Towing Question on Wheelbase

Sorry if this is the wrong location for this question, but, I need some knowledge from those that tow a lot. I currently have reserved an army green 22 Crewmax limited tundra with the tow package and air suspension with the short bed. I know that having a longer wheelbase is ideal for towing. I am planning on using this truck to tow around a roughly 28ft travel trailer. My question comes in, will losing out on the extra foot of bed and slightly shorter wheelbase greatly affect the towing stability? Everything I have seen so far is that this truck tows really well. I just want to know if me being inpatient and not wanting to wait for a standard bed to become available will impact the handling and towing performance?

 

IMO, as long as you set the trailer up correctly with the truck (tongue weight, etc) you'll be fine.

 

What kind of trailer? A 28 foot ultralight will be nothing for that truck. Some old school beast travel trailer may be a little more noticeable but still won’t be a problem for it.
I towed a 27 ft jayco with a 1990 Range River Classic (short wheel base) not the ideal tow vehicle but the the trailer and hitch made it doable

 

Would there be a noticeable difference when towing or not really?

 

We have been looking at an imagine bunkhouse style. Gvwr sits just shy of 9k lbs/ uvw about 7k.

 

That’s a nice looking trailer, my thoughts would be to go longbed with tow mirrors but I don’t think u will have any issues with the shortbed either.
Get a good weight distribution hitch and u will be just fine.

 

Thanks, yeah we think so, should have room for the whole family to have space but, not a monster either.

Yeah, planned on the hitch either way, I just wasn’t sure if there would be any kind of noticeable difference or not between the two. I don’t have a huge amount of experience with longer trailers. I assumed the short could tow fine based on weight, I just wasn’t sure on handling and stability.

And thank you for the advice and thoughts!

 

Yeah, I am not super concerned on the payload part. Tongue weight from my understanding is generally 10% of the trailer weight. So lightest 700 lbs heaviest 900 lbs leaving 600 - 800 lbs for myself, wife, and two kids. So enough weight still for a bit of gear in the bed and plenty in the trailer itself.

But, overall length is a concern for me as well because parking and limitations on camping spots, especially in national parks. But, I don’t think the foot difference really affects me either way in that department. Total length is either roughly 53 ft or 54 ft. So either way over 50.

 

Personally, I try to keep half ton truck trailers below the 24 footer mark. This is because I really only see two possible scenarios with something bigger:

1. The trailer will be too heavy for payload. This doesn't stop lots of people and they will rave how it tows fine. It may well tow fine, right up until there's a crap situation to deal with and you find the tail wagging the dog because the trailer is just too much for the truck. How strictly you follow the manufacturer's guidelines is up to you, but the consequences are on you too.
2. To keep within payload at 28' you will have a really light trailer that can be influenced by wind more than a heavier unit. This makes towing a white knuckle affair and can be challenging for a half ton truck to keep stable. There are tools to help with this, and it's preferable to option 1, but I'd still go for a smaller trailer.

Generally, people need to decide for themselves where their priorities lie. Do you have to have a Tundra, or do you have to have a big trailer? If the Tundra is the priority then I would suggest buying a trailer more suited to it. If the trailer is the priority then I would suggest buying a truck more suited to it.

 

quick math on 900+800 is 1700lbs. On a truck with a 1350# tow rating. Where’s the extra weight left over for gear in the bed? Your already 450lbs over max payload.

 

It’s good info. Some really don’t know, or don’t care. As for the original question though, that foot of wheelbase won’t make or break the towing experience. Longer wheel base tends to ride a little nicer, more room between bumps that cause NVH. They have longer turning radiuses too.

 

I do appreciate the info, that is why I came on here as I don’t have a ton of experience with a travel trailer yet. The hitch weight is sitting at 720lbs now. Just about 10% of the dry trailer. So I realize once adding in additional gear and what not that will go up, but, I am just not overly concerned with the payload on the truck.

 

The 900 and 800 are not apples to apples. 900 would leave 600 In available payload assuming a 1500 payload. In reality I think it will be closer to 1400 based on everything else I have seen. But even at that, with pax and close to 2klb of additional weight in the trailer because the dry weight is closer to 7k. I just don’t see a huge issue on payload based on the numbers. Maybe I am missing something though.

 

Not annoyed, maybe slightly hijacked but it is all in the same area so all good info.

Essentially the truck would be my daily driver, I just really don’t see the need to have a 1 ton truck as a daily driver when I am hauling a travel trailer once a month over a weekend or for a week long trip a couple of times a year. The tow capacity is obviously there, payload is close, but, I don’t think I am worried about it. The only thing that seems to be an issue is the length based on the old guideline of wheelbase to trailer length. So I just don’t have the experience to really say it would be an issue or not. I may try and look around to see if I can find a standard bed though with the configuration I want that will be available sometime soonish. It sounds like although not a huge huge deal. The extra foot of bed will help.

 

Wheelbase matters most just before you get crossed up in an "Oh Sh!t" situation. Heavy braking and sway control are where it's most important, the better ride is noticeable.

 

I have a 2017 2wd crew max and tow a 31 foot travel trailer 7500 uvw plus a weight dist hitch.Tows pretty well,dont think you will have any issues .

 

I completely agree with your math there. I guess my thought is, 680lbs for myself and my wife, that is about 300lbs and two kids combined at least currently are only another 100lbs so call it 450lbs in people. Most of the gear would then get stowed in the trailer itself. Which would mean I am only adding 10-15% of the weight to my payload. So about 200 lbs available for additional weight in the trailer or roughly another 2k lbs in additional trailer weight.

 

Very happy with my set up ,added airbags to even her out.Tounge weight was 1150 lbs.

 

The air bags only work well when I am towing to raise the truck rear end a little.Makes the ride worse when Im not totally deflated.Weight distribution hitch is a must and I also have a sway control too

 

Oh absolutely I am planning on going to a CAT scale. Probably both unloaded and loaded on the trailer to make sure I am not way off on the weight.

Again I really do appreciate the info and advice. Do you have any good resources on the WDH? Since you said dealers don’t actually know it?

 

That is a nice setup! So no issues for you? That is the short bed correct?

 

Air bags just raise the back end up so it’s not squatting. That’s it. Does not add any load carrying capacity. Also adds stress to a point on the frame not originally engineered to carry the weight if equipped with leafs. Not sure how much that matters. Weight distribution hitch is obviously a must. Several different designs and several price points. Ran the EZ lift chains on my last trailer. Got the Reese Equilizer style this time. The bars ride in a cradle that has friction material on the base like a brake pad. Acts as the sway control. Really like the way it rides VS. the chains and separate sway bar style.

 

Pic of mine on semi level ground and setup pretty close to optimum. Trailer weighs 8100# as loaded now with a 915# tongue weight. Over my payload with a camper shell, myself and the two dogs. Have about 150# in the bed of the truck as well. Probably 200-250# over rigged like this.

 

Tundras with factory air suspension were engineered for that exact thing. Tundras with leafs were not. If your truck comes with air suspension to help level the load, great. Adding it to a truck that didn’t have it will help level it out, but that’s it. It shouldn’t be used to fix what the weight distribution hitch isn’t doing. That means you have too heavy of a tongue weight, the wrong WDH, or it isn’t setup properly.

 

Which Imagine bunk house trailer are you looking at getting? You said it was about 28’ so I’m assuming it is the 2400BH. I have the 2800BH and after a couple of seasons with my 2016 Tundra I went to a 3/4 ton truck. If it is the 2400BH I believe it would be a reasonable choice. If it’s the 2800BH I can list out my experiences and why I believe it is too much trailer for a 1/2 ton.

 

Is that the actual hitch weight as measured by you or is that what either the brochure or salesman says?

 

Been towing a 28’ Airstream for 7 years now. A little over 14k combined weight. 1325lbs of payload & come in under axle ratings. Rig tows solid with NO sway at all. Airstreams are very aerodynamic and tow more easily than a box trailer. I use a Reese straight line hitch & transfer about 200lbs to the front wheels & trailer wheels. Find a CAT scale & dial in your hitch. Having said that, I wouldn’t want to tow much more weight. Eyeballing the 2022 myself & waiting for some hard data from people towing.
I don’t think the wheelbase of the long bed will make much difference at all as the current wheelbase is sufficient. I do however think towing 9k for any distance is a little much.

 

I’ve always kept my speeds under 65mph and my OD turned off. I also don’t use the cruise control. That way I can control the truck and make the transitions smoother. Carry a little extra speed down a hill to use going up the next so I’m not braking down a hill and 2nd gear WOT up the next. Helps with MPG’s also. I’m always amazed to hear people dragging their trailers at 80mph everywhere

 

It would be the 2800 is what we were looking at. I guess I incorrectly stated 28ft. The box is 28ft but with the tongue a few feet more.

 

I know the airstreams are on the lighter side, do you know how much just the trailer weighs?

Also, just curious, what makes you say towing 9k over any distance would be a bit much? With a tow rating of over 11k it seems like it should handle the weight fine? Or is it the weight combined with length?