What travel trailer does your 80 tow? Need some advice.

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Mikesta

Mikesta

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So far my 80 has pulled a Uhaul with an 80, 60, (2) 45 LV’s, (2) 40’s and a 24’ travel trailer (20 miles). The travel trailer was too much.. as were all the vehicles mated to the Uhaul.

Curious about what you guys pull with your 80. My wife and I are looking at getting a travel trailer… 16+ feet. We don’t like any other rides and think that the 80 is a great travel rig so we want to stick with the 80. Ideally want something that pulls good and with no wobble. We don’t care about hills.

Do any of you pull travel trailers with your 80? Post a picture if so and a description of how it handles.
 
I pull a Jayco Baja 10Z pop up camper with my 80. I know NorcalDoug pulls the bigger Starcraft 11RT

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I'd just count myself lucky to have survived all that uhaul pullling and not tempt fate by towing anything else...........
 
Romer said:
I pull a Jayco Baja 10Z pop up camper with my 80. I know NorcalDoug pulls the bigger Starcraft 11RT

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Romer, that looks like a sweet setup. Very nice!

Mind telling me what you get for gas mileage? How does it pull? Do you ever get death wobble?
 
KliersLC said:
I'd just count myself lucky to have survived all that uhaul pullling and not tempt fate by towing anything else...........
Click to expand...

Coming from you Kliers... I agree. Uhaul tounge being the issue. I've always picked my Uhaul trailers and inspected them after your incident
 
I tow a 30' Trail-Lite with a slide out. It weighs about 5000lbs and bit more when loaded. I uses a weight distributing hitch, dual-cam sway control, and a very good brake controller.

Very similiar to this:
1521732_photo1.jpg
 
kbellve said:
I tow a 30' Trail-Lite with a slide out. It weighs about 5000lbs and bit more when loaded. I uses a weight distributing hitch, dual-cam sway control, and a very good brake controller.

Very similiar to this:
1521732_photo1.jpg
Click to expand...

do you tow this with your 80? How does your 80 do? Wobble?
 
landtank said:
do a search on the member "Scamper". He tows his avatar which I think is quite comfy for himself, wife and three great danes.
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Three great dane?:eek: Used to have a malamute, but alas...no more.

I have no trouble with the Scamp (16 footer). Have never weighed it, but I'd guess it runs about 2500lbs loaded, give or take. Just use a normal class III hitch. Used to use a sway bar, but found that the real problem was the PO had put radial tires on the trailer:doh: ; replaced them with bias trailer tires and all the sway went away, so I no longer use the sway bar. With the S/C, it runs real easy. Without the S/C it was sometimes a strain to get up long hills.
 
Mikesta said:
Romer, that looks like a sweet setup. Very nice!

Mind telling me what you get for gas mileage? How does it pull? Do you ever get death wobble?
Click to expand...

Towing is about 9-10 MPG, but it was over the mountains.

Pulled great with no wobble, has surge brakes.

Only a PIA when going up to Eisenhower Tunnel and east bound Vail Pass.
 
Mikesta said:
do you tow this with your 80? How does your 80 do? Wobble?
Click to expand...

Yep, a 1996 LX450. It tows like it is pulling 5000 to 6000lbs :-) I know it is there, but I am not bothered by passing trucks. Acceleration could be better, but I am more concerned with stopping and stability and the LX450 really shines there.

The only times I get a hint of sway is if the fresh water tank is empty and the gray/black water tanks are full and then being passed by a semi. This is because the weight distribution changes (towards the back of the trailer, lightening the hitch), so I try and dump the gray/black before I leave a camp site.

The LX450/FZJ80 is a very heavy vehicle and is very stable towing, assuming you have the hitch properly setup and the proper tongue weight. Hitch setup = weight distributing hitch, and a sway control device. Several times I had to perform emergency braking and I was impressed.

I have towed about 10,000 miles from Maine to Florida in very hot weather (95F+) and going up pretty steep hills (grade isn't as steep as some places out west). I have a temp gauge on the tranny and it doesn't get very hot, unless I am sitting in traffic due to lack of air flow over the tranny cooler.

I manage 9-10mpg. I usually get 16-17mpg.

If I had to do it over again, I might go for a popup instead. Not due to towing issues of the LX450, but more because a popup is easier to manage and about half the cost. But, I like the fact I don't have to set anything up with my trailer. I park it, push a button for the slide out, and I am done.

I am upgrading the brakes on the LX450 to DBA 4000 rotors and I have a very good brake controller that boosts the initial trailer braking when I first hit the brakes.

http://www.campingworld.com/browse/skus/index.cfm?skunum=20535&src=SRQB
 
Oh, my 30' camper came with radials stock in 2002. They are a new design radial tire for trailers, plus you will get better gas mileage over a bias tire (less rolling resistance).

So, I would put those radials back on, assuming they are a real trailer tire.
 
I have towed a 2000# popup Starcraft camper across the US and in Colorado with my '95 FZJ. It's acceptable, but strong headwinds make it tough to keep going 75-80 MPH in the West - it wants to go out of overdrive and scream along in 3rd gear. Stability and control are fine. I wouldn't tow anything much heavier if you live at any significant elevation above sea level or experience strong winds.

Steve
 
I pull a dinky off-road trailer behind my LX450 and wouldn't try anything really big because of poor engine performance in the mountains. But OTH those off-road pop-up trailers are really cool. I recently looked at a Fleetwood Evolution 2 and was very impressed with the construction quality and off-roadability. There's room in front for a motorcycle or ATV, or lots of off-road gear. Or a really big grill. But you definitely need an equalizing hitch with one of these toy haulers - they are tongue heavy.

http://www.fleetwoodrv.com/evolution/

Since you live in Puget Sound you seriously need to consider how the truck will handle the west side of 4000 foot Stevens Pass - that's a rough climb with a heavy load behind an 80. And it definitely gets worse as you get inland to higher altitudes. 8000 feet, 12 percent grade and 5000 pounds of travel trailer do NOT go together well.

John Davies
Spokane WA
 
I tow a Starcraft 2106. It is a 12 foot pop up. I'm in the process of modifying it. I did a SOA as soon as I bought it. I'm now going to change the axle to six lug and run at least a 31" tire on it. I have towed it many times up passes and although it is slow going with the brakes I've never felt it was dangerous. And if you wanted to see slow and sucking gas. I pulled these two trailers with my 91 with 35s and no regear. Up Targhee Pass (Jackson Hole, WY) I was down to 1st gear. I also spent a good deal of time towing my dad's old Aliner.com Expedition Model. He's actually going to be selling it in a few weeks. He ordered a new Casita. He's picking it up in Texus. He pulls it with a 97 LX.
 
Here's an option for you. Check out the TVAN 16, "possibly the best camper in the world", especially the suspension video (slow motion). I think if I ever saw one of these in person I would whip out the checkbook and buy it on the spot.

http://www.tracktrailer.com/tvan.html

I sure wish they would bring this thing to the States ;)

John Davies
Spokane WA
 
I had a Jayco Baja and it towed easily behind my HDJ81. Yesterday I just picked up my 19' Airstream, WD bars and anti sway. No wobble, great brakes, was very windy so not too sure about the performance yet.
 
Stock '91 3FE, 4.88's with 33's (no swaybars either) pulling Fleetwood Evo II (3,500 dry; probably close to 4,000 loaded) using Kaymar rear bumper & brake controller.

Max speed 85 ind (73 on GPS) @ 3,000 rpm... speed up downhill, slow down & downshift uphill. :)

Level roads it crusies steady & comfortably about 70 (on GPS) @ 2,700 rpm.

p1010001small9mh.jpg
 
Last edited:
2500 lbs popup. It's a struggle at high elevation on steep uphills... Don't know it's there on flat terrain.
 
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