: Question about towing long trailer

[ptgarcia]

My wife and I are going to buy a travel trailer this weekend and I'm considering a model that is 32' long from ball to bumper. Its UVW is 6,550-lb with roughly 800-lb tongue weight. I will be using a weight distributing hitch with sway control, a Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller, and Firestone Ride-Rite air bags in the rear. I know the trailer is a little on the heavy side but that is not my concern. My question is will I have any trouble pulling something that long? Will sway be an issue?

[mrmason]

Originally Posted by ptgarcia

My wife and I are going to buy a travel trailer this weekend and I'm considering a model that is 32' long from ball to bumper. Its UVW is 6,550-lb with roughly 800-lb tongue weight. I will be using a weight distributing hitch with sway control, a Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller, and Firestone Ride-Rite air bags in the rear. I know the trailer is a little on the heavy side but that is not my concern. My question is will I have any trouble pulling something that long? Will sway be an issue?

ptgarcia,
There is a lot of discussion about this on the Open Roads TT Forum. You might want to take a look. This thread is about the Titan and towing 5th wheels. http://www.trailerlife.com/cforum/in...g/1/page/1.cfm

[Steamguy]

Originally Posted by ptgarcia

My wife and I are going to buy a travel trailer this weekend and I'm considering a model that is 32' long from ball to bumper. Its UVW is 6,550-lb with roughly 800-lb tongue weight. I will be using a weight distributing hitch with sway control, a Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller, and Firestone Ride-Rite air bags in the rear. I know the trailer is a little on the heavy side but that is not my concern. My question is will I have any trouble pulling something that long? Will sway be an issue?

Ptgarcia,
You say you are using a hitch with sway control... are you by any chance talking about the little brake bar thing that attaches somewhere above the hitch and connects to the trailer? If so, this is for-sure not enough.

With that much length, you need very serious sway control. Likely even the Reese twin-cam that I use might not be enough. In 32 feet, there is a lot of surface area there for the wind to catch plus the lever arm that the trailer can exert against any resistance offered by the truck when you corner. Particularly if you have to slam the brakes and turn. That lever has got to be pretty big in a 32' trailer. A Hensley Arrow might be your only choice with this much length -- if you really want to do this.

Where I live, we've got a lot of high winds and sudden sharp curves. Maybe in your part of the country, things like this aren't so bad, but thinking about this tends to give me the shivers about using our Titan in towing a trailer that's much bigger than what we have now. I've had an accident-avoidance situation, and that 7000# trailer of ours can sure remind you that it carries a lot of inertia. We traded in a Ram 3500 dually for the Titan, and although the Titan is an entirely capable tow vehhicle, it just doesn't carry the tremendous mass that the diesel truck had.

I know you probably don't want to hear that, especially if you're really set on that big trailer. The Titan will tow that trailer, but it's really more a matter of controlling it. You need the mass in front of that big lever arm to give you the margin of safety in control. The Titan is maybe a little too light to properly control it. It IS ONLY a half-ton truck, after all.

All warnings aside, perhaps you might consider something shorter: Take a hard, serious look at what features that 32-footer offers and shop around a little for the same features in a different model. Maybe even head over to the next city. Taking an extra weekend to make up your mind (never mind the pressure from the salesman) can make the difference between getting there all tired out from white-knuckling it, and getting there relaxed and with a good experience from towing with the Titan. There are a lot of different manufacturers out there and they all have different ways of using the space inside the coach.

This is from a guy who's been camping for some 30 years with a lot of different combinations and now tows a 27' Arctic Fox with his Titan.

[ptgarcia]

Steamguy,

Thanks for the info. At this time I don't have a sway control setup, or any setup for that matter. I will be buying everything at once. I am looking at the Reese setup myself. You can bet I will be buying the best.

I'm not sure if you realise the trailer is only 29', with the additional 3' of tongue, and only weighs 6500-lbs. It sounds similar to what you are pulling, albeit 2' longer. I'm not "stuck" on this trailer at all, but am considering it. My likely 1st choice is a 27' (30' from ball to bumper) with 5975 UVW. By the way, both trailers are Aljo by Skyline. I wanted to consult with someone such as yourself before placing my order.

[ptgarcia]

Steamguy,

Have you seen or have any comments on the Reese Dual CAm High Performance Sway Control? It can be seen here at the bottom of the page. Thanks!

[HudsonValleyTitan]

Originally Posted by ptgarcia

Steamguy,

Thanks for the info. At this time I don't have a sway control setup, or any setup for that matter. I will be buying everything at once. I am looking at the Reese setup myself. You can bet I will be buying the best.

I'm not sure if you realise the trailer is only 29', with the additional 3' of tongue, and only weighs 6500-lbs. It sounds similar to what you are pulling, albeit 2' longer. I'm not "stuck" on this trailer at all, but am considering it. My likely 1st choice is a 27' (30' from ball to bumper) with 5975 UVW. By the way, both trailers are Aljo by Skyline. I wanted to consult with someone such as yourself before placing my order.

You'll do just fine with a 29 footer. We just bought a 28' Sunline and use a Reese sway control and a Reese 1200# WD hitch. There are people pulling campers that are actually 32' not including the tongue with no problems.
Of course HOW you drive is EVERYTHING! Slow down and be careful. That truck will haul your 29' TT forever. Enjoy it!

[4x4creature]

Pauly, after you have everything set up ie: trailor controller, sway bars etc etc...go find a nice long open parking lot and test your handling, braking and turning braking at differant speeds and even emergancy stopping, just so you will know how your Titan will respond, and that way If it does happen you will know how to react....and good luck with your new camper.

P.S. I did the same testing with mine before i bought my truck, it was differant then my others but it did well.

[ptgarcia]

Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it. After another day of looking my wife and I have pretty much narrowed it down to a couple, with the favorite being a Thor Jazz 3010RL. You guys have settled my nerves regarding length, now maybe you can do the same regarding the weight. The Jazz is 7790-lb dry, but with only a 700-lb tongue weight. We're getting close to the limits of the truck according to Nissan's provided numbers. Will I be asking to much of my baby with this trailer? Thanks for the help.

[cttitan]

That's more trailer than I would I want to tow with a Titan but hey that is just my opinion. You will probably be looking at something over 9000# loaded and a tongue weight of 1000-1200#. Like you said it will be pushing the Titan to its limits.


Model 3010RL
GVWR 10,000
Unloaded Vehicle Weight 7790
Gross Carrying Capacity 2210
Hitch Weight (lbs) 700
Fresh Water Capacity 56
Black Water Capacity 40
Gray Water Capacity 80
LPG 14 gal
Overall Body Length 34' 6"
* Estimated
UVW does not include non mandatory options, fluids or cargo

[ptgarcia]

Thanks cttitan. Thats what I thought, but its always nice to hear someone elses opinion. Were going to look at a 25' and 26' Jazz tonight, both of which weigh 900-lbs less (6,900-lb & 6,980-lb respectively). Thanks again for the guidance!

[ptgarcia]

Finally, after 3 weeks of looking, we ordered our trailer this afternoon! We ended up going with the 25' Thor Jazz. Should be taking delivery in 6-8 weeks. Thanks everyone for your help. See you at the camp grounds!

[hkusp45]

Send us a pic when you get it!!

[ptgarcia]

You got it!

[Steamguy]

Originally Posted by ptgarcia

Steamguy,

Have you seen or have any comments on the Reese Dual CAm High Performance Sway Control? It can be seen here at the bottom of the page. Thanks!

That looks like a good choice for a setup. I have the one that's just above it, and I really like the performance. I had a 29' Prowler with a slideout, and after driving it once on the highway, I went to a local shop and bought the heaviest setup I could get at the time.

Was there much of a difference? Oh yeah! Truck and trailer rolled like a single unit. So much less trouble with sway, it was incredible. I would even let my wife drive it.

This looks like a great improvement, since on my Arctic Fox I had to mount my cam system backwards because of the gas bottle clearance issue they mention. Maybe when mine wears out...

Anyway, looks like you made a good choice; I'm envious. Just remember that anytime you're accelerating and cornering that you're twice as long and twice as heavy and you'll do fine. Performance driving is not exactly what you want to be thinking when towing.

Looking forward to seeing pix of your rig.

[ptgarcia]

Thanks for the help Steamguy. As a rookie in the travel trailer arena (I have towed boats up to 24' in the past) I value the opinions of those who have a few years towing under their belts. Thanks again!