*Truck and Towing thread........ask your questions here.*

[Teamubr]

You will be amazed at the difference between the Sailun's and you current tires.

I hope so. I have 3 of them on now. Fed Ex decided they didn't want to deliver the last on on Friday... or Saturday...or today. Tracking now says it will be in on Monday.

I was impressed how much they don't squat. I figured some of that was the load range G compered to an E and 110 psi. I hope the rolling resistance is enough better to see a mpg improvement. We are going out camping again in 2 weeks. We'll give them a good roll then.

As long as they last more than 3 years before exploding, I'll be happy.

j

 

[Sluf]

So the family and I went camping this past weekend. I got off work at 3pm (4 hours early) Friday, got home and packed the last few things, hooked the camper up, and took off to Pigeon Forge. We stayed at the KOA. We decided to make the trip so we could "try out" the camper, the new brake controller, and see how the truck would pull it. I learned a few things on the short trip, which was what I was looking for.

#1, I found out that pulling a 5th wheel is MUCH nicer than anything else I've ever pulled.

#2, according to the trip computer (I know, I know) I got just shy of 12 mpg. Given it was only about 150 miles round trip, that excites me since so much of it was in heavy traffic at low speeds. I'm hoping our Disney trip in February will exceed 12 mpg.

#3, I had the camper set up and ready to go in about 15 minutes.

#4, I learned that for our Disney trip, I'll be hauling cinder blocks and wedges to properly stabilize the camper for the week.

#5, I learned that we're going to have a BLAST in February!!!! 146 DAYS!

 

[tripleb]

Sluf,

A FW does pull nice, doesn't it

Get you one of those tripods that your FW pin sits on. They do a pretty good job of added stabilization. I use ours whenever we are in a campground that has a concrete pad.

The wife and I will be up near Pigeon Forge next week. Actually, just outside Gatlinburg at the Greenbrier Campground. Looking forward to a little cooler weather … gotta be cooler than where we live. (Panhandle of Florida)

 

[Sluf]

Sluf,

A FW does pull nice, doesn't it

Get you one of those tripods that your FW pin sits on. They do a pretty good job of added stabilization. I use ours whenever we are in a campground that has a concrete pad.

The wife and I will be up near Pigeon Forge next week. Actually, just outside Gatlinburg at the Greenbrier Campground. Looking forward to a little cooler weather … gotta be cooler than where we live. (Panhandle of Florida)

Highs in the mid 70s to lower 80s over the next couple of weeks here according to my weather app. Should be comparable in Pigeon Forge.

I plan to get a tripod as well, but I figure I can block it up fairly quickly as well.

 

[Teamubr]

So the family and I went camping this past weekend. I learned a few things on the short trip, which was what I was looking for.

Congrats!

5er's do tow nicer (in my opinion). They just feel more stable. No sway, no tail wagging the dog when getting passed by a semi, no WD hitch to deal with. I found them a little harder to get use to backing. With the pin being over the axle, the pivot point is much different than hanging on the bumper behind the axle. Just took some getting use to.

I'm very jealous of the 12 mpg. I did manage to get 9.4 on the total 2,600 mile Fort/GSP trip and some of that was with the no turbo on the truck and an hour of idling on the side of the road to change a tire and wire up the brakes. Without the troubles, I'm sure I could have managed 9.5...

Have fun and enjoy. 146 days will go fast.

j

 

[Sluf]

Congrats!

5er's do tow nicer (in my opinion). They just feel more stable. No sway, no tail wagging the dog when getting passed by a semi, no WD hitch to deal with. I found them a little harder to get used to backing. With the pin being over the axle, the pivot point is much different than hanging on the bumper behind the axle. Just took some getting used to.

I'm very jealous of the 12 mpg. I did manage to get 9.4 on the total 2,600 mile Fort/GSP trip and some of that was with the no turbo on the truck and an hour of idling on the side of the road to change a tire and wire up the brakes. Without the troubles, I'm sure I could have managed 9.5...

Have fun and enjoy. 146 days will go fast.

j

Luckily (or maybe not) I grew up working on a farm so I pulled a gooseneck trailer a lot. I never pulled it on the road though, as crazy as that sounds. I just pulled it on the farm itself, from the hay/tobacco fields to the barn, etc. The good part of that is backing a 5th wheel is almost second nature.

 

[tiggerdad]

Luckily (or maybe not) I grew up working on a farm so I pulled a gooseneck trailer a lot. I never pulled it on the road though, as crazy as that sounds. I just pulled it on the farm itself, from the hay/tobacco fields to the barn, etc. The good part of that is backing a 5th wheel is almost second nature.

Easier than backing a travel trailer in my opinion. I've adjusted to manipulating my TT, but I can remember from prior over the road driving that the 5th wheel/gooseneck just turned better, by a long shot.

 

[tiggerdad]

Scored a 20,000# capacity Companion hitch for $300. No way I can tow that weight but figured better to not pass it up. I think anyway.



Not lot of room between fuelbox...

 

[Teamubr]

Nice, real similar to the one I have except mine drops into the factory holes. But don't you have a TT?

j

 

[tiggerdad]

I installed a hide-a-ball hitch in it a few weeks back and that's what the Companion is hooked to.

Currently a TT, yes.

Our last trip to Disney we decided enough with the TT. DDs and wife are endlessly complaining they have outgrown the small shower and we have come to realize we have others camping with us quite frequently and more room is being needed. Right now, as long as my girls enjoy camping with me I'll entertain idea of upgrading.

Man coming from north MS tomorrow wants to look at my camper for a hunting lease he has in MO.

I have camping trip booked at GSP next weekend...

 

[tripleb]

tiggerdad, the B&W Companion is suppose to be a very good hitch. And at 300 bucks, you can't go wrong. You may not be able to tow that much weight but you got a hitch you don't have to worry about.

 

[tiggerdad]

It's heavy enough for sure.

We'll see how this works out. Camping World in Jackson has the toy hauler we want, just matter of numbers. Beefing up rear-end in truck as well.

 

[Sluf]

It's heavy enough for sure.

We'll see how this works out. Camping World in Jackson has the toy hauler we want, just matter of numbers. Beefing up rear-end in truck as well.

By beefing up the rear, do you airbags? If so, I bought mine off of Amazon for something like $265. Loadlifter 5000. That's JUST the airbags and brackets. That DOES NOT include the compressor and such. Fairly easy job for the mechanically inclined. It took me about an hour and a half to mount mine.

 

[Sluf]

Scored a 20,000# capacity Companion hitch for $300. No way I can tow that weight but figured better to not pass it up. I think anyway.

View attachment 354816

Not lot of room between fuelbox...

View attachment 354817

My front rail is close enough to my fuel tank that I can't put the pin in from the front without some considerable effort.

 

[tiggerdad]

5000# capacity airbags, Firestone's for $425 but with mail in $75 rebate. I opted not to install compressor for now. I always keep a compressor with me for airing tires so I'll adjust the airbags with that for now. Maybe add compressor later.

For good measure I'm considering increasing rear block from 2" to 4", most likely overkill with the airbags but possibly what I'll do.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[Sluf]

5000# capacity airbags, Firestone's for $425 but with mail in $75 rebate. I opted not to install compressor for now. I always keep a compressor with me for airing tires so I'll adjust the airbags with that for now. Maybe add compressor later.

For good measure I'm considering increasing rear block from 2" to 4", most likely overkill with the airbags but possibly what I'll do.

Decisions, decisions...

My airbags raise my 2001 F250 back to within 1/2" of empty height. I achieved that with about 40 psi in the bags. I ran them on up to 50 psi and there was no change in height, but I liked the ride at 50. For the time being, I don't have a compressor either. I'm in the same boat with you. I'm just gonna take my compressor with me on the road. I do plan to install a 3-5 gallon air tank and plumb everything in with a regulator in the cab so I can adjust the pressure on the fly. It'll take a little bit of ingenuity though. A standard regulator like I plan to use will dump air EVERY time the pressure spikes, such as when you hit a bump, etc. I won't be able to replenish the air over a long period of time, so I'll have to add a check valve in line, with a manual dump after the check. That way pressure spikes won't dump.

I have a 1/4" solenoid valve that I intend to plumb into my external fuel tank as well, with a switch on the dash to start transferring fuel while I'm on the road. I'll probably do the same with the airbags so I can lower the pressure since the check valve will make that impossible.

Kinda off topic, but if I get the same/better mileage than we did on our short trip last weekend, I should be able to make it from Knoxville to Orlando without stopping for fuel!

 

[tripleb]

What year truck do you have tiggerdad? Be careful lifting the rear as you will end up with a nose high FW.

 

[tiggerdad]

What year truck do you have tiggerdad? Be careful lifting the rear as you will end up with a nose high FW.

2012 f250

Increasing block height to same as f350. Just giving her some extra sag room. Good thing about airbags is can adjust to level her out.

 

[PaHunter]

2012 f250

Increasing block height to same as f350. Just giving her some extra sag room. Good thing about airbags is can adjust to level her out.

And you can move the pin box on the fifth wheel to adjust yourself to level if need be. You would have a couple inches of play there also, so no worries. Wow, glad we are in 61 next year for GSP, and not on Toy Hauler Row.

 

[JETS70]

It's heavy enough for sure.

We'll see how this works out. Camping World in Jackson has the toy hauler we want, just matter of numbers. Beefing up rear-end in truck as well.

@tiggerdad We love our toy hauler. Like you, the more room for family and friends, the better. When I was looking for ours, the one thing I wanted was an open concept floor plan. I can have at least 6 people in my Coachman at one time and everyone has a seat in the same area. we can talk and eat together without some having to be separated in the garage area and the living room area. The only thing I would liked to have had was the kitchen area in a slideout to give more usable floor space. We are currently looking at a Keystone Impact 3118. The refrigerator and stove are in a slide and the bed is a walkaround bed. The camper itself is about 5 feet longer. When we went in, we were amazed at the difference the slide and 5 feet made. Good luck with the camper shopping.