Camper Towing

[woodypond]

Thank you for your information, I really appreciate it.

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[Mustang2Ranger]

OP - What kind of tires on the trailer? Please post pic. Are they ST tires?

 

[Grumpaw]

OP - What kind of tires on the trailer? Please post pic. Are they ST tires?

I went to their web site for the specs....
Tires are listed as "premium" but no brand. I would imagine their ST rated, and they are 15 inch which is good for that small a rig.
Can't imagine any reputable RV trailer maker NOT using ST rated tires.

 

[woodypond]

OP - What kind of tires on the trailer? Please post pic. Are they ST tires?

Yes they are st

 

[Mustang2Ranger]

Yes they are st

Try driving with some weight in the bed of the truck at about 40psi rear and see if it helps before spending $$ on some WDH, seems to be the go-to

 

[Lcr3000]

I'll list my info here just so other readers have something to compare to. But I do agree with the responder on the front slope angle and weight of the front of the camper. Its certainly your cheapest adjustment option.
I have a Ranger Tremor with the Fox shocks and 32" tires. I pull a Bushwhacker Radical 12ROK version (2000lb dry), loaded to about 2300lbs. It has independent suspension verses the solid axel. Initially, I used my hitch with a 2" dropdown to pull it. This Bushwacker sits high and (at level) has a higher tongue on it and so it leaned forward about 6 to 8 inches below level in the front. The tongue weight is around 350 with the LP tank and battery on the front tray. It puts a slight squat to the rear of the Ranger. I pulled the trailer locally here in Virginia and was amazed at how well it tracked. Its profile is 5ft wide in the box and barely over 6ft at the wheels edge. Because I thought the front sloped down a bit too much, I changed my hitch around to have a 2" lift, effectively raising it 4" overall. I also put my 80lb solar generator in the back (rear of the independent suspension on the trailer) and then I drove it 18 hours from Oklahoma to Virginia. I did notice after those adjustments that it had a bit more sensitivity to the sway when I changed lanes or when the crosswinds occurred. My driving speed averaged 65mph (but up to 70mph at times). It was still manageable, and self corrects really well, even when I jerked the steering wheel to much once when I hit a pothole.

 

[Mustang2Ranger]

I'll list my info here just so other readers have something to compare to. But I do agree with the responder on the front slope angle and weight of the front of the camper. Its certainly your cheapest adjustment option.
I have a Ranger Tremor with the Fox shocks and 32" tires. I pull a Bushwhacker Radical 12ROK version (2000lb dry), loaded to about 2300lbs. It has independent suspension verses the solid axel. Initially, I used my hitch with a 2" dropdown to pull it. This Bushwacker sits high and (at level) has a higher tongue on it and so it leaned forward about 6 to 8 inches below level in the front. The tongue weight is around 350 with the LP tank and battery on the front tray. It puts a slight squat to the rear of the Ranger. I pulled the trailer locally here in Virginia and was amazed at how well it tracked. Its profile is 5ft wide in the box and barely over 6ft at the wheels edge. Because I thought the front sloped down a bit too much, I changed my hitch around to have a 2" lift, effectively raising it 4" overall. I also put my 80lb solar generator in the back (rear of the independent suspension on the trailer) and then I drove it 18 hours from Oklahoma to Virginia. I did notice after those adjustments that it had a bit more sensitivity to the sway when I changed lanes or when the crosswinds occurred. My driving speed averaged 65mph (but up to 70mph at times). It was still manageable, and self corrects really well, even when I jerked the steering wheel to much once when I hit a pothole.

Put the SG in your bed if you can

 

[Stic-o]

Welcome to single axle trailers. They kinda suck towing. Double axle trailers pull much better.

Watch how you load the trailer, and maybe look into a set of Bilstein 5100's for the rear of the truck. Should help stabilize the rear end.

 

[Frenchy]

If you are dealing with strong winds or Semi trucks giving you a push, there isn't too much you can do except be careful and pay attention. That said if you are on the oh so lovely factory shocks then I would recommend making a change to Bilstein(assuming you are not trying to go OffRoad or anything) as the change in dampening with help with overall control.

 

[Lcr3000]

Put the SG in your bed if you can

I agree. The weight distribution was an experiment. I'll most likely haul it near the cab under my tonneau cover.

 

[JimG_AZ]

Try driving with some weight in the bed of the truck at about 40psi rear and see if it helps before spending $$ on some WDH, seems to be the go-to

My FX4 came with those same Hankook tires. Ford recommended 30 psi. I now have the Tremor tires and wheels on my tuck, but when I had the Hankooks on my truck, they rode well at @ 30 psi. IMO, 40 psi would be overinflated. A test similar to the chalk test would tell if the tread is riding flat on the road.

Also, it looks like he has the 18" wheels. That would mean he has less sidewall area to flex.

 

[Cmar]

One that little a WDH should be unnecessary? Ours is 20 ft, 4500 lb and high wind profile, wind is felt with Blue Ox Sway Pro 750 lb spring bars I think you can get lighter 500 lb ones. The hitch is now +$200 the $625 we paid 7/20. Good luck . Look at there videos & website.Single axles tow less stable and ore sensitive to tires and loaded weight.

I tow a 2400 Kg ~ 5300 Lb double axle -Jayco Journey outback ( off road version) caravan (trailer) with my global, and have never felt the need for a weight distribution hitch, however I did have quite a bit of sway and wobble from passing trucks until I learned how to best pack it and got the tyre pressures right.

I have LT AT's on my truck so can run fairly high rear pressures, I found around 40 PSI to be good, and about 45 in the Caravan for on road use safely, at 80-110 Km/Hr. For gravel /dirt outback roads I found dropping back to about 30-35 was kinder on the truck and caravan and less prone to punctures from sharp rocks. My caravan also has two water tanks one in front and one behind the axles, I found it tows much better with the front tank full, and rear empty, unless I was going somewhere with no water and didn't have a choice.

 

[Mustang2Ranger]

My FX4 came with those same Hankook tires. Ford recommended 30 psi. I now have the Tremor tires and wheels on my tuck, but when I had the Hankooks on my truck, they rode well at @ 30 psi. IMO, 40 psi would be overinflated. A test similar to the chalk test would tell if the tread is riding flat on the road.

Also, it looks like he has the 18" wheels. That would mean he has less sidewall area to flex.

30 psi no trailer. 40psi trailer

I don't have Hankooks, but when I did same psi

 

[JimG_AZ]

30 psi no trailer. 40psi trailer

I don't have Hankooks, but when I did same psi

This from a post I made back in 2020 about a towing experience I personally had with my first travel trailer. In this particular situation, my tire pressure was way over.

... My first travel trailer was a 22’ Prowler lite weight trailer that I pulled with a 1996 v8 Explorer. The Explorer pulled the trailer well and I only had an issue with sway one time. What happened was the day before we left on a camping trip, I took the Explorer over to Discount tire to have the tires rotated. I guess they decided to do me a favor and pumped the tires up too. Lets just say, the psi was way over what Ford recommended. Didn’t notice that I had an issue until I got outside of the Phoenix area and got the Explorer and travel trailer on the highway. At 65 mph, it was unstable. At 55 mpg it was controllable. It took me a while to figure out what the heck was causing the sway. 15 to 30 minutes later it dawned on me that the only thing that was done recently was having the tires rotated and they probably over-inflated the tires. We made it to Payson, AZ and I checked the tire pressure. Every tire was at 45 psi. I lowered the pressure to 32 psi and Explorer pulled the trailer beautifully after that.

 

[dtech]

Try driving with some weight in the bed of the truck at about 40psi rear and see if it helps before spending $$ on some WDH, seems to be the go-to

Agree, I bought the e2 wdh to tow a uvw 4160 lbs trailer, have towed with the wdh and without it, only in very high wind conditions (not semis passing by) do I notice a small improvement in stability with the wdh. I'm a relative novice as it pertains to towing sh*t , but towing high profile stuff with the Ranger seems far from ideal, this week towed from Colorado across Utah to zion and recorded a dismal 10.5 mpg, but I do enjoy the trailer after decades of tent camping.

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