Travel Trailer Towing Experiences?

[westcliffe01]

I have a dodge Ram 1500 with the 3.7 V6. Rented a 4000lb travel trailer in MI and towed it to Colorado and back. Got right on 10mpg and at the time gas was $5/gal Ouch ! It worked out to 50c/mile.... ~5000 mile round trip = $2500 for gas alone. NOT a cheap vacation.

The problem was, that when renting a trailer from one of the large outfits, you need to get in at least 1-2 weeks prior to departure with the reservation. I left it too late, or perhaps I should say that my vacation was granted "last minute".

You will save a ton of money and take a lot less time getting to your destination if you can rent closer to the destination. It will also save a lot of wear and tear on your vehicle.

Meanwhile I bought a fairly new HiLow trailer off ebay and while in the same weight range it is no higher than the pickup roof when lowered. I now get 14-16mpg when towing at speeds up to 70mph, so it is a huge improvement. My truck still sucks when going over the rockies and in some places like Mesa Verdi there are hills that need first gear. Its the engine and rear axle combo (3.5:1). 6 gears, but 4 of them are too high for hills...

 

[Diamondpilot]

I have a dodge Ram 1500 with the 3.7 V6. Rented a 4000lb travel trailer in MI and towed it to Colorado and back. Got right on 10mpg and at the time gas was $5/gal Ouch ! It worked out to 50c/mile.... ~5000 mile round trip = $2500 for gas alone. NOT a cheap vacation.

The problem was, that when renting a trailer from one of the large outfits, you need to get in at least 1-2 weeks prior to departure with the reservation. I left it too late, or perhaps I should say that my vacation was granted "last minute".

You will save a ton of money and take a lot less time getting to your destination if you can rent closer to the destination. It will also save a lot of wear and tear on your vehicle.

Meanwhile I bought a fairly new HiLow trailer off ebay and while in the same weight range it is no higher than the pickup roof when lowered. I now get 14-16mpg when towing at speeds up to 70mph, so it is a huge improvement. My truck still sucks when going over the rockies and in some places like Mesa Verdi there are hills that need first gear. Its the engine and rear axle combo (3.5:1). 6 gears, but 4 of them are too high for hills...

Very good post. You proved all the points I was trying to make. The air drag is more lethal than the weight and the 3.42 and 3.55 gears are no match for any hill but do ok on level land.

I had posted about pulling a 10,000# boat with a 3.55 geared F-150. It did ok around Indiana which is flat, not good but tolerable. I got in Kentucky with real hill and some heat and the thing literally would not make it up on hill, probably a 20% or more grade, and I had to use 4Low to get the gearing in my favor for about 2 miles.

Chris

 

[westcliffe01]

I should add that I about burnt out the clutch on mine trying to back the trailer into a site at Mesa Verdi. At about 8500ft the engine has no torque whatsoever and combined with the high rear axle ratio and reverse gear meant that the only way to stop it bogging down while backing up "uphill" was to slip the clutch. The cluch stank to high heaven by the time I got over the curb and up the rise into the site.

With a 4.7 or 4.8 rear axle ratio it would have been much better. Unfortunately, mine is straight 2wd so no low range which will obviously help greatly with this kind of problem. Won't help with the hills on I70 though. Its good asphalt and only AWD is acceptable. Run 4WD and you will likely wind up the drivetrain due to slight mismatching of the tires front to rear.

 

[jwstewar]

Very good post. You proved all the points I was trying to make. The air drag is more lethal than the weight and the 3.42 and 3.55 gears are no match for any hill but do ok on level land.

I had posted about pulling a 10,000# boat with a 3.55 geared F-150. It did ok around Indiana which is flat, not good but tolerable. I got in Kentucky with real hill and some heat and the thing literally would not make it up on hill, probably a 20% or more grade, and I had to use 4Low to get the gearing in my favor for about 2 miles.

Chris

I'm feeling pretty good about my Chevy 1/2 ton. We are vacation. We live in South Central Ohio and just went down to Lake Cumberland. Left there this morning and now we are in Lexington at the Kentucky Horse Park. I'm pulling our new Jayco 32 BHDS travel trailer. It weighs 8,000 lbs empty. We planned on keeping it loaded pretty light, well once we decided to go for a week, that went out the window. It is now loaded heavy, except I have avoided hauling water. I've been able to keep it between 55 & 60 most of the way. A few spots I hit 65 and then some of the hills I had to drop down to 45 in second gear. There is one hill I have to drop to 35 MPH because of the length otherwise the temp starts to rise. This is a 99 ECSB 4x4 w/ 5.3 and 3.73 gears. I've checked the MPG twice on the fill ups. I'm getting right at 9.2 MPGs. I don't think too bad with 2 adults and 3 kids in the truck.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I'm feeling pretty good about my Chevy 1/2 ton. We are vacation. We live in South Central Ohio and just went down to Lake Cumberland. Left there this morning and now we are in Lexington at the Kentucky Horse Park. I'm pulling our new Jayco 32 BHDS travel trailer. It weighs 8,000 lbs empty. We planned on keeping it loaded pretty light, well once we decided to go for a week, that went out the window. It is now loaded heavy, except I have avoided hauling water. I've been able to keep it between 55 & 60 most of the way. A few spots I hit 65 and then some of the hills I had to drop down to 45 in second gear. There is one hill I have to drop to 35 MPH because of the length otherwise the temp starts to rise. This is a 99 ECSB 4x4 w/ 5.3 and 3.73 gears. I've checked the MPG twice on the fill ups. I'm getting right at 9.2 MPGs. I don't think too bad with 2 adults and 3 kids in the truck.

Yea, your truck with the 3.73 gears is in a whole other league as the OP with the 3.42 gears. As you stated it dropped down quite a few gears and to 45 mph, just think of how it would be with less gear. Driving 55-60 with a load or not will really improve your mpg. That is where the manufactures set up the vehicles and get the claimed mpg on the window sticker. With everyone driving 75-80 mpg really drop. The instance I talked about having to use 4 wheel low was at Lake Cumberland in 2004 at Alligator II dock. I bought a F-250 Diesel 3 days later.

I will be coming your way tomorrow. Heading to Tennessee to Lake Norris. Check it out if you have never been there. We used to go to Cumberland 3 times a year since 1986 but stopped going 3 years ago and will probably never go back since finding Norris.

 

[npaden]

Well, I ended up doing something that I didn't even list as an option in my original post. I ended up going out and buying a used 18' (or 22' depending on you you measure it) travel trailer. It doesn't make sense financially, and it is going to be harder to deal with pulling it up and back than it would be to just rent one there, but my dislike for renting things overcame my common sense.

I pulled it back from Austin today (left this morning at 5AM and got home at 6PM) and it did pretty good. Ended up getting 9.3 mpg which isn't as good as I had hoped but there is 2,750' of elevation gain from Austin to Lubbock (500' to 3,250') so I think that had something to do with it.

I left it in 3rd gear except a couple expirements in drive and kept it at 65mph for the most part (I let it get to 70 down the hills and dropped to 60 going up the hills). I had 2 hills that it ended up in 2nd gear on and if they had been much longer I would have had to slow down under 55 mph (3,500 rpms in 2nd gear). It peaked at 99 degrees on the drive home so it worked fairly hard.

750 miles on the clock today with 375 of those pulling the trailer home. It didn't have an equalizer hitch or sway control bar and it wasn't too windy so it wasn't bad, but I did go through a storm right at the end that confirmed that it will be on order Monday morning. Empty weight is 3,700 with just barely over 500lbs of hitch weight. That worked okay with an empty truck bed and no other passengers or cargo, but I'm sure I'll have some more weight in the truck on my trip to Wyoming so I'm getting a 501 - 800lb weight distributing hitch for it.

Here's the truck and trailer at the house this evening.

Lot's more pictures and a little more detail on my blog if you are interested - Nathan's Blog

 

[Bird]

buying a used 18' (or 22' depending on you you measure it

Travel trailers are measured for overall length, although the actual overall length may vary a foot or so from what the manufacturer calls it; e.g., my first one was called a "24RB" (rear bath) but actually measured 25' 3" overall. Even when a truck can easily handle the tongue weight, dips or humps in a road can cause a lot of bounce that a load distributing hitch will prevent, and you definitely want a sway control. I've talked to many, many RVers who wrecked their first travel trailer and said the dealer didn't tell them about sway controls, only the load distributing hitch.

Incidentally, having driven from Dallas, through Wichita Falls, Amarillo, Raton, NM, to Denver a few times, I sure understand about the elevation change. Your truck seems to be working harder (and it is) when the road appears to be level.

 

[Todd_C]

You made a wise move by not towing a 7,000+ travel trailer with your setup to your destination. My dad bought my 01 Silverado Z71 with 3.73 gears last year. He bought it because he sold his 3/4 pickup. This spring my mother purchased a Jayco EXP travel trailer that is approximately 7,000lbs to take to Florida to visit family in the winter. Of course the dealer informed her that my old 1/2 ton could tow it. They took the trailer 100 miles south down I-81 in VA (appalachian mountains)for the first outing. This section of interstate has a lot of elevation changes for our area and the pickup constantly changed gears between 2nd and 3rd to maintain 50-60mph. There were times when the engine stayed between 3k-4k rpm for several minutes to keep the truck from going under 45 mph. The truck got 7mpg on two trips with the camper and the camper was straining the truck.

My dad ended up getting a 2500 Duramax since they have planned to take the travel trailer to Florida this winter. I'm not advocating a new truck but the new truck made a huge difference and gas mileage is now running between 10-12mpg depending on the wind.

 

[npaden]

I've been trying to talk the wife into getting a 4wd Tahoe instead of her truck and letting me get a 3/4 ton pickup for a couple years now. She is sticking with her pickup and my company car is a Trailblazer so I can't convince myself that I really need the 3/4 ton pickup in addition to her 1/2 ton pickup. I would like a 5 or 6 year old plain jane 3/4 ton truck to haul my tractor back and forth to the land. Then I could buy a bigger trailer and then I could buy a bigger tractor!!! I'm afraid it would end up being a pretty expensive pickup by the time it was all said and done!

 

[Todd_C]

That sounds like what happened to me. I started out with a TC 30 that my 1/2 ton was able to tow well. Then I traded the TC 30 for a TC 40, which didn't agree with my 1/2 ton Silverado. I then bought a heavier trailer and then just last fall a Dodge 2500 CTD. It never ends. Deer hunting is now costing me about $500 per pound!

 

[Diamondpilot]

Keep us informed on how it goes. I would love to see real world numbers once you get in the mountains and with the 1,000# of stuff you will take with you.

Chris

 

[wkpoor]

I'm feeling pretty good about my Chevy 1/2 ton. We are vacation. We live in South Central Ohio and just went down to Lake Cumberland. Left there this morning and now we are in Lexington at the Kentucky Horse Park. I'm pulling our new Jayco 32 BHDS travel trailer. It weighs 8,000 lbs empty. We planned on keeping it loaded pretty light, well once we decided to go for a week, that went out the window. It is now loaded heavy, except I have avoided hauling water. I've been able to keep it between 55 & 60 most of the way. A few spots I hit 65 and then some of the hills I had to drop down to 45 in second gear. There is one hill I have to drop to 35 MPH because of the length otherwise the temp starts to rise. This is a 99 ECSB 4x4 w/ 5.3 and 3.73 gears. I've checked the MPG twice on the fill ups. I'm getting right at 9.2 MPGs. I don't think too bad with 2 adults and 3 kids in the truck.

The 5.3 was/is supposed to be an upgrade from the 5.7 but I don't think it has the grunt the 350 has. My bro has a 1500 w/5.3 and he talks about how it has more ponies but in reality its less with a load. I routinely pull 10K plus with the Express 1ton and it does well IMO for the measley 5.7 I've got under the hood.

 

[sandman2234]

My old 91 bowtie pulled trailers like they weren't back there, but the newer 01 just doesn't even come close. Nothing like spec'ing a truck out for what your going to do with it, versus buying one from a friend who doesn't need it anymore. Difference is 350/4.9 and 373/3.42. I did learn that the tow/haul button had better be used dispite the awfull effect it has on the mpg and just the general transmission operation. It won't work long if you try to pull a trailer in O/D.
David from jax

 

[wkpoor]

I really don't get the whole Tow Haul thing on the 1/2 tonners. If they would just put the 4L80E tanny in all the gas trucks they could do away with that. Besides in yrs past all you did when you tow was simply put in 3 instead OD. Why did they need a special sw for that?

 

[npaden]

The tow haul button is simply a switch that tells the truck to take longer before switching into the next gear. I.E. normally it might switch from 3rd to Drive at 2,500 rpms but if the tow haul button is pushed it waits until it gets to 2,800 or 2,900 rpms before making the switch. It does this in each gear and keeps the transmission from hunting gears as frequently and keeps the transmission cooler.

 

[wkpoor]

The tow haul button is simply a switch that tells the truck to take longer before switching into the next gear. I.E. normally it might switch from 3rd to Drive at 2,500 rpms but if the tow haul button is pushed it waits until it gets to 2,800 or 2,900 rpms before making the switch. It does this in each gear and keeps the transmission from hunting gears as frequently and keeps the transmission cooler.

Well I still don't get it because auto trannies will delay shift depending on the load as a natural function. If you mash the throttle each gear will run out further till the manifold pressure drops enough for the next higher gear. My 4L80E runs out the gears just the same under load and throttle setting.

 

[npaden]

Not sure about your transmission, but the GM pickups shift noticeably different with the tow haul button engaged vs. when it is not engaged even pulling the same load. I've actually forgot to push the button when pulling a heavy load and it shifted much earlier than when I had the button engaged.

Here's a description I got from google.

Tow/haul mode enables the operator to achieve enhanced shift performance when towing or hauling a load. When tow/haul mode is selected, the tow/haul switch input signal to the body control module (BCM) is momentarily toggled to zero volts. This signals the powertrain control module (PCM) to extend the length of time between upshifts and increase transmission line pressure. Cycling the tow/haul switch again disables tow/haul mode and returns the transmission to a normal shift pattern.

 

[jwstewar]

The 5.3 was/is supposed to be an upgrade from the 5.7 but I don't think it has the grunt the 350 has. My bro has a 1500 w/5.3 and he talks about how it has more ponies but in reality its less with a load. I routinely pull 10K plus with the Express 1ton and it does well IMO for the measley 5.7 I've got under the hood.

I had a '97 w/ the 350 and 3.73. It was an ECSB. I traded it for the '99 w/ the 5.3 and 3.73, also an ECSB. Both were 4x4s. The '99 will walk all over the 97. Pulling the same load (a 30' camper) the '99 will pull it faster (not that you necessarily want faster, but it is also nice to beat a turtle) and smoother than what the '97 did. Since I bought both new and pulled the same load, I feel I can give better insight than some who say, well so and so pulled this load and it did this.

 

[wkpoor]

Engine aside we conducted towing tests between my 1ton w350 vs his 1/2ton w327 and the 1ton felt much more solid and stable. The 1/2ton shuttered a little starting from a stop, and thats with a lower first gear. I didn't see where the 327 had any power edge. Maybe if we had tested with 10K load but problem there I know I wouldn't be able to even hook my equipment trailer to his truck with putting the bumper on the ground. He pulls a 6000 lb boat with his and the tongue load is light in comparison. Also I doubt that 4L60E can take a heavy load for long without problems. That is the 700R and they got a good low 1st gear but not too stought for the long haul.

 

[jwstewar]

OK, so you are comparing apples to oranges. A one ton vs a 1/2 ton towing. Yes, of course the one ton is going to do better. I owned 2 like trucks. That is a fair/valid comparison. The 5.3 will out tow the 5.7.