Will I be okay towing all this?

bluebombersfan · Jun 17, 2013

Camper axle? The camper is on the back of my truck. I got a 1000lb camper sitting on the back of my truck. I'm no genius but that tells me I don't need more weight on the ass of my truck.

I agree 10-15% is ideal tongue weight but if a truck is already got yard of soil of weight in the back I would think it should be common sense that a lesser tonge weight would be ideal.

4.0B2 · Jun 17, 2013

Ah it's a bed camper?

Regardless, if you don't have enough tongue weight on the trailer, things are gonna get scary and dangerous. The weight on the truck from the camper is not gonna help you pull the trailer. You need 250 pounds or so tongue weight.

bluebombersfan · Jun 17, 2013

Why would say 250lbs? that's 25%, they always recommend 10-15%. I have towed stuff with the proper 10-15% tongue load and seemed to drive very well.

4.0B2 · Jun 17, 2013

Ok. Fine. 10-15% lol.
I'm used to heavier loads I guess.. All the companies I've worked with/for have said 250lbs but that might be bc of the loads we had.

gw33gp · Jun 17, 2013

I tow a race car in a low profile, enclosed trailer all over the country. The trailer, accessories and race car total to about 3500 lbs. I also have about 800 lbs. of other gear on the bed. I always keep from 325 to 400 lbs. tongue weight. Anything less than that creates a tendency to sway at higher speeds. I usually keep it below 72 mph just to get better gas mileage.

The helper air springs do a good job of keeping the rear from sagging a lot. I also pump up the rear tires to around 45 psi or more depending on total weight on the axle. So far at over 154,000 miles on my Ranger it has held up well to all the towing. I do have a 31 spline axle with larger wheel bearings that help but you should still be OK.

I also have a 5 spd manual transmission. I never tow in 5th gear. I tried that with my 89 Ranger 2.9L and almost burned up the transmission. It got so hot I could not shift gears. Fortunately, once it cooled down it worked fine again. It had a Mitsubishi transmission in it and differs from the Mazda transmission. Maybe the Mazda transmission can take towing in overdrive but I will not risk it.

bluebombersfan · Jun 17, 2013

Well I don't think its fair to say you should never tow in fifth gear because I believe it depends on what you are towing right? Like me for example if I am towing just my 1000lb boat I would imagine towing in 5th would be okay. But if I have my camper on my truck and towing my boat at the same time then I believe 5th would be unwise.
I think my truck weighs about 3500 lbs. That would be very sad if it couldn't handle an extra 1000lbs in it's 5th gear without problems.

gw33gp · Jun 18, 2013

I am not saying you should never tow in 5th gear. I am saying I will never tow in 5th gear. I am sure there are conditions when 5th gear is fine to tow. I just will not risk it after my one time experience.

Towing in 4th at 72mph does just fine and maybe I am sacrificing some gas mileage but I doubt it. I average 14.5 mpg when towing and I don't think 5th would improve that very much.

bluebombersfan · Jun 18, 2013

I have a scanguage and I think it may use 1-2 more mpg towing in 4 th. But if I ever had your experience I would never tow in 5th either.

My last 2.3 96 ranger couldn't tow my boat in 5th gear even if I wanted to. I had a smaller 14' aluminum 25hp boat. Even when I tried 5th gear I had to keep it floored just to keep 100km/hr.
Now I have a bigger 06 3.0 Ranger and a bigger 16 foot aluminum boat. When I tow it in 5th gear it feels like my old ranger in 4th gear towing the smaller boat and I never had any problems that's why I just stick to whats seems to feel okay and what I'm used to.

pjtoledo · Jul 17, 2013

bluebombersfan said:
I know what your saying about the tongue weight but when you have a 1000lb camper on the back of your truck already I don't think I need anymore. Which is why I was going to try to make the tongue as close to nill as possible then that way my truck should handle it all okay.
I have a total 1400 lbs for cargo and passengers. Its usually just me and a friend (400lbs) plus the camper (1000 lbs) then hopefully I can get the trailer weight next to nill like I said and I should be okay.

Having experianced trailer sway, having seen trailer sway end badly......
YOU NEED PROPER TOUNGE WEIGHT!!!!!!!!

I have seen poor weight distribution cause uncontrollable sway as slow as 45 MPH.

you need it for steering
you need it for stopping
you need it for stability

Perry

Will I be okay towing all this?

bluebombersfan

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4.0B2

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bluebombersfan

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gw33gp

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