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Towing TT Question

6K views 56 replies 15 participants last post by  04whtLE 
#1 ·
I try to avoid the newbie questions here, but I'm new to pulling a travel trailer. Normally the landscaping trailers I have pulled are 18-22 feet. So here goes:

I'm going to Bonnaroo next week with a couple of friends. We have rented a travel trailer to camp in while we are there. I'm picking it up in Nashville and taking it down to Manchester, TN for the festival. One of the other guys rented it and volunteered me to pull it since I'm the only one with a truck. Lucky me! Link below is the same model trailer that I will be towing. It is 37 ft long, dry weight is 6713 lbs, hitch weight is 865 lbs. I will be using a WD hitch. My truck is rated for 923 lbs tongue weight & 9,230 lbs. Anyone see any issues with it or words of advice?

I do have access to a 2017 Titan XD with the Cummins if I need it. That's rated for 1,203 lbs tongue weight & 12,030 lbs. I'd rather not borrow it unless I have to though.

New 2017 Keystone RV Bullet 335BHS Travel Trailer at PleasureLand RV | St Cloud, MN | #1060-16
 
#2 ·
The tail would wag the dog pulling that one. It would be sketchy at best. You would be maxed out completely. No passengers, gear, beer.... I would go for the bigger truck, and it will be plenty for it...
 
#3 ·
that is a long *** trailer, wagging the dog is about right.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Yeah the length is what worries me more than anything. I was hoping for one under 25' or so, not this monstrosity. Probably smarter to just swap out with the XD for the trip.

This weight distribution hitch that I'll be using for the trip has the anti sway bars as well, so hopefully that will help out.
 
#6 ·
WwaThat is way too much trailer for a Titan. That will be a white knuckle drive. Borrow the XD.
 
#7 ·
XD for sure man. Even tho the XD isn't rated to pull much more all the feedback so far has been the XD tows heavy trailers 1000000 times more comfortably. Longer heavier truck just handles it better.
 
#8 ·
Yeah I've already got it set up to borrow the XD for next week. Haven't had a chance to drive one of the diesels anyways, so I'll get to test her out a little. Should be roughly 66 miles in a straight shot.

I don't know much about TT's, but that one seems lighter than I would have thought for how long it is.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Yeah I will definitely be taking it easy. Not going to be in any rush to get there. Slow lane for me!
 
#11 ·
I would do it but take it easy. I am guessing with the higher tongue weight that the axles on the TT are set back so that will help with stability. But 32ft for sure will twist you a little. Passing semis or wind can get sketchy. Whenever my trailer gets out of shape and am quick to apply just the trailer brake manually. Just a little to calm it down.

Hopefully it is a pretty straight shot and not a long haul. Balance the load in the trailer and keep as much as you can over the trailer axles. I would also try to get water when i arrive and not haul a full water tank. Same going home - dump as soon as you can.
 
#14 ·
But 32ft for sure will twist you a little. Passing semis or wind can get sketchy.
Haven't noticed it to be noticeable enough to even think about it.

Of course, maybe I'm just an insane old farm boy who's been towing far more than I probably should my entire life. I do pay attention to ratings now, not that I overly stress about them. Last trip, forgot to put the sway control on until I was half way there. Kids needed a bathroom brake, so since I was stopped, figured I might as well put it back on.
 
#12 ·
You're going to be hating life unless you use the bigger truck. It will be one long white knuckle ride otherwise.

When connecting to a new trailer, budget at least an hour (more like 3) to configure the WDH to the truck/trailer. Is the WDH already set up on the trailer? Access to a tongue scale would be helpful to ensure that you have enough weight on the tongue to reduce the chance of sway.

if it was me, I would try to get a shorter trailer also.
 
#13 ·
I'm 33', 7,600 lbs dry, 830 lbs tongue.

Length of the trailer isn't an issue, actually a longer trailer will track better and pull better than short trailer. Your tongue weight is high, that's going to be the biggest concern. To help with this, be smart about backing the trailer by moving weight behind the axle to not over load the tongue.
 
#15 ·
Not even knowing what configuration is on that 37ft TT you are you to give that advice ...

I would not pull that with my Titan ... I would question it in an XD ...
 
#18 ·
Specs of that TT

2017 335BHS Specifications
Sleeps 10
Slides 3
Length 37 ft
Ext Width 8 ft
Ext Height 11 ft
Int Height 6 ft 6 in
Interior Color Saddle
Hitch Weight 865 lbs This will be closer to 1050lbs fully setup with the tanks dry.
Dry Weight 6713 lbs Dry weight, as from the factory without amenities setup.
Cargo Weight 1887 lbs
Fresh Water Capacity 43 gals
Grey Water Capacity 30 gals
Black Water Capacity 30 gals
Tire Size ST225/75R15D
Furnace BTU 30000 btu
VIN 4YDT33522HD420666
 
#20 ·
Specs of that TT

2017 335BHS Specifications
Sleeps10
Slides3
Length37 ft
Ext Width8 ft
Ext Height11 ft
Int Height6 ft 6 in
Interior ColorSaddle
Hitch Weight865 lbs This will be closer to 1050lbs fully setup with the tanks dry.
Dry Weight6713 lbs Dry weight, as from the factory without amenities setup.
Cargo Weight1887 lbs
Fresh Water Capacity43 gals
Grey Water Capacity30 gals
Black Water Capacity30 gals
Tire SizeST225/75R15D
Furnace BTU30000 btu
VIN4YDT33522HD420666
No one carries that much cargo weight, 1000 is closer to reality 2k on the extreme end. Tongue weight changes is completely dependent on how you load the trailer and no way to predict what it will change to.

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#19 ·
Keeping things in perspective, this adventure is going to be no more than 100 miles one way I think. I have no idea what the terrain is going to be on that route. If that was in Colorado, 100 miles would involve at least one mountain pass and that would make things a bit more difficult, especially in the non-XD Titan.

Does the 2017 non-XD Titan come with a brake controller? As I recall, the XD does come with one and that is a big plus for the XD.
 
#27 ·
Having towed an awful lot of stuff, going all the way back to helping my granddaddy tow a 20-something foot travel trailer with his 4-door 1974 LTD, and having towed big round bales on loboys, and heavy equipment with a dump truck, and a whole lot of other stuff, there are a couple of things I know about trailer towing.

First, longer trailers track straighter and are easier to back. Second, a long travel trailer is going to feel the wind a bit more, but with good sway control, and the overall light weight of that 33, coupled with the sub-70mi one way trip down what is a pretty uneventful interstate I've frequented (because I live about an hour from it, and have for the past 20yrs), I'd have no problem pulling that with my 2011 Pro4X T, with a good brake controller and some time spent loafing it right and setting up the hitch. Third, looking at the weight specs, knowing it's likely to be carried dry or nearly so, the whole thing, with four 225lb guys, gear for a weekend at Bonaroo (which will essentially be some clothes, food, a few lawn chairs, maybe a guitar or two, and a bunch of booze) you'd be looking at the 6800lb dry weight plus about 1300lbs of men (900), food (100), clothes (50), miscellaneous (50), booze (100), and water (200). At that, you're sitting at about 8200lbs, giving a half a ton cushion against the 1st gen T's overall rating. Keep speeds down and keep plenty of room in front of you, and you'll be fine. If you tow it with the XD, you will be easy.
 
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#30 · (Edited)
But having a heavier TV makes a huge difference, regardless of the length of the trailer. I wouldn't put any TT over 26-28ft behind a 1st Gen, period. The specs on a XD are crap but it has the weight to be a good TV, even when it's maxed out. Find the right tool for the job. Try and hook up a 33' TT and drag it around Az when we have 7% grades in 3 of the 4 directions to get out of the valley, it's just asking for trouble. My work buddy was pulling a 27" TT with his 2010 T & absolutely hated it, he went & bought a gasser chevy 2500 & he can't even describe how much better the 3/4 ton does, even with the 6.0L. Again, a stable platform will make a huge difference, even if the power isn't diesel quality.
EVERYTHING when it comes to handling will have an affect on the experience, TV weight, TT weight, height, width, length, ect ect. So to say the length doesn't matter is just incorrect.
 
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#32 ·
The XD specs are misleading. The rear axle on the XD is used in 1 ton trucks. If you go with the Cummins engine, that is actually Cummins bus engine. There are a lot of parts of the XD that they way over killed, what throws some of their specs off is they went with the independent front end to make it drive and handle better. They didn't get carried away over specing it because in some states if you are towing anything over 10,000 lbs you have to have a CDL and Nissan wasn't aiming for the commercial towing market so they just kind of set their numbers in a very safe region and didn't get into the numbers games all the others are playing. That's why all the reviews talk about how well the truck handles heavy loads. I've spent way to much time looking at those things and how they were built, the engineering dork in me can't help be dig in and man they built a very underrated beast of a tow vehicle with the XD.

The only question people may have is how the transmission holds up though as it's a new beast, so that is probably the closest thing to a weak point in it. Will be interesting to see how long term how that holds up.

But again, weight is weight and that is what I worry about towing, length has never bothered me unless it's to short, or the roads just aren't conducive to making turns with the trailer length. I've come close to taking out enough poles with farm equipment that's really long and wheels clear at the back, some of those planters folded up are nightmares to move down a road. A TT is at 30+ feet is a piece of cake in comparison.
 
#40 ·
Wow. Lots of discussion. Here are a few things that I thought may be worth me mentioning after reading the discussion.

1. Will not be loading it down with gear. A few things will go in the trailer, but majority of it will be loaded up in a second vehicle to take to the campsite.
2. Will not be loading up with water before leaving. I am going to try and make it to Manchester before I actually fill up the tanks. So this will keep a lot of weight off for the drive.
3. There will only be one other person in the vehicle with me. The other two will be traveling in the second vehicle with gear.
4. The individual I am renting the trailer from is providing a WD hitch with anti sway. I do not know the brand though.
5. The stretch of interstate is probably as close to straight and uneventful as you could hope for. Very flat with nothing that anyone could consider an incline.
6. I plan on keeping it around 60mph for the duration of the trip. Not in any hurry to get there.
7. I did purchase insurance for the trailer just in case something were to happen. Better to be safe than sorry.
8. The XD is a company vehicle. I work for Nissan. We have "pool vehicles" that we can borrow if we need. I do have insurance through Nissan in case anything were to happen. Don't get me wrong, I do not want anything to happen at all, but there is more piece of mind to me knowing that if it did, I'm not out on my personal truck. I just have to pay the consequences at work. Lol.
9. I have towed landscaping trailers, car haulers, ski boats, and dump trailers full of rock, so I don't consider myself a total newbie at towing. This is just my first travel trailer, and something of this length. I know that is comparing apples to oranges, but I thought it may be worth mentioning.
 
#41 ·
my 2011 titan can't even tow a empty 10' dump trailer without over heating, not sure how you guys all tow travel trailers lmfao.
 
#47 ·
He works for Nissan, it's not borrowing a friend's vehicle.
It would be silly not to take it.
My Friend works for Toyota Financial & has the same type of benefits. We took a tundra to Mexico last year for just the cost of fuel, it was awesome...
 
#48 ·
My BIL works for Nissan and used to be out of Smyrna. He was able to borrow one of the pre-production XDs to pull his camper for a trip which I think was around 28' and said he hardly noticed the trailer back there at all. I also work with another guy that has a 34' or 35' camper that he pulls from South Carolina to Atlanta every other weekend and said it works great for him. He used to pull same camper with a gen 1.
 
#49 ·
After reading this from start to finish all I can think about is this.

 
#50 ·
See, this just proves that wind load's don't matter. If that Jeep would have had a 40ft TT behind it, that would never have happened. :wink:
 
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#51 ·
Newbie tip of the day -- WATCH CLOSELY to overhead lines... don't ask me how I know... Oh well, ok fine. I decided, about an hour, that the kids are spending too much time on internet and tv... and phone lines - who needs those... So i took em out with the camper A/C - perfect!! Pic for your viewing pleasure ;)
 

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#52 ·
^^^ Could have been worse. Wires are probably less expensive to repair that to repair the trailer.
 
#53 ·
lol yup it wasn't bad at all... Just unhooked the cable from the house and cut the phone lines... I don't need phone lines so I'm not worried about those :) Def could have been a lot worse!! If those were power lines... ugh man that would been scary! this wasn't one of my brightest moments... lol and first camper 'ooopsie'
 
#55 ·
So finally back home after the trip. Trailer was no issue at all for the XD. Really didn't even know it was back there for the most part. Averaged around 11.2 mpg when towing it. When I was not towing, I was averaging around 17 mpg. I was very impressed with the XD. It almost makes me wish I had bought one instead of my 1/2 ton. Almost.
 

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