I'm now trying to improve my towing performance after...

The wife, kids and I just got back to Sacramento after driving 3,100 miles through Montana and Wyoming with our 24ft Travel Trailer (6,200 GVWR according to the specs). If you were driving west on highway 80 through Nevada that was me you passed in the slow lane - I had a heck of a time keeping the truck facing west with the side wind. While I am happy with the performance of my 5.4, I am regretting my choice of a F150 over a F250. I know that my truck is rated to pull 7,700#'s, but it just seems to wander too much on the freeway.

So I got on the phone today and visited local trailer and four wheel drive shops for advice. However, I didn’t end up with a consistent answer. As I can see it there are three options for me…

#1: Firestone Ride Rite Air Helper Springs (at ~$250) – This is the recommended option by the trailer shop. They like it because you can control the stiffness by air, reducing it when the truck is not under load. I was warned by the four wheel drive shops that some people have had trouble with these, but according to the trailer guys the new Firestone Ride Rite’s overcome the previous issues.

#2: Hellwig Helper Springs (~$170) – This is a full time “load management system”, which means I am likely to have a bumpy ride when not towing.

#3: Heavy Duty Bilstein Stocks (~$270) – Seems odd to me to replace my shocks with only 11,000 miles on the truck, but I guess it’s only “dirty paper” anyway.

I am leaning towards Firestone Ride Rite's and maybe the new stocks. Does anyone have other ideas? Or should I just bag my F150 and get an F250?


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'99 F150 SuperCab 4X4 5.4 / SB / 3.73 / Gibson Catback

[This message has been edited by esfenton (edited 07-04-2000).]

 

How about when you do your other improvements that you add a Hellwig front and rear sway bar. Big improvement for $250.

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2000 F-150 XL,RC,LB,5.4,4R70W,3.55LS,
Class III tow/Payload #3/Convenience pkgs.,
4-wheel disc/ABS,Chestnut/Parchment 40/60,
Ford bedliner & gas/wheel/spare locks,
3" cold air box modification,Superchip,
Dynomax ultra-flow welded 3" cat-back.

 

Damned censors! Guess what you get when your name is Eyers and you sell Hitches

You guessed it eyers hitches and when you finally set up a web address it becomes
http://www.eyer****ch.com

Fix the URL's below and it will work.

(end of edit)

You ARE using a load leveling hitch, right?

Thought so.

But, you're NOT using an anti-sway device, eh?

Shame on you.

I use this one http://www.eyer****ch.com/sway.gif
on my little 20' Wilderness <A HREF="http://www.net-link.net/~n8jg/y2k/mvc-003x.jpg" TARGET=_blank> [img]//www.net-link.net/~n8jg/y2k/mvc-003x_small.jpg[/img] </A>


and you buy one at http://www.eyer****ch.com/acc.htm

and if their web-site ever comes up, it's at http://www.eaz-lift.com

Drivers of longer units use two of those units.

You won't believe the difference!

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Y2K™

Toreador Red, Keyless XLT SC SB 5.4L E4x4 4wDisc/ABS, 3.73LS, Skid, HD 7700# Towing, LT-245's on Chrome, Tube-Steps, Captain's, 6CD, Tonneau, named: "Nick"


[This message has been edited by Y2K 7700 4x4 (edited 07-04-2000).]

 

I had some of the same questions. Are you using a weight distributing hitch and are you using a sway device. I had a 22 foot trailer and now have a 31 foot and both handle fine. One thing I found was not to make the chains on the torsions bars too tight. People tend to want to make their unit ride completely level using the torsion bars. I found that the back of the truck needs to squat slightly. You can over lift the back of the truck and actually take weight off the rear and this makes for a VERY unstable ride. The sway control also works great and am considering a second one now that I have a 31 foot trailer.

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98 F150 XLT SC 139" WB 4.6L Automatic 3.55 Rearend Tow Package Toreador Red /Tan 5 Star Lariet Style 16" Wheels 255/70/16 OWL Goodyear AP Tires
Mods K&N Filter, Ranch SportLid Fiberglass Toneau
Tow 31FT. Glendette Deluxe Camper Trailer

 

I have both a load leveling hitch and anti-sway bar. The trailer doesn't sway at all. However, the problem is that the truck doesn't handle well. For example, when I got a bump on the freeway it kinda fells like you are getting bucked by a bull...

also, I tried to "play" with the tension on the load leveling hitch - moving it to three rings from the end to four. The trailer handles better with four, but the truck does worse...

[This message has been edited by esfenton (edited 07-04-2000).]

 

Most of the one-size-fits-all load-equalizer heads stick out of the receiver way too far.

My preference is to cut the solid 2x2 bar that goes into the receiver as short as possible (has no real effect adverse on backing/jack-knifing as some claim).

Next -- measure the ground clearance on your loaded truck at both the front and rear bumper to ground. Next, hook on the trailer and adjust the pre-load of the equalizers until the amount of drop in inches is the same for both the front and rear. This results in an equal load being put on both the front and rear axles -- and my prediction is that your hobby-horse will become a well-mannered trotter.

Properly adjusted, you will find your truck going over the 'whoops' with the truck staying level with the pavement and with no bucking at all.

Don't be afraid to load (bend) those bars -- that's what they're there for.

Caution -- when properly loaded, accelerating in the rain may cause some surprizing rear-wheel spin -- normal -- due to the center of gravity shift by the trailer upon acceleration. Once at speed, you'll appreciate a well-set up rig.

When braking, the bars will evenly load both the front and rear axles and will feel very stable -- even in the rain.

Good luck.

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Y2K™

Toreador Red, Keyless XLT SC SB 5.4L E4x4 4wDisc/ABS, 3.73LS, Skid, HD 7700# Towing, LT-245's on Chrome, Tube-Steps, Captain's, 6CD, Tonneau, named: "Nick"

 

Yep these guys are all onto your probelm. Equalizer system or "weight distribution" system and even then it must be adjusted properly too.

Important fact. You probably have a reciever hitch that shows two sets of numbers on it.
500/5000 and 1000/10000. The first set of numbers (the lower one) is for the tow rating of the hitch WITHOUT weight distribution system. The second one is the rating WITH a weight distribution system. So since you are over 5000 pounds GVW and 500 pounds tounge weight with your trailer. You need the weight distribution system to tow it and make the 1000/10000 rating good. Heres a picture of a Reece spring bar type weight distribution system:



By the way your F150 with 5.4L will tow this thing fine. I towed my 24 footer similar to your with a F150 Lariat Supercab 4X4 with a 4.6L (actually that's it in the picture) and it tracked fine with weight distribution system It just lacked the power and mine was only a 6600 GVWR truck so I went up to the F250 but could have easily doen it with a F150 7700 as well. I just was going up anyway so why not go all the way to a F250 SD huh?

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2000 F-250 Super Duty, SuperCab XLT, Oxford white with medium grey cloth captains chairs, 5.4L Triton V8 (260 HP - 345 FP Torque version!), 4R100 4 Speed Automatic Transmission, 4 wheel ABS, Deluxe Aluminum Wheels, Trailer Towing Package, Class IV Hitch, Reece load distribution system, Escort Sensor II Electronic Brake controller, Sure Stop towing skirt, "Westin" black powder coated step bars, "White-White" head lamps, Herculiner bed liner, ISSPRO Tranny Temp Guage, Excursion center console, Ford moulded mud gaurds, K&N Air and Oil filter, Amsoil XL7500 5W-30, Air filter minder, Perma Cool 8" (800 CFM) Tranny Cooler Fan (manualy switched).

 

Thanks for the advice. I can certainly put some more load on the bars. I will probably need to add a washer or two keep the bars parallel. This won't be a problem.

What about also buying the Firestone Ride Rite Helper Springs (Air Bags)? Would they help as well? Does anyone have any experience with them?

 

Holy Dead-Weight and Parachute-Dragging, Batman!

I am about to drag around my '84 trailer for the first time with this new truck tomorrow.

The darned truck is way too tall to use the welded head from my much-lower Suburban -- so I had to come up with a 'make-do' set up today.

Well, I ended up with a (temporary) plain old ball to replace the head used by CPhilip (ie cannot use the leveler bars or anti-sway unit). The rig (trailer) is perfectly level.

Took it out for 40 miles of test-run with a big surprize! -- it tows great!

I'm surprized that it does not hop like I had expected. The 7700# is going to do very nicely.

My '97 is a copy of my Y2K sans 4x4 -- and the only other difference is that the '97 had 3.55.

Stabbing it from a stop does NOT have the same jerk and spin the tires as did the '97 !

Hmmmmmmmmmmm? But it is smooth and reassuring.

The thing does, however, seem MUCH better suited to towing. Driving like normal, the trailer is hardly felt (mind you, I've dragged that thing around since 1985 and know it well). The transmission shifts into second about 10 MPH lower (than the '97); and it seems to like 55 MPH in OD -- which may be a first for me (to use OD, that is).

I'll only be going to Yogi's Jellystone in Northern Indiana (off I-69) -- and it's only a 75 mile run on relatively flat road.

I'm impressed -- and really surprized at how it looks/tows/feels without the levelers or anti-sway (will replace tho).

Does anyone want to trade one set up for a low-height Suburban for one for a much higher 7700" 4x4?



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Y2K™

Toreador Red, Keyless XLT SC SB 5.4L E4x4 4wDisc/ABS, 3.73LS, Skid, HD 7700# Towing, LT-245's on Chrome, Tube-Steps, Captain's, 6CD, Tonneau, named: "Nick"