towing a 30ft cruiser TT

[Hvysturg]

Hello, my family and I are purchasing a 30 ft cruiser TT, I plan on towing with my 02 F-250 SD 5.4 gas 3/4 cab , is this enoughof a towing vehicle for this camper,also the camper has a knob on the right side of the tongue about 24" back from thehitch ball socket,is this sway control that has been added by the factory or aftermarket?

[fhenn]

This came with the HD hitch

[gossamar]

Look at the post right below/above "Can I tow my camper with my truck?", as the owner has a very similar situation to yours. If you have the upgraded axle ratio, it will make the towing easier. It would also be good to install an aftermarket transmission gauge to monitor the R4100 transmission as they do not do well towing heavier loads. There is a side port on the the transmission where the sensor goes that makes this task fairly simple if you can turn a wrench or two. If you are not towing in a lot of hills you should be okay, but it also depends on how heavy the camper is. My 31-foot TT tips the scales around 11K loaded down, but I am also running diesel power.... Cruise over to thedieselstop.com and look around some of the gas forums there. Lots of good information..., oh and yes, the round ball should be for a friction type sway control and your hitch should have a similar ball on it.

Edited by: gossamar

[Hvysturg]

thanks,for the info, the truck has a trans temp gauge at the dash panel, I'll try to find out the gear ratio,the Gvwr ? weight rating for the trailer is approx 8500 lbs loaded according to the kitchen cabinet door. what torsion set up are you using? any info would help thanks.

[gossamar]

For one...do not put your faith in the factory transmission gauge, many years ago one of the members of the dieselstop did some testing and found out that the tranny temp got to around 220-230 before the gauge would get into the yellow to alert the driver that the temps were gettting hot. Heat is the #1 thing that kills transmissions and it does it quick. Best to do an aftermarket gauge. I have a husky set-up I do believe with 1200 lb distribution bars, but my tongue weight is over 1000 lbs. Any rv dealer should be able to help you get set-up for proper towing. Depending on your hitch weight, you might need to look at some aftermarket air bags for additional support.