Could sure use some help from experienced tow-ers

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inthepink

Advanced Member
Joined
Oct 25, 2011
Messages
82
Experienced tow-ers, I’d love your thoughts on this. I know this is kind of long. Sorry and thanks in advance.

As some of you know, I have been on here asking a lot of questions about towing and we went and looked at a used Hi-Lo yesterday. In a nutshell, we loved it. I was so excited. My husband really liked it. My kiddos were very excited. Well, the baby wasn’t really excited about the Hi-Lo, but he was happy because everyone else was happy. :) Anyway, here is what happened…

We hooked it up to tow it and my husband, always calm cool and confident, well, I could just feel his discomfort as he drove. I could tell he did not like the way the trailer was being pulled and he did not like the way driving it felt so I asked him and he said that no matter what the numbers say for tow limits and weights, he doesn’t feel like it is safe and that our truck isn’t big enough. I completely respect that and I certainly don’t want to put ourselves or anyone else on the road in any danger because we are towing something that is too big for our truck. If he says it doesn’t feel safe, I trust that and wouldn’t dream of pulling it with our truck, but…

I’m a little confused because other people on this forum are pulling similar weight with a similar vehicle. Of course I am thinking that possibly other people have more experience with towing and therefore feel more comfortable when they have all that weight behind them. Also, maybe their axle ratio is different or something else that I don’t know. Of course it could also just be that it isn't safe and we need to be done with it. But what I am also thinking, and what I’d really like to know from people with more experience is…

When they hooked up the truck they didn’t hook up the weight distribution hitch. They just hitched it up with the hitch.

Could that have made all the difference? I don’t want to do anything unsafe but if that WDH would have made it handle much better, I’d like to know.

I don’t want to do anything unsafe and we are in no position to buy a bigger truck right now so we didn’t buy it, but I can’t help but wonder if maybe the WDH would have made it handle better and we could at least buy it to use locally until we are in a position to buy a larger truck in a couple years.


Here are the facts:
Tow Vehicle
2002 Dodge Dakota SLT Quad Cab 2WD, 4.7L V8 engine, 3.55 axle ratio, factory installed tow package, automatic transmission. Rated to tow 5050 lbs.

Trailer
1989 22D Funchaser UVW = 3590, GVW = 5000
We planned to tow it without liquids and low cargo, attempting to keep it under 4000 lbs. Today it was dry when we towed it.

Thanks again and sorry this is so long,
Cheryl
 
Using a WDH would make a tremendous difference. I have towed our 2310H without WDH when in a pinch and there was no comparison. Your truck, as is mine, is not really designed to tow that much weight without WDH. I assume you have a brake controller already, that is an absolute must.
 
I totally agree with RichR,
I tow with a 1999 Ford Explorer, 4.0 V6. I wouldn't even think of taking my 2209 on the highway without the WDH. When the hitch is set up right, towing the Hi-Lo is more stable than with out it. I also have a 3.55 axle ratio, which in my case should be a 3.73 or 4.10 axle ratio. Your V8 should handle the trailer without problems. My 2209 is 3860 lbs. dry, the fun chaser is probably about the same or a little more. That UVW is without options, like the air conditioner etc. The only way to get the true weight is to have the trailer weighed.
A half ton truck is designed to have the weight in the bed, not on a hitch hanging off the back. When you do this without a WDH it takes a lot of weight off the front wheels making the truck steering light and gives a loose feeling..
 
I totally agree with the above two post. The WDH would make a world of difference in how it tows. Go back and tow it with the WDH hooked up and also a brake controller so you know the brakes work. Will tow even better if you have anti-sway bars or can add them if you buy the RV. Good luck on your search.
 
And, of course the WD hitch needs to be set up so that there is nearly equal compression over the front and rear axles of the tow vehicle. (This means you are distributing the trailer tongue weight equally on to the axles of your truck.)

I agree with Rich and the others. I think you can tow it without too much problem, but you'll definitely know it's there. I was able to tow my 17 ft trailer weighing 3800# (measured) over the high mountain passes in Colorado using a Nissan Frontier (6 cyl) with a 5000# trailer rating. I had to do it in 1st gear on the upslopes, but it pulled the weight. (I used 2nd gear on the downslopes for engine braking.)

If you set up the trailer brakes properly, they will take care of stopping your trailer so that stopping distances won't be increased much. Essentially, you might want to feel just a slight pull back from the trailer when you apply the brakes.

- Jack
 
Setting up for towing

The others on the forum have given you very accurate advice. See if you can look up the websites mentioned and can get set up for towing correctly. efeniately a weight distributing hitch and a brake controller. The worst case scenaro is that you take the truck and trailer to an RV dealer to get set uproperly. SWe tow our 90 HiLo Classic with a 3/4 ton Ford Heavy Duty f250. Wehave a wd hitch,brake controller that was put on by our RV dealer. The second year we had the HiLo I was following behind my husband in my car and we realized the trailer was swaying. Our dealer then had a sway bar that would work for our set up. Didn't have one available when we first got the trailer. Perhaps the owner could tow the trasiler to the RV dealership for you. I've been told that the rv dealer can install the brake controller for about $250.00. If you get set up for towing by yourself then maybe an RV dealer could check it for you especially if you are in there buying a sewer hose ect. I know my dealer would. Call ahead and see what is a convenient time for them to do this. Hope this helps. I would think your truck would work for this 22 ft. HiLo.
 
Just a note about pulling a light HiLo (2008 19ft 3100lb unloaded) with a bigger truck (2005 F150 300 horse with 365 ft lbs of torque).

I have a 2007 27' Sunset Trail (unloaded 5000lb) that absolutely needs the WD and sway bars to feel safe.

But the HiLo is towed with no WD and just a sway bar feels great.

I look with interest as to what others are towing their HiLows with because eventually I'll get a smaller truck or a SUV.

Hope you get the HiLo you are looking at. They are much easier to tow and maintain than a conventional trailer :)

Ray
 
Thank you so much!

Thank you so much everyone, for all of the great information you shared. I showed this thread to my husband and he read through all the posts and he checked out the links that RichR and JCurtis95 shared and I am excited to say that he is now open to going back and driving the trailer again, this time with weight distribution. I really can't thank you all enough. :) Your posts and links made all the difference.

Best Regards,
Cheryl
Future hi-lo owner
 
You never mentioned where you live. Was your husband uncomfortable with the pulling it in neighborhoods, curvy roads, hills? Driving with a trailer takes some practice and getting used to itTurning is wider, I drive slower and allow more following distance. I adjust the trailer brakes every time I hitch up. I have extension trailer mirrors - that attach with straps to the existing ones.

My '95 Towlite is ~3500# (Thanks PopRichie) My '04 Dakota is 5300# with the cap and the gear I always have
 
PopRichie77 said:
Just be sure to check the Library for setting up a WDH correctly, if not done correctly it won't help much.
Click to expand...

Yes, I will be sure to let him know and he will check it out. Yesterday he took the truck to an RV repair shop and talked to the mechanic there about wdh and brake controllers. The safety of all of this is of such concern to me that I am tempted to see if maybe we could have the mechanic show us how to do it the first time, but I will let my husband be the judge of that.
 
Last edited:
Rolff said:
You never mentioned where you live. Was your husband uncomfortable with the pulling it in neighborhoods, curvy roads, hills? Driving with a trailer takes some practice and getting used to itTurning is wider, I drive slower and allow more following distance. I adjust the trailer brakes every time I hitch up. I have extension trailer mirrors - that attach with straps to the existing ones.

My '95 Towlite is ~3500# (Thanks PopRichie) My '04 Dakota is 5300# with the cap and the gear I always have
Click to expand...

I am in Southern California. We were just in a neighborhood with flat, but narrow, streets. There were cars parked on both sides of the street and, without trailer mirrors, he couldn't see the trailer behind us. I think that added to sense of not being in complete control of the trailer. We never got into any sort of decent speed.

Is your towlite 3500# dry or is that what you've weighed it at when you tow it?
*
Do you know if you have the 3.55 or 3.92 axle ratio?

Thanks so much!
Cheryl
 
Your towing experience can only get better from that, that was the absolute worst setup you could have. Once you get a good hitch, brake controller, and mirrors towing will be a much better experience.

If I had my druthers I would have a dealer install and setup everything. You may pay more for it there but it will be done correctly. Ordering hitch parts comes with a hefty shipping cost whereas the dealer usually gets that delivered by a supplier at no cost to him. At least get an estimate for the hitch and controller installed. Setup with the trailer could be included with the cost of the hitch. If you install it and have to get him to make the adjustments you will be paying for it. Installing the brake controller if you are not already wired for it can be a pain also, but I believe you already have a plug under the dash that accepts a pre-made wiring harness. Look here:http://www.etrailer.com/multi-produ...ta&hhyear=2002&vehicleid=2002106280&hunter=bc
 
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inthepink said:
I am in Southern California. We were just in a neighborhood with flat, but narrow, streets. There were cars parked on both sides of the street and, without trailer mirrors, he couldn't see the trailer behind us. I think that added to sense of not being in complete control of the trailer. We never got into any sort of decent speed.

Is your towlite 3500# dry or is that what you've weighed it at when you tow it?
*
Do you know if you have the 3.55 or 3.92 axle ratio?

Thanks so much!
Cheryl
Click to expand...

OK - I dug out my info from when I bought it and learned some stuff. I have a 3.92 with the Tow Package and a class IV hitch. What Dodge printed out for me with those specifics was that my tow limit was 5750# and a max tongue weight of 1200#. With a combined max weight of both at 10,500#. It also states the 15% rule. I weighed the truck when getting a load of rocks and PopRichie has the same trailer and had weighed it at 3400#. I don't have a bunk which is 150# not sure if Richard said his did.
FYI -You will have to buy the plug from Dodge for the brake controller and a brake controller from someone else.

Too much info?


Driving down narrow streets with out mirrors is scary with the wide turning radius - Dakotas turn like they are 50 feet long anyway. If your husband had towed it on the open road he would have felt like it wasn't even there. The confidence and comfort happen with experience. If you do get it - drive it around on a quiet day to get used to it and tell him it gets easier backing it... eventually. I am quite happy with mine. As you can see from my profile they look good together on the road.



Also to consider: We have about 200# of clothes and gear. The food and drinks another ~200. The water tank when full is 150# 2 20# propane tanks. Unless it's winter I don't carry both propane full and if water is availabe I fill up at my destination and dump the holding tanks and water at the first opportunity on the way home.
 
Getting set up for towing

If you decide to have the Rv dealer set you up for towing you could take cellphone pictures,camera pictures or video. Take notes as to what number he uses on the chain. It can be tricky even for an Rv dealer. They set us up one way and then somemonths later one of the mechanics made a correction. They had the devil of a time getting our sway installed correctly. Get your truck all set up then bring in the HiLo to make sure all is well with your towing setup. Should be no charge for the second check if you had them do the wdh and brake controller. Yes,you pay the RV mechanic and along with that comes a warranty for parts.
 
I'm going to add one more "caution" for anyone who is inexperienced in towing. The trailer will "follow you". Don't divide your attention from driving to see if "it's still there". New towers tend to do this, which reduces their attention on what's happening up front, and with a somewhat increased stopping distance, that's where your attention should be. This is especially true "in traffic". Except for the need to insure you are clear (back there) when changing lanes, don't worry about keeping your trailer out of other people's way. They'll stay out of YOUR way.

Some of what I've said here will not make sense to anyone who has never towed anything. I think it will become more clear once the towing starts.

- Jack
 
I agree, only worry about the trailer when making a maneuver, it is what's in front of you that is important. Just remember that the trailer is back there and maintain a generous distance between you and the vehicle ahead. Passing through toll plazas is a good time to be aware of where the sides of the trailer are as well. Those posts could do a real number on things.
 
Cheryl,
Be careful asking questions you'll hear all you want to know. What you should have guessed by now Hi-Lo owners have a great passion and loyalty for their trailers. That says volumes. I hope it works out for you.
 
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