New Jayco potential purchase for the Ranger to pull, Advice needed!!

[JimG_AZ]

Guess I'll drop my 2/100ths of $1.

I know you've already decide



What he said. Sway is never acceptable.

Are you talking about TRUE sway, which is unwanted oscillations in the trailer when disturbed? or are you talking about wind acting on the trailer, which isn't sway. If the setup settles right behind the truck when disturbed, you don't have sway.

Any time the trailer is moving faster than the tow vehicle, you have sway. So, for instance, if the vehicle is attempting to drive straight, and the trailer goes to the right and then to the left, it is moving faster than the tow vehicle. Now if it is just a little movement to each side and you don't feel it in the drivers seat, I agree that is not much of a deal. Now if you start feeling in the drivers seat that the vehicle is moving side to side, I would get concerned.

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[ctechbob]

Any time the trailer is moving faster than the tow vehicle, you have sway. So, for instance, if the vehicle is attempting to drive straight, and the trailer goes to the right and then to the left, it is moving faster than the tow vehicle. Now if it is just a little movement to each side and you don't feel it in the drivers seat, I agree that is not much of a deal. Now if you start feeling in the drivers seat that the vehicle is moving side to side, I would get concerned.

That's a bit of a complicated way to look at it.

You'll always feel disturbances from wind and passing trucks. You can even watch 18-wheelers move in their lanes passing each other, but that isn't sway.

As long as the trailer motion stops after the disturbance, you're not 'swaying'. It is when the amplitude of the movement increases without any (conscious input from the driver) input after the disturbance that you are swaying.

I think we're in general agreement just describing it differently.

 

[JCMAC]

Sounds like you are experiencing sidewall flex with your tires. Your probably better off with load range D tires. To determine the proper psi for the tires, use the chalk test on the tires.

Good point on limiting the mph to 65 or less. But, if you are experiencing noticeable sway at @ 65 mph, you have a setup issue that needs to be resolved. Sway at highway speeds can get out of control quicky. I would take your loaded trailer to a truck stops CAT scale and get the trailers total weight and the tongue weight. Make sure that tongue weight is 10-15% of the total trailer weight. You may find that fine tuning the tongue weight will make the trailer will pull a lot better. A good WD hitch with 4-point sway control is the minimum. The Hensley or the ProPride Hitch would be the best option, but very expensive.

Sounds like you are experiencing sidewall flex with your tires. Your probably better off with load range D tires. To determine the proper psi for the tires, use the chalk test on the tires.

Good point on limiting the mph to 65 or less. But, if you are experiencing noticeable sway at @ 65 mph, you have a setup issue that needs to be resolved. Sway at highway speeds can get out of control quicky. I would take your loaded trailer to a truck stops CAT scale and get the trailers total weight and the tongue weight. Make sure that tongue weight is 10-15% of the total trailer weight. You may find that fine tuning the tongue weight will make the trailer will pull a lot better. A good WD hitch with 4-point sway control is the minimum. The Hensley or the ProPride Hitch would be the best option, but very expensive.

I am not experincing sway but am being pushed around by the wind above 65 mph. The tire pressure I mentioned refers to the rear tires of the Ranger. Load range D tires refers to the tires on my trailer, of that I am certain. They are inflated to the tire pressure spec decal on the side of the trailer

I do not have a setup issue and do use a good Load Distributing Hitch. Frankly, driving a 5000 lb 27 foot trailer with a Ranger tow vehicle over 65mph is a questionable practice at best (need no crosswinds). My trailer pulls very well and it does not have an adjustable tongue weight as is present on a boat trailer.

If I was pulling it with an F150 that would be another story for sure.

 

[JimG_AZ]

I am not experincing sway but am being pushed around by the wind above 65 mph. The tire pressure I mentioned refers to the rear tires of the Ranger. Load range D tires refers to the tires on my trailer, of that I am certain. They are inflated to the tire pressure spec decal on the side of the trailer

Since you are pulling a large trailer with your Ranger, you may find that Load Rang D tires on your Ranger will make a nice improvement. Their sidewalls will be stronger than Load Range C tires.

I do not have a setup issue and do use a good Load Distributing Hitch. Frankly, driving a 5000 lb 27 foot trailer with a Ranger tow vehicle over 65mph is a questionable practice at best (need no crosswinds). My trailer pulls very well and it does not have an adjustable tongue weight as is present on a boat trailer.

If I was pulling it with an F150 that would be another story for sure.

You can adjust tongue weight on a travel trailer to an extent. One of the easiest ways is to add an extra battery up front. I used to own a 26' Nomad toy hauler that I was pulling with a Ram 2500 truck. I was using an Equal-i-zer weight distributing hitch with it, so I had a decent hitch. With 2 ATV's in the trailer, it pulled well. When I put a 3rd ATV in the trailer, it resulted in too much weight being aft of the axles which reduced the tongue weight. This resulted in sway. Not exactly a pleasant experience. There were a few times in the mountains where is got a little concerning. Fortunately, I had a storage locker at the front of the trailer, so I was able to put some plastic containers filled with sand to increase my tongue weight. So, whenever the 3rd ATV came along, the plastic jugs with sand were loaded in the storage locker. Problem solved.

Thinking back on that bumper pull toy hauler, the biggest mistake I made was selling my Hensley hitch before I purchased the toy hauler. The Hensley would have made a noticeable difference pulling that trailer. I actually thought about buying another Hensley hitch, but I found a used 5th wheel toy hauler for a decent price. For a toy hauler where cargo weight can vary, the 5th wheel was a better option.

 

[JCMAC]

Since you are pulling a large trailer with your Ranger, you may find that Load Rang D tires on your Ranger will make a nice improvement. Their sidewalls will be stronger than Load Range C tires.



You can adjust tongue weight on a travel trailer to an extent. One of the easiest ways is to add an extra battery up front. I used to own a 26' Nomad toy hauler that I was pulling with a Ram 2500 truck. I was using an Equal-i-zer weight distributing hitch with it, so I had a decent hitch. With 2 ATV's in the trailer, it pulled well. When I put a 3rd ATV in the trailer, it resulted in too much weight being aft of the axles which reduced the tongue weight. This resulted in sway. Not exactly a pleasant experience. There were a few times in the mountains where is got a little concerning. Fortunately, I had a storage locker at the front of the trailer, so I was able to put some plastic containers filled with sand to increase my tongue weight. So, whenever the 3rd ATV came along, the plastic jugs with sand were loaded in the storage locker. Problem solved.

Thinking back on that bumper pull toy hauler, the biggest mistake I made was selling my Hensley hitch before I purchased the toy hauler. The Hensley would have made a noticeable difference pulling that trailer. I actually thought about buying another Hensley hitch, but I found a used 5th wheel toy hauler for a decent price. For a toy hauler where cargo weight can vary, the 5th wheel was a better option.

Load range D tires do not exist for any truck, they are only used ON trailers and my trailer has them. I do not own a toy hauler and my trailer tongue load is appropriate. Thanks for your suggestions .

 

[JimG_AZ]

Load range D tires do not exist for any truck, they are only used ON trailers and my trailer has them. I do not own a toy hauler and my trailer tongue load is appropriate. Thanks for your suggestions .

You are correct. To get a stiffer sidewall on a truck tire one would have to go to a load range E.

 

[ctechbob]

I am not experincing sway but am being pushed around by the wind above 65 mph. The tire pressure I mentioned refers to the rear tires of the Ranger. Load range D tires refers to the tires on my trailer, of that I am certain. They are inflated to the tire pressure spec decal on the side of the trailer

Stock shocks? The shocks on the FX package trucks are completely unsuitable for towing duty. (Actually, from what I gather, most of the shocks Ford uses are unsuitable for serious towing work).

Our rear bump stops are also a factor. They are fairly hard and with the soft'ish springs and lackluster damping of the shocks our axles spend a LOT of time crashing off the bumpstops, and since they're fairly stiff when compressed, you end up feeling that the truck spends a lot of time being unsettled.

You'll still feel the wind, but the wandering will be cut down significantly with better damping on the rear shocks and a better rear bumpstop (Sumo Springs are the choice here).

Also, tandem axle trailers that can use them, an upgrade to a Morryde or one of the other center pivot trailer suspensions is a worthy and not a terribly difficult upgrade.

 

[Grumpaw]

Stock shocks? The shocks on the FX package trucks are completely unsuitable for towing duty. (Actually, from what I gather, most of the shocks Ford uses are unsuitable for serious towing work).

Our rear bump stops are also a factor. They are fairly hard and with the soft'ish springs and lackluster damping of the shocks our axles spend a LOT of time crashing off the bumpstops, and since they're fairly stiff when compressed, you end up feeling that the truck spends a lot of time being unsettled.

You'll still feel the wind, but the wandering will be cut down significantly with better damping on the rear shocks and a better rear bumpstop (Sumo Springs are the choice here).

Also, tandem axle trailers that can use them, an upgrade to a Morryde or one of the other center pivot trailer suspensions is a worthy and not a terribly difficult upgrade.

Sounds like your talking about my truck !!!
I can attest to the change from adding what ctech posted...good set of rear shocks, I have the Sumo Blue's, and I bought a set of 10 ply E rated Yokohama tires that got rid of the "squishyness" from the OE Bridgestone's. When towing I air them up to 50-55 psi, and around town they are aired to 40 psi, and the ride is no worse than with the OE's.
I would also recommend you look at the Roadmaster Active Suspension System. It takes the place of a rear sway bar, rear air bags, traction bar, and is cheaper than any of them. It's an install and forget system,, and it works.
Also have the Morryde system on my trailer and even tho on the trailer, you can feel the difference in the truck

 

[JCMAC]

Sounds like your talking about my truck !!!
I can attest to the change from adding what ctech posted...good set of rear shocks, I have the Sumo Blue's, and I bought a set of 10 ply E rated Yokohama tires that got rid of the "squishyness" from the OE Bridgestone's. When towing I air them up to 50-55 psi, and around town they are aired to 40 psi, and the ride is no worse than with the OE's.
I would also recommend you look at the Roadmaster Active Suspension System. It takes the place of a rear sway bar, rear air bags, traction bar, and is cheaper than any of them. It's an install and forget system,, and it works.
Also have the Morryde system on my trailer and even tho on the trailer, you can feel the difference in the truck

What exact size are the 10ply rated Yokohamas you installed?

 

[Grumpaw]

What exact size are the 10ply rated Yokohamas you installed?

Yokohama Geolander G-015, LT265/70/17, 10 ply rating
OE tires were the Bridgestone 255/65/17. 2 ply with a 4 ply rating.
My Ranger is a 2 wheel drive. Yoko's are a bit taller and wider than OE, but I have not experienced any rubbing.

 

[brroberts]

Load range D tires do not exist for any truck, they are only used ON trailers and my trailer has them. I do not own a toy hauler and my trailer tongue load is appropriate. Thanks for your suggestions .

255/65R17 B F Goodrich KO2 does come in D if that’s a tire you want. That’s my stock factory tire size although I don’t have those tires. I just know they are available.

 

[JCMAC]

Yokohama Geolander G-015, LT265/70/17, 10 ply rating
OE tires were the Bridgestone 255/65/17. 2 ply with a 4 ply rating.
My Ranger is a 2 wheel drive. Yoko's are a bit taller and wider than OE, but I have not experienced any rubbing.

Interesting, the recommended pressure for LT 265/65/17 LT tires is 38 psi. My 4 wheel drive Lariat came with those tires and FX4. Unbelievable rough ride. Replaced the rear shocks with Bilsteins and the tires with normal non LT tires 265/65/r17 at 32 psi all around. Greatly improved ride. When towing I increase the rears only to 38 with a stable result.

 

[Grumpaw]

Interesting, the recommended pressure for LT 265/65/17 LT tires is 38 psi. My 4 wheel drive Lariat came with those tires and FX4. Unbelievable rough ride. Replaced the rear shocks with Bilsteins and the tires with normal non LT tires 265/65/r17 at 32 psi all around. Greatly improved ride. When towing I increase the rears only to 38 with a stable result.

PSI is going to be different to each individual.
My tongue weight is around 700 lb, and I found that even going up to 38-40 psi on the OE's was still giving me a lose feeling when towing, and 50 psi is pushing the tire's limit.
The Yoko's have a much more weight rating, almost 3200 lb, and can be aired up to 80 psi.
I go nowhere near that psi, but at 50 psi when towing, the entire rig is much more stable.
I should also add that the 50-55 psi is the rear tires...fronts are run at 40 psi when towing.
And 50 psi in them is no strain on the tires, whereas 50 psi in the oe Bridgestone's is pushing the limit.
Trailer tires are the Goodyear's load range D, and aired to 65 psi.

 

[Pinecrestjim]

Good comments in this thread on many aspects of towing in addition to answering the OP's initial questions.

I'll pass along something I read on the FR forum that I'm a member on. Poster said he stopped up the drain to see just how much water he used with his "Navy" showers. I've tried it and found it to be a quite interesting experiment. It's not exact as far as gallons of use but does give you a visual to base judgement with and to try to reduce water used. Just remember to rinse the floor when you're done to remove any scum.

 

[HAMMERTIME]

I have over 30,000 kms pulling my 21FB TT. No issues other than the small gas tank. Get proper tires on both units, a WDH and brake controller. Set up properly, it is a great puller.

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