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!

 

I'm not sure about the differences when towing but when parking the trailer in a campsite and maneuvering around a campground I'd want to keep the total length (TV+TT) to a minimum.

I know you didn't specifically ask about payload. If you're concerned about that sort of thing, have you compared your expected payload (passengers, cargo and trailer's hitch weight) to the payload available on the actual Tundra you want? I haven't seen any over 1555 lbs, so far. We're looking at either towing a 23' or 25' Airstream or a 25' Citation Reward and it's just the two of us. We figured we need around 1600 lbs payload.

 

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.

 

Again, I apologize for talking about payload when you were only asking about the handling characteristics. However, I get that you aren't concerned, but I'd expect a 2022 CM 5.5' bed to offer no more than 1400 lbs of payload. I'd also imagine that you can find the hitch weight for the 28' model you're looking at, listed in the specs. It's usually around 15% of the weight of the trailer, but you should expect it to end up being even slightly more than what's listed in the specs when you weigh it yourself. Add in the actual weight of your entire family, plus any luggage, gear etc and I'd imagine you would exceed the rated payload.

Just an FYI. Not saying you need to change your mind and start being concerned. You do you. I just wanted to make sure you are making an informed decision.

Respectfully. Happy holidays and happy new year!

 

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.

 

Hopefully not, eh? I'm really not trying to piss the OP off. Just wondered if he was aware of the potential implications.

 

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.

 

And, to get back to some of the original question. My understanding is that more rear overhang can negatively affect handling. I've confirmed that every model of the 2022 Tundra has the same rear overhang so the 5.5' or 6.5' would be the same.

 

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.

 

Ok, I'm glad you appreciate the info. I only have 6 seasons of experience towing a travel trailer and it's only 16' long, but I have learned a lot from fellow RVers and online forums in that time. Please take my comments with that context.

Respectfully, I think you are missing something.

You MUST include the hitch weight (also known as tongue weight) when calculating the impact on your payload.

I do not believe that your 2022 CM 5.5' bed will come with more than 1400 lbs of payload.

1400-720=680

How much does your entire family weigh?

680-total weight of the family=what's left for luggage, gear, snacks and anything else

And, since you mentioned that you're not experienced. I would caution you to expect that 720 lb hitch weight to turn out to be actually heavier when you receive your trailer. It can also be affected by how you pack your trailer and a weight distribution hitch.

I'd also calculate your impact on the GVWR of the Tundra and GCVWR of the Tundra and TT.

While I get that payload isn't a concern for everyone, if I was inexperienced I wouldn't want to take the whole family out on a maiden voyage with a new truck and new trailer and also exceed any payload, GVWR and GCVWR limits. Baby steps, as they say.

 

Believe it or not, but I'm in the exact same boat as you are. I'd really like another Toyota. I really don't want a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. I'm trying to see if we can make a 2022 Tundra work for us. However, we are looking at trailer less than 26' long and under 6000 lbs.

 

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.

 

OK, 300 for you and the wife and you said 100 for both kids, so that's 400 lbs. 680-400=280. That would leave you some wiggle room with the hitch weight if you did indeed load everything in the trailer. You just need to play around with where you load it so not too much of that added weight gets transferred back as hitch weight anyway.

Get a good WDH and learn how to actually set it up properly. My understanding is that most RV dealers don't actually know how to do this. Fair warning. And, keep an eye on that hitch weight. I'm planning to hit the CAT scales whenever we get the new trailer and truck.

 

Even what out? I thought WDH was more effective than air bags and that using them in concert would be counterproductive. Wouldn't using airbags just give you a slightly better ride when you aren't towing the TT and essentially being doing nothing for you when you are?

https://youtu.be/XBZu39pQ8Gg

 

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?

 

I really like this one. Just ignore Andy’s choice of tow vehicle and pay attention to how he explains how a WDH is supposed to work and how to properly set it up. I think too many owners go either by looks or just the number of links a buddy told them works best. Every setup is completely different and the whole objective is to more evenly distribute weight between the TV’s axles.

https://youtu.be/JrgCNR6HvRI