Towing TT - Nebie widsom needed

Yup, subject says it all. The last few weeks I’ve innodatted myself with towing info. I wake up and see things on my ceiling like GCVWR, GVRW, GVAR, payload, hitch weight. You get the idea.

What I’m curious to know; if using a 1/2 ton to pull say a 20-22” travel trailer, would any of you be focused on buying one with a dual axel setup vs single or does the comfort/need of a second axle have nothing to do wth the tow vehicle?

Here’s another one: say the trailer has a dry hitch weight of 400 lbs(I know it’s meaningless) and a GVWR of 45000. Since payload is going to be an issue with my Tundra (only 1240 and that’s before my camper shell), say the dry hitch weight is 400 lbs, and I load another 500 lbs in the trailer. How much more does my hitch weight increase by the 500 lbs I just loaded in the trailer? Is there a typical % I should be calculating?

I will for sure go by a CAT scale before heading out on any kind of trip with whatever trailer we end up getting to confirm.

Thanks for everyone’s towing and trailering widsom. Everyone’s gotta start somewhere, right?

 

Moved your thread to the Towing & Hauling section.

 

Oops! Thank you Pinay.

 

No worries! I’m sure you’ll get an answer soon enough.

 

I have a 22’ travel trailer that has a loaded weight of about 4500 lbs and dual axles. My tongue weight is about 500 lbs. Generally, you want your tongue weight to be between 10-15% of the loaded trailer weight so that you limit sway and porpoising. If you put 500 lbs of stuff at the very front of your trailer, you increase more tongue weight than if you put it in the very back (behind the axle). So you have to distribute the weight wisely. You can actually feel the difference towing a balanced trailer vs imbalanced.

I like dual axles because I think they carry and distribute the load better. They tow about the same and maneuver the same as single axles. If you get one flat tire, you still have 3 to help you make it to a safe spot off the road. About the only downside is cost. You buy twice as many tires, service twice as many bearings and brakes, and you get charged more on toll roads with dual axles.

 

I tow a 20ft. Dry weight 3500. Gvwr is 4775. Pulls just fine. Distribute it wisely and u will be good. Percentages? Somebody else can chime in. I will be towing this trailer this weekend with my wife's 4runner because of roof rack, so will be driving slower and distributed differently.

 

Forgot to add that I use a WDH. It’s just as important as a good brake controller.

 

Thank you both for your comments. I’m getting the feeling with how much weight I’ll be putting in the cab alone with the family, I may just need to start looking at pop up trailers or a new truck complete. I have zero towing experience outside of small ATV trailers and the last thing I wanna do is be unsafe on the road for my family and everyone else around me.

 

With a good WDH, how much hitch weight can be moved off the truck and put back to the trailers axles, ballpark?

 

I don’t have an exact answer for you. A properly set up WDH will shift the weight to the front axle of the truck and part of it to the trailer axle.

I have about 500 lbs tongue weight. About 650 lbs passenger weight (including driver) and I put about 150 lbs of bicycles in the bed. That’s about 1300 lbs payload and maxes me out on paper. But I tow it very comfortably and feel like I have very good control. Much better than when I towed a lighter popup trailer with my suv without a WDH.

if your trailer weighs 4500 and you load it with 500 lbs of gear, then your loaded weight is 5000 lbs. assume about 12% tongue weight as a general idea and your tongue weight is 600 lbs. You are left with 600ish lbs of payload capacity. With a good WDH, you can run right up to those numbers safely. Guys on this forum tow much bigger trailers with loaded weights around 8000 lbs. The tongue weights would be at least 800 lbs. I would not do that with a Tundra. But the numbers you’re considering might be doable.

 

Hi, new here. When you look in Tundra owner’s manuals at all the various GVWR, GCVWR, TWR and Payload info they never make it clear if they are starting from the perspective of the Tundra with no fuel or will a full tank. A 38 gal tank weighs 228lb. Do you know if you need to subtract this from the quoted payload to determine the weight capacity you have? (I have called my dealer and talked to two people thus far and they do not know). Thanks, Stephen

 

Welcome and I think the payload is with a full tank of fuel. So that should not come off your payload. That’s what a dealership told me

 

I pull a 26’ that weighs around 6k I believe. It is tandem axle and the Tundra handles it great. I think a good rule of thumb for weight is to only get to about 75% or 80% of the max towing capacity.

 

Payload is based on full tank of fuel.

Tundra has plenty of towing capacity but the payload is the limiting factor. In fact, it is the lowest of 1/2 tons. I know people will flame me now. They’ll say it’s more reliable and won’t break down on the side of the road like others. Some will say that the payload is underrated and you can exceed it easily. I like my Tundra, but I have to call a spade a spade. Our trucks have the lowest payload ratings of the 1/2 tons.

 

Yup. Well said. Everything/everyone has their Achilles Heel.

 

I'm a newbie also as far as towing. I'm looking for a toy hauler to carry at least 2 bikes, possible 4. I'm definitely looking for a double axle. As above said, if you get a flat, you can limp with the other 3.
the numbers for the trailer I'm looking at are:

• UVW=4180
• GVWR=7574
• hitch weight=574
• CCC=3394

the 4 bikes are 1627 lbs. I believe the Tundra will handle it well. definitely a WDH.
I wish our trucks would have higher payloads.

 

I currently tow a 22' travel trailer with a dry weight of 4500 pounds and a max weight of 7500 pounds. I usuakky have it loaded to roughly 6000 pounds for most trips. My truck tows it very comfortably with no issues. I will say that I am way more comfortable towing this year vs. last year( first year towing a travel trailer). The biggest thing I had to get used to is how wide the trailer was(8'). On my first tow I must have been checking my side mirrors about every few seconds to make sure I was still in my own lane. Eventually I got used to towing it and knowing where my truck needed to be while looking forward to know where my trailer was at between the lines. With that said, in my opinion, extendable towing mirrors are a must (and required in some states). I wasnt even able to change lanes when I brought my travel trailer home the first time due to not having tow mirrors. Also, if your camper is prewired for a back-up/anytime camera, I would buy the camera. It is so nice to be able to see the back of the camper to know with out a doubt that you are able to change lanes without cutting someone off.

 

These are the specs for our new to us travel trailer that we are taking out next week to raystown lake. It’s our maiden voyage. Previous owner bought it, let it sit, the water line froze and burst and flooded the back end. About half the floor was rotted. NOTHING has ever been used in it. I offered the dealer 4500 and they took it after it sat on the lot for 8 months. I spent a weekend ripping out the floor and laying a new one. It’s absolutely like new now.

Anyway, any advice on what to expect with towing this rolling brick is appreciated. I have the built in trailer brake And a weight distributing hitch. I have towed utility trailers and pop ups for years.....but this is a new animal. Spec states 4950 lbs GWVR

 

Make sure your trailer brakes are adjusted properly on the trailer and that your brake controller is adjusted properly. This will make the difference between white knuckle emergency stopping and stopping with confidence. When I bought my new camoer I had to set my brake co troller gain to 10, and it wouldnt even lock up the trailer brakes. Never assume that the trailer brakes are properly adjusted from the factory!

 

Yep, I have them set. Did that at the dealer before heading home. It is set at 8 right now. But will test again after installing the WDH

 

I never noticed much difference between a dual and single axle while towing. Single axle seemed to cut corners better when backing up. I prefer tandem axle, without the load spreading suspension. Why? Super easy to change a flat. You can drive the TT up onto a block with the good tire, bad tire comes right off the ground. No jack needed.

As for additional weight, put your heavy stuff on the ground, right over or slightly in front of the front axle.
There is no formula to calculate, you need to weigh. Your local RV place should have a tongue weight you can use. I would imagine with 500lbs of gear thoughtfully loaded, you're not going to come close.

 

Good luck. I broke my hitch where you angle the ball.

 

Thank you. This is kinda info was what I was looking for.

 

How well does your factory trailer brake controller work hauling your camper, I am buying what will be about the same setup and have heard that my ‘16 Crewmax has some issues with the trailer brake controller. Trying to figure out if I need to look into purchasing an aftermarket controller. I live dead smack in the middle of the Colorado Rockies with nothing but steep hills and curvy bumpy roads so I need my brakes!!!

 

I actually have not pulled my TT with the 2018 yet lol. I had a 2017 that had the factory controller and it was less then impressive. I would generally have the gain set to 8ish or 9ish and it worked but it always seemed like at that level of gain it should be working a lot better lol. So yes the factory controller works good enough for my weekend warrior towing. But it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to upgrade to an aftermarket controller eventually.

Actually after rereading your post that you live in the Rockies. Yes I would plan to upgrade. we have some hills in Arkansas but nothing like y’all do lol

 

I'm also going to be a TT newbie! Looking at getting a Rockwood Geo Pro! I'm going to be getting a P2 and a WDH. Hitch weight is 455 and dry weight (UVW) is 3,513.

@ColoradoTJ I've always appreciated your knowledge. Any suggestions for me in the new experience? Driving to Omaha to pick it up. I'm looking at getting a Husky WDH. Anything I can do and learn to be safe for my family and others on the road? I will be browsing a few of the tow threads as well.

 

21 ft long and 7.4 ft wide. Do you think tow mirrors are needed? Any concerns towing a trailer that size with 35s? I would like to re-gear some day to make life easier on the trans. Will wood do a good job for leveling and stabilizing jacks or are the blocks the way to go? Really any advice for a beginner. Going for a 2 week plus road trip in July. I will do a dry run close by before the long trip. Any necessary cleaners for black tank?

The wife and I have been waiting for this moment. Life is short so why not have fun! Sorry for all my Newb questions and concerns. I over think everything.

 

Walkie Takies are a great idea. I have bad hearing to begin with so that will make it easier. Thanks for the offer to try one of your trailers.

I will watch out for the trans constantly shifting gears. Thanks for the advice and tip about the black tank. This will be a fun learning experience.