Another can I tow this thread?

[mark5w]

It comes down to knowing your TV and RV's limitations, When I see the idiots on the interstates blowing by my at 70-75 mph with rv's in tow you know he does not know his limitations. Like stated above, you're towing an rv , you should be driving responsibly and defensively. They cannot stop on a dime plus many don't know or remember that ST tires are rated UP to 65 mph. (unless you add in the fudge factor).

Lloyd are asking why Roadmaster Active Suspension or something else?

[anaro]

Not all st tires are rated only to 65 mph. Mine are rated to 75 mph and a rare few are rated to 85 mph. That said, just because you can, does not mean you should tow that fast.

As far as stopping and controlling the trailer, I learned the hard way what this really means. Many of the long termers and definitely the Mason Dixon group have heard this story many times over. When I first started I had an 04 Armada rated to tow 9100 lbs per the brochure. It's available payload turned out to only be 810 lbs and it's hitch was rated for a tongue weight of 910 lbs. I had a 2011 zinger that weighed 5700 lbs dry, 7700 lbs gvwr, dry tongue weight of 800 lbs. Actual scaled weight was around 7300 lbs, actual tongue weight was right around 1000 lbs. Handling was always a white knuckle experience but the final straw was coming home from my first Mason Dixon rally. I did not have enough tow vehicle to control the trailer coming down Afton Mountain. The trailer pushed the truck the whole way down the mountain despite gearing down. I cooked my brakes on both truck and trailer. I had a properly dialed in prodigy p3 and a reese dual cam wdh. That was when I swore off ever being over on ratings again. I have since towed that same stretch with an f250 and my current silverado 3500 towing my zinger. What a world of difference. Then again, my 3500 didn't even bat an eye towing my 12000 lb fiver up and down an 8.5% mountain grade on our trip to Boone, NC..

Do I think you need a 1 ton dually or a diesel to tow everything? No. Do I think you should be within all limits of your tow vehicle? Yes. Are there exceptions to very rule? Of course there are. Mark proves that with his rig every time he tows as per him the eco boost has no issues towing his setup even though he is over on some numbers. I do believe each driver to know their rig better than a bunch of armchair quarterbacks on the internet but that said, I will never advise towing over limits, nor will I do it ever again.

To the OP, be careful moving too much weight to the rear of the trailer as too much weight in the rear/too little tongue weight can induce a sway condition. Ideal tongue weight is 13-15% of your loaded tt weight. I strongly suggest going to the scales loaded and see where you stand on weights. Until you do that, everything is just speculation.

[Lloyd]

QUOTE=mark5w;99712]Lloyd are asking why Roadmaster Active Suspension or something else?[/QUOTE]




I was not picking out, or picking on Roadmaster Active Suspension.
Nor, was I picking on Tim. I was greatly surprised that Tim thought he needed it. I guess I didn't think his tt had that much tongue weight.



[QUOTE=anaro;99719]
Many of the long termers and definitely the Mason Dixon group have heard this story many times over.

Yes we have. Maybe it would be simpler to put link to it.

[RoadDog66]

Originally Posted by Bowler304

Another can I tow this thread?
OK, so we been looking at Travel Trailers and found one that fits our needs and layout that is "1/2 Ton" towable. My truck is a 2011 F150 Platinum, Super Crew with Ecoboost, 3.55 rear end, and a 7200 GVWR. Tow package but not Max Trailer Tow Package.

7200 GVWR - Truck Weight 6036 = 1164 lbs weight (Sticker says 1460)

Ford site shows I can tow up to 9700 lbs with truck.

Trailer Stats

2015 Crossroads Super Lite ST290QB

Dry Weight 6346 - Verified on the "cat scales"
GCWR - 7664 (Loaded) with 1300 lbs of cargo if we added all of it.
Tongue Weight - 664 lbs

They are 'throwing in' a Equalizer Hitch rated at 1400 lbs which seems like an over kill. I did the math on the site and they say it should be the 1200.

Will my truck tow it, more importantly can I stop it? Does this hitch sound like the right size? I been reading that too much sway hitch is worse then none at all. Thanks for your time.

TOTAL GCVW - 15,300
This TOTAL - 14,832 - If both the truck and trailer are full

I was towing our 290QB with a Nissan Titan CC. It had a 9300lb tow rating, 1598 lb payload rating, 7200 lb GVWR and 930 lb tongue weight limit. I can tell you for certain that loaded and carrying two full propane tanks and battery the 290QB tongue weight is easily 800-850 lbs.

The Titan had plenty of power, but we were always iffy on the payload & GCVWR, and squatted something silly. During mostly weekend or 3-4 day trips that were less than 100 miles away it was suitable. But when we started packing for week long trips it got a bit sketchy. I have an Equalizer 4pt w/1200lb bars and was using an additional rear suspension springs, but still was getting pushed around like crazy and dragging the tail. Never felt comfortable going far for longer periods.

I think you'll be fine, but may want to trade up to a bigger tow vehicle in the future. We decided to upgrade to an HD 2500 series truck for added stability & payload and its night & day.

[Igmire01]

As the saying goes..........too much trailer not enough truck. Tow as much as you are comfortable with. It will only take one time of a "near miss", and you will re-think your plan. And remember........SAFETY is no accident! Good Luck!

[Tim D]

Originally Posted by Lloyd

QUOTE=mark5w;99712]
I was not picking out, or picking on Roadmaster Active Suspension.
Nor, was I picking on Tim. I was greatly surprised that Tim thought he needed it. I guess I didn't think his tt had that much tongue weight.

I take no offense. My F-250 tows the TT just fine. We towed up and down several steep grades over 7%. It has plenty of power and "gitty up". The engine brake in tow haul mode is awesome. What I did encounter was a couple hundred miles of pretty stiff crosswinds due to storm activity that did induce a sway with the wind gust. Seemed like the damn storm was staying with and following me and blowing perpendicular to me no matter which way the road took us. Granted, we probably should have just pulled over and let it pass. We did eventually and once it passed no more issues.
According to the website the Roadmaster Active Suspension will help with sway issues.

I also use my trucks for hauling and working. I had a pallet of retaining wall block in the back the other day. Yes...probably more weight than I should have had. 240 block. It handled it fine other than the squat. Roadmaster should help with that as well.

I had airbags installed on my previous truck. They worked to help level the truck out but I don't feel they did much to help overall handling. My opinion. I haven't had time yet to install, but when I do I will report on them.

[r2millers]

Originally Posted by anaro

Not all st tires are rated only to 65 mph. Mine are rated to 75 mph and a rare few are rated to 85 mph. .

Really? I understood that to be Federally regulated. What tire brands are you referring to?
I've yet to see an ST tires with anything but 65 mph max.
Love to learn something new.

[jakesz28]

My Rezerve came with tires rated at 75 mph.

[r2millers]

Originally Posted by mark5w

When I see the idiots on the interstates blowing by my at 70-75 mph with rv's in tow you know he does not know his limitations. Like stated above, you're towing an rv , you should be driving responsibly They cannot stop on a dime plus many don't know or remember that ST tires are rated UP to 65 mph. (unless you add in the fudge factor).

Mark,
When you add your 10% fudge factor on ST tires, that gives them the ability to safely drive at 71.5 mph.
Would that then make them an idiot?
Just asking???

[r2millers]

Originally Posted by jakesz28

My Rezerve came with tires rated at 75 mph.

Brand and style of ST tires you're referring to?

[jakesz28]

I will look at them tomorrow in the day light. The tread design looks like what you would see on an all season passenger car.

[mark5w]

Here is a story I found:

Thursday, March 5, 2015

Special Trailer Tire Speed Codes/Ratings





For a long time ST tires were in a single category when it came to their speed ratings. The Tire & Rim Association approved them for 65 MPH and that information was easy to find on the internet. But, that particular speed rating is handcuffed because there is no speed letter for 65 MPH. J=62 MPH and K=68MPH. I often wondered just why the 65 MPH restriction was approved and I still have no answer.

Recently there have been, what I call hybrid ST tires, manufactured with the LT prefix. They are easily identified as trailer tires because it’s molded right into their sidewalls, FOR TRAILER SERVICE ONLY. With those tires came a service description ending in the speed letters higher than 65 MPH.

Most recently one of the major American based manufacturers of ST tires has risen the bar and said they are building ST tires with speed ratings as high as 81 MPH (code letter M). I’ve already found some ST tires with a service description that included the letter L (75 MPH).

Our government (USA) has developed new rules for foreign ST tire manufacturers to comply with or pay higher tariffs. Part of those rules will require the ST tire manufacturers to put a speed rating identifier on the sidewall. They can just write the speed rating on there, use a speed rating letter or us the optional service description with speed letter.

Service descriptions are not the official identifier for ST & LT tires load capacities, the load range letters are. There are differences in weight values used with the two different weight systems. Here is an example. The LT235/85R16E has a standardized load capacity of 3042# at 80 PSI. Using the load index code 120 for the same size tire shows a load capacity of 3086#. It’s not compatible with existing load inflation charts.

It will be interesting to see how this new rule unfolds. It will also be interesting to see how the TRA will approve the new speed ratings for ST tires.

[RoadDog66]

Originally Posted by Tim D

I am planning to put them on my F-250.

Tim I had the RAS on my Titan and it definitely helped. Better than Timbrens and an easier install than airbags. Never even had to think twice about them once installed. Of course no add-on will magically provide more payload, but these eased the squatting and kept it more stable on turns.

...now as for the coil springs in my new Ram, they are full on amazing . I barely even need the Equalizer to help pull our TT .

[Lloyd]

Originally Posted by RoadDog66

...now as for the coil springs in my new Ram, they are full on amazing . I barely even need the Equalizer to help pull our TT .

Really?
I have heard that coil springs on your tv are like trying to carry a tub full of water without splashing any.
If you are being straight on with that---that is wonderful news.

[anaro]

Originally Posted by r2millers

Really? I understood that to be Federally regulated. What tire brands are you referring to?
I've yet to see an ST tires with anything but 65 mph max.
Love to learn something new.

My tires are constancy LY188. ST235/80/R16. They have a speed rating of L.

[mark5w]

Do these tires have a DOT number branded on them? After checking out the company, I don't know if I'd go by that speed rating.

[anaro]

Unfortunately the trailer is still at the dealership getting the latest round of work done (the dent they made on last trip is getting fixed).

[anaro]

What did you find out, I haven't been able to find anything on these tires. A friend in the tire business couldn't really find anything either. These were the factory replacements from the second return trip to the factory.

[jakesz28]

Here is the tires on mine. They have a L speed rating of 75 mph.

Vail Sport Radial Tire

Vaillancourt Sport radial

I am not saying I know anything about them this is just the tire on a new 2016 crossroads trailer

[r2millers]

Originally Posted by jakesz28

Here is the tires on mine. They have a L speed rating of 75 mph.

Vail Sport Radial Tire

Vaillancourt Sport radial

I am not saying I know anything about them this is just the tire on a new 2016 crossroads trailer

I've looked up both your tire website and anaro's constancy tires and can't find any speed ratings on these tires.
Just because, now I really want to understand ST tire ratings, where did you find the info and if it's on the tires, please take a picture.
I have yet to find any mfg list ST tires with anything higher than 65 mph.
If you have one, please pass on the link.
Thx.