I'm the proud new owner of a new-? 1963 Traveleze tailer 19'. I'm going to be towing it with my 5.4L, 3.73 Expedition this summer to Wyo and CO. Having not towed before, I was surprised at how hard of time my Expy seems to have towing this thing. I would think my truck was built for this sort of thing. I believe the trailer's only ~2700 lbs. dry, but it seems I'm nearly flooring the gas all the time. Also it's running ~3000 rpms to keep it at 70 on interstate, is this bad for extended periods?
Also, the trailer brakes have been removed-wires clipped at the wheels. Is this something I should rush out to fix?
Tom
It's a retro beauty.... just needs paint!

 

LOL,I looked at your picture. Yeah it weighs 2700lbs alright!
The way your truck is squating I'm sure that tongue weight is less than 350lbs!(not)

Find some scales and weigh the trailer. Newer trailers of the same size weigh less. The older they are the more they weigh but, 1963?

Jeez, I think those had concrete floors!

My guess is that thing weighs at least 5k.

(If she's doing what she'll do, all I can suggest is next time you go camping don't buy the beans till you get there.)

 

First post on April Fools day. I don't know if I should take this seriously.

In case you're serious:

My 17' TT weighs about that loaded. See sig. My 4.6 turns about 2600 rpms with od off at 62 mph.

You should fix those brake asap, especially if you will be travelling through the Rockies. You should also replace the bearings.

 

Yeah, I thought It weighed a lot more, sure feels more like 5k lbs. but there's a # stamped on the tongue of 2730, and also as a seperate # at the end of the serial # on the little metal tag. And from what I see what other TT weigh, that would seem accurate.

What type of brakes would be easiest to install?

 

First and as stated by others if you are towing in Co. you will need to fix or replace the brakes on the trailer. You will need it for safety as well as keeping the load off your truck brakes. On a long down grade you could start heating your truck brakes if you ride them.

I don't know how handy you are but if you want to repair them yourself you will need to find a good RV parts center. you may not be able to get all the brakes parts you need and may have to swap out entire brake assembly or even a new complete axle assembly.

I have towed in the last 20 years anything from 16Ft to 31ft. The hardest thing to tow was a 17FT single axle. We steeped up from that trailer to a 21Ft double axle. Even tough the 21ft was heavier it felt lighter and towed like a dream compared to the single axle. The single axle hangs heavy on the back and wags and waves in the wind. You should get a weight distributing hitch and sway control. I have both and have used them on my 17ft all the way up to my 31ft. If you look in my gallery there are pics of the trailer and truck hooked up in the driveway and this was not staged. 5 minutes after this pic was taken we where on the road so this is fully loaded with 900Lb tongue weight.

I have never had a new trailer but ever trailer I have purchaced has had all the bearing repacked or replaced as well as seals. This trailer only need some springs replaced on the brakes when I got it. It is a 1981 and I had trouble getting parts and when I redo the brakes again i will need to replace the assemblies which hopefully will bolt onto my axles.

Congrats on the trailer and I hope you enjoy the experience. I hope I am not negative on the single axle but that will make a difference in what you are feeling as you tow.

 

I never towed before either but I can say the brakes would need to be fixed ASAP if not sooner.

 

That trailer fully loaded will weigh at least 4000 lbs, more if you are carrying fresh water or black water. One of the disadvantages of a single axle trailer is that the tongue weight tends to be high in relation to gross weight... I bet you are pushing 600 lbs on the hitch... especially if your propane tanks are full.

Fixing brakes is MANDATORY. Besides the fact that you will have an incredibly long stopping distance without trailer brakes, you can easily warp the rotors on your tow vehicle from all the heat in a hard or panic stop. They aint cheap. Also, single axle trailers can fishtail, especially if there is wind, and especially if your are on a downgrade. The easy way to stop the fishtailing is to lightly apply the trailer brakes only. You need brakes.

A load levelling hitch is also a must. Besides levelling your tow vehicle so that your lights don't blind every last oncoming car, it will greatly improve handling, reduce fishtailing, and reduce sway and the tendency to oversteer in your tow vehicle. THe bars attach pretty easily to that kind of trailer tongue.