Towing a 27ft camper....

[rusty ol ranger]

If my credit goes through ill be the owner of a brand new 2012 27 ft travel trailer.

I guess the trailer weighs about 6500-7000lbs. Im planning on towing it with a 1977 F250 Camper special with a Stock 400 (that runs like new) and a Auto trans.....im getting a new trailer brake controller along with the camper...heres my question...

I dont forsee needing sway control...but do you think it might be nesacary? Also...do you think the stock frame mounted hitch will be ok with the weight? Its the weight distribution type, frame mounted, and looks as solid as the day it was put on....

Im not to worried about the truck actually pulling it, other the the fact it has 3.07 gears i think it will do just fine, its rated for 9,000 i belive. Plus being the camper special it has all the oil and trans coolers along with the heaiver alternator.

Any tips or help will be appreciated.

later,
Dustin

 

[Tractorman]

A WD hitch will help it handle better. Yes, you could get by without it, but they're about 400 bucks, and just make towing that much better. Many times a WD hitch helps prevent sway by itself.

 

[krazyafterall]

I think you'll be fine. it it does sway you can just let off the throttle and it will more often than no stop swaying. plus a lot of new brake controlers have an anti sway function on them

 

[Will]

I think you'll be fine. it it does sway you can just let off the throttle and it will more often than no stop swaying. plus a lot of new brake controlers have an anti sway function on them

If it's swaying the trailer is loaded incorrectly. I don't know what anti-sway function a brake controller would have.

 

[Ozwynn]

get the WD system. its not that much. I Have a dually with rear air ride and I would still have a WD system for a trailer that long.

the weight of an RV is not exactly balanced side to side to begin with, I would also use one of the those inertial activated brake controllers like these

http://www.tekonsha.com/content/products.aspx?lvl=2&parentid=1400&catID=1435 &part=0

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Ditto on a good WD hitch set up properly.

I tow a 30ft 2012 Prowler Shadow Edition travel trailer with my 08 Superduty. The trailer weighs in at 7900lbs dry weight.

I use a Husky Centerline WD hitch that has a built in sway control, it is an awesome hitch.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I bought sway control and the whole setup off craigslist for 250 bucks, it didnt handle it bad but it did get a lil hairy in a crosswind....i havent got it hooked up yet but will shortly.

One more question....is a tranny cooler nessacary on a C6?

I have the tekonsha "voyager" brake controller.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

I would put an extra cooler on it for sure.

 

[Ozwynn]

Oh yeah.......... i would run the one raptor transmission sells with the fan and temp guage....... or find one from a 6.0l powerstroke..... although that might be overkill...... if I were you I would consider a manual swap or an E4OD (so you have torque converter lock up capabilities) ....... I would definetly get a trans temp guage though.


I like the voyager brake controller...... I used to haul a 23,000 pound boat with a 2000 International 9400 and thats what I used for the brake controler..... its also what i got in my dually.

 

[94 lngbd]

An easier way to hook up the chains for the weight distribution set up is to have the trailer hooked to the ball of hitch, THEN raise the front of trailer with trailer tongue jack. This takes the pressure off of the chains & allows you to have them tighter & make the truck/trailer more level.

What size tires are you running on the truck?

May want to regear to a 3.54 or 3.73.

3.54should be fine for both towing & fuel economy. 3.73 better for hauling & towing ,but will effect your fuel economy much more.

My mom & dad had a 24 ft 1972 Prowler trailer that they bought brand new & in 74, Dad bought a new Dodge truck 1/2 ton & it had 3.23 gears. He had the 440 engine & A/T. Truck alone he got 14-16mpg, pulling the trailer it dropped down to 12mpg.

Around 86 some ass ran a stop sign & T-boned the bed of the truck & also bent the rear end. We located a 3/4 frame & running gear & swapped all the front & rear suspension & that gave him a Dana 60 with 4.10 gears.

Now he could pull or haul damn near anything & had the power to do so,BUT he then got 9-10 mpg empty or pulling to hauling.

Tire size makes a difference as he went from 29" to 33" & he then was getting 13mpg truck alone.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

It just has the stock tires on it. I can actually get away from a stop with it pretty quick even with the 3.07's, on steep hills i can still keep 45-50 without to much trouble.

Ill put a cooler on it, never towed that much with an automatic so im just a lil nervous about it. I would use my 78 1 ton to pull it around (its a lot more capable being a Dually with 4.30 gears and a 4sp ) but the ol lady desnt like it that much.

later,
Dustin

 

[Ozwynn]

I'll sell you my dually....... it rides like a starship....... well it did before I got the bags.

 

[Will]

The C6 is physically strong but the shifting is garbage. I'd recommend letting off a little before it shifts to reduce the shock load while towing. Basically it releases a band and then quickly grabs a clutch as opposed to grabbing the clutch with the band engaged and then releasing the band. There's nothing you can do about the converter heat unless you swap in the E40D and then set up a way to manual control the converter clutch. I'd just make sure the rpms were up near peak hp on hills. Torque makes heat and heat kills. Holding it in second and letting the rpms do the work will mean a much easier life for the tranny and cooling system. The current tranny cooler is in the radiator and if the engine is running easier the tranny will be cooler too. I've never put an auxiliary tranny cooler on anything, I just don't beat on it.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I bought the biggest cooler o reileys had, its designed for over 10,000 lbs

Still havent got the sway control hooked up....definatly need it though....thanks for the tips on the C6 though will, it seems to be ok but im going to put the cooler on it anyways...

heres a question....with a trans cooler will it let the engine run cooler cause the radiator isnt trying to eat up the heat from the engine and trans?