Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 05-23-2016, 12:02 PM   #1
New Camper
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 4
Anyone Else Tow a 278RR?

My wife and I just bought a 2017 278RR, the approximate loaded weight (after all the cargo) is about 2/3rds to the max of the towing vehicle (2014 Ford Expedition w/ 5.4 V8).

We're picking up the unit this weekend, the dealer is doing the PDI thing at the moment. I forgot to check out the tire ratings, but will do so and will make sure they are inflated as needed. There seem to be a number of threads detailing how under-inflated tires can lead to the "bounce-n-sway" and put more work on the towing vehicle than needed. The dealer is providing and installing the WDH (part of the package).

I'm curious if anyone else has any insight to pulling the 278RR. Thanks!
SmokinLoon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2016, 05:05 AM   #2
Family Vacation Member
 
NoodlesWIU's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: IN
Posts: 131
Quote:
Originally Posted by SmokinLoon View Post
My wife and I just bought a 2017 278RR, the approximate loaded weight (after all the cargo) is about 2/3rds to the max of the towing vehicle (2014 Ford Expedition w/ 5.4 V8).

We're picking up the unit this weekend, the dealer is doing the PDI thing at the moment. I forgot to check out the tire ratings, but will do so and will make sure they are inflated as needed. There seem to be a number of threads detailing how under-inflated tires can lead to the "bounce-n-sway" and put more work on the towing vehicle than needed. The dealer is providing and installing the WDH (part of the package).

I'm curious if anyone else has any insight to pulling the 278RR. Thanks!

I'm assuming you have 4x4, and your tow rating is 9,000 lbs. I think the concern I would have would be tongue weight. The 2014 Expedition has a max tongue weight with WD of 900 lbs. Your TT has an empty TW of 746. Add LP of 40Lbs + say another 80 for batteries, and your right about at your max. That's not to say you won't have an enjoyable comfortable ride, just that I would check the inside of your driver door jam for the Tire and Loading sticker to A.) See what your cargo capacity is as they are usually pretty close after I've weighed several. 2nd would be the front and rear GAWR for the axels. It's on the white sticker just next to the T&L sticker.

I hope this helps for information purposes. But I have a feeling you have already done your homework on this one.

http://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/...TTgde_Sep9.pdf
__________________


-Tim

TV: 2015 F-150 XLT Crew Cab 3.5L Eco 4x4 Max Tow
TT: 2017 26BB
SB: Catalina 22
NoodlesWIU is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2016, 11:19 AM   #3
New Camper
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 4
Thanks for the link to Ford's towing specs for the fleet. I had not seen that before.

My 2014 Expedition XLT (4X4) says max towing capacity is 9000 lbs, I should be good to go. Also, I'm told by the dealer that the listed 748 lb tongue weight on the 278RR is for when it is loaded to max gvwr (7748 lbs), and not at its unloaded weight. As it sits on the lot the 278RR is 5100 lbs. They will weight the tongue after it has been loaded with LP and the battery just to put my mind at ease. They are also installing and adjusting as needed the new WDH as well.

I cant see my this being loaded with much more than a 700 lb ATV (Arctic Cat 700 TRV), or my 650 lb motorcycle (Triumph Thunderbird), and 4-5 days worth of clothes, food, etc. Thankfully, my wifey is a light packer like I am and we don't take a lot of extra stuff. I'd like to think that even at worst case scenario we'd be well under that 2300 lb mark of allowable cargo even if we hauled both the atv and bike, and a few days worth of stuff. I've already decided that hauling water in the tanks will be a no-no.
SmokinLoon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2016, 11:40 AM   #4
Weekend Camper
 
Vermtown Zinger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 17
Just my two cents worth, I have a similar situation where we are pulling a 2011 ZT26BL with a 2005 Ford Expedition with a tow package. When I pulled it home from the dealer, one of my concerns was the tires on the Expedition and their ability to handle the load (the Expedition has plenty of power to pull these trailers especially with the overdrive off). After reading a few articles I ended up replacing the tires with a load E range tire, a lot for peace of mind and it did help with the bouncing I encountered on the trip home from the dealer, in my opinion they made the Expedition much more stable, a little rougher riding though. I also bought a tongue weight scale to double check I wasn't exceeding the rating of the Expedition after the trailer was loaded, one of my best purchases and well worth the money. My biggest issue I have is when towing in the wind, particularly side winds, high side winds pose an issue especially for the Expedition since is has independent suspension and not a solid axle, but with the WD/sway setup properly, this can be minimized, had a few white knuckle experiences last weekend on the way home from the campground. Another thing, do not trust the way the dealer sets up the WD, always check it per the manufactures setup, I have fine tuned mine and found out a little bit of tweaking does make a difference.
__________________
2011 ZT26BL Zinger
2005 Ford F250 King Ranch
Supercrew, 5.4L, 3.73 rearend

Me and the 'Girls'
Jim, Kristina, Brianna, Kailee, Emma, Nalee the dog and Scout the cat
(even the dog and cat are girls)
Vermtown Zinger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2016, 12:18 PM   #5
Family Vacation Member
 
NoodlesWIU's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: IN
Posts: 131
Quote:
Originally Posted by SmokinLoon View Post
Thanks for the link to Ford's towing specs for the fleet. I had not seen that before.

My 2014 Expedition XLT (4X4) says max towing capacity is 9000 lbs, I should be good to go. Also, I'm told by the dealer that the listed 748 lb tongue weight on the 278RR is for when it is loaded to max gvwr (7748 lbs), and not at its unloaded weight. As it sits on the lot the 278RR is 5100 lbs. They will weight the tongue after it has been loaded with LP and the battery just to put my mind at ease. They are also installing and adjusting as needed the new WDH as well.

I cant see my this being loaded with much more than a 700 lb ATV (Arctic Cat 700 TRV), or my 650 lb motorcycle (Triumph Thunderbird), and 4-5 days worth of clothes, food, etc. Thankfully, my wifey is a light packer like I am and we don't take a lot of extra stuff. I'd like to think that even at worst case scenario we'd be well under that 2300 lb mark of allowable cargo even if we hauled both the atv and bike, and a few days worth of stuff. I've already decided that hauling water in the tanks will be a no-no.

Do remember, they are trying to sell you a unit. I guarantee the tongue weight is figured empty with no LP, battery, or water. You can call crossroads directly, and find the exact tongue weight as the exact unit left the lot by providing the last 6 digits of the VIN for that trailer. They weigh and record each unit. I have called a few times to get this data. The tongue weight recorded from them is as it leaves the lot. They do not fill the LP tanks, nor install battery's, or put water in the fresh water tanks. Those are considered dealer add-ons.

The manufacturer is going to list the lightest weight possible to entice more buyers. So if the tongue weight with LP and batteries was truly 748. I'd be listing 600 with a disclaimer that weights do not include LP, fluids, or other add-ons. But the proof is in the pudding. Here's one of their placards on a unit I was looking at over the summer.



I hope that helps a little. But feel free to call Crossroads, they are very helpful with this sort of stuff in sorting out the good information from the "I heard/think" chatter you may see around the Web or from the dealer.
__________________


-Tim

TV: 2015 F-150 XLT Crew Cab 3.5L Eco 4x4 Max Tow
TT: 2017 26BB
SB: Catalina 22
NoodlesWIU is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2016, 12:39 PM   #6
Family Vacation Member
 
NoodlesWIU's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: IN
Posts: 131
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vermtown Zinger View Post
Just my two cents worth, I have a similar situation where we are pulling a 2011 ZT26BL with a 2005 Ford Expedition with a tow package. When I pulled it home from the dealer, one of my concerns was the tires on the Expedition and their ability to handle the load (the Expedition has plenty of power to pull these trailers especially with the overdrive off). After reading a few articles I ended up replacing the tires with a load E range tire, a lot for peace of mind and it did help with the bouncing I encountered on the trip home from the dealer, in my opinion they made the Expedition much more stable, a little rougher riding though. I also bought a tongue weight scale to double check I wasn't exceeding the rating of the Expedition after the trailer was loaded, one of my best purchases and well worth the money. My biggest issue I have is when towing in the wind, particularly side winds, high side winds pose an issue especially for the Expedition since is has independent suspension and not a solid axle, but with the WD/sway setup properly, this can be minimized, had a few white knuckle experiences last weekend on the way home from the campground. Another thing, do not trust the way the dealer sets up the WD, always check it per the manufactures setup, I have fine tuned mine and found out a little bit of tweaking does make a difference.
Which brand/model tires did you go with? I tossed around the idea of buying wheels to to go with the tires just to easily change out at the beginning/end of the season without having to take them to an auto shop. IE, have the P rated tires for the winter and early spring, and put the load E tires before our first trip of the season. Unfortunately if I stiffen up the ride by having E tires on the whole time, I think my wife will be chirping in my ear that "her" new truck now rides like crap. Yes her vehicle was much older so we replaced hers to become her everyday driver/tow vehicle. I'm still lickin my chops at the new 17 superduties... But I digress. Thats a few years away still.
__________________


-Tim

TV: 2015 F-150 XLT Crew Cab 3.5L Eco 4x4 Max Tow
TT: 2017 26BB
SB: Catalina 22
NoodlesWIU is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2016, 01:43 PM   #7
Weekend Camper
 
Vermtown Zinger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 17
I went with the Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor. I have always been a Goodyear fan, pros and cons to all tires. What I liked about the tires obviously was the load range but also they are supposed to be designed to be a quieter, smoother riding tire. The quietness I can agree with, they are actually quieter than my previous P rated tires, the smoother riding not so much, especially when the tires have 75lbs of air in them. When I am not pulling I lower that to 60lbs and it does make some difference, at least I tell myself it does. I also tell my wife it matters, trying to convince her too. I like your idea of using a different set of wheels with the tires, may have to put some thought to that. I for sure am glad I went with the load E tires, it did make a difference at least for my setup when towing.
__________________
2011 ZT26BL Zinger
2005 Ford F250 King Ranch
Supercrew, 5.4L, 3.73 rearend

Me and the 'Girls'
Jim, Kristina, Brianna, Kailee, Emma, Nalee the dog and Scout the cat
(even the dog and cat are girls)
Vermtown Zinger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2016, 01:47 PM   #8
Site Team
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: WI.
Posts: 9,154
Try lowering them to 50#. That is what I run when empty, and have for years with no damage or problems. There's no weight on them empty so it stands to reason it's not going to do any damage to the sidewalls.
Lloyd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-25-2016, 02:02 PM   #9
Weekend Camper
 
Vermtown Zinger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 17
Thanks Lloyd, I will give that a try. I was never very comfortable about lowering the tire pressure to much, right or wrong I was always concerned the lower pressure would make the tires wear on the outside more than the middle, I don't have much experience with the higher load range tires. When I do lower the pressure, there is no visible change in the how the tire sits (more squatting). Good to know you have been doing it successfully.
__________________
2011 ZT26BL Zinger
2005 Ford F250 King Ranch
Supercrew, 5.4L, 3.73 rearend

Me and the 'Girls'
Jim, Kristina, Brianna, Kailee, Emma, Nalee the dog and Scout the cat
(even the dog and cat are girls)
Vermtown Zinger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-10-2016, 10:11 AM   #10
Weekend Camper
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Nv
Posts: 33
I'll second the tongue weight scale.....it helps you keep you properly loaded for each trip....ESPECIALLY hauling ATVs. Your load can change quite a bit.

The best way to eliminate sway is to properly load the trailer....as much tongue weight (up to 15%) as your hitch weight and payload can handle. Nothing wrong with 11% or so if it tows okay. Anything below that I'd be taking it very easy and slow until you get a feel for it, and never go below 10%.

Have Fun!

PS I'll also second double checking your WD setup....just finishing mine for the third time since leaving the dealer. Came on here to post my numbers for others.
__________________
2016 Sunset Trail 270BH-Toyota Sequoia
n9740b is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Crossroads RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:18 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
×