Got some miles under my belt now towing my current setup: '09 LX570 with '07 Airstream 27FB International Ocean Breeze. Wanted to give a report for others attempting to tow things in the same weight/length range.
LX570 mods: 33" AT Load Range E tires (Falken Wildpeak AT3W 305/55/20), 1" spacers all around, Dometic Milenco Grand Aero3 tow mirrors.
*Normally, I do 36 psi all around on these tires, but 42psi rear 41 psi front when loaded.
Pertinent numbers for the Airstream 27FB: 28' length (ball to bumper), 5813 dry weight, 790 hitch weight, 7600 GVWR.
Mods 3" lift axle lift.
*Note, these are dry unladen weights with no accessories or gear. It is well known in the AS community that Airstreams specs are very much on the light end. While I don't have actual weights (yet), those who have, generally report tongue weight in excess of 1000lbs, and trailer weight about 10-20% more.
Hitch: Equalizer with 1000lb bars.
Brake Controller: Tekonsha P3
Happy to report that she tows splendidly. No tail wagging or any hint of instability.
The pair is well matched in mass, as the LX570 is reported to have a curb weight of ~6150lbs. Weight is generally a major factor in stability. While trucks can be heavy too, they tend to be light in the rear where it counts (unless they have gear/ballast).
Next is wheelbase, or more specifically wheelbase to rear overhang ratio. This was a concern as LC/LX's have wheel bases on the shorter end (~112"). With not exactly a short overhang (~56"). This 2:1 ratio is not ideal, but I believe the heft and wide track do lend some added stability to make up for things. Where this is a huge advantage is maneuvering and backing up in tight campgrounds.
AHC works splendidly to control ride and secondary trailer motions. At no point does it feel under-damped or undersprung. I tried comfort mode on the manual damping dial for kicks and it allows for more motion, but I much prefer it in normal damping mode. Ride and trailer motions are quickly quelled. And ride quality is splended considering the load along and 42 PSI in Load E tires. Obviously no sag with AHC, but the nose at the front end will ride high without proper WD tension.
I use an Equilizer hitch with5 washers (EDIT: 6) for tilt/tension. The specific washers and tension is completely dependent on your particular setup. This seems to balance things well to put weight back on the front axle. A good WD/sway hitch is key to a successful setup and the Equilizer works well. If the front axle feels light or things feel squirrely at all, more WD tension.
The receiver on the LX570 is quite high, especially considering that the suspension never compresses or droops with load. Along with it being modestly lifted (1" via tires). So the standard drop shank puts the nose of the A/S high by ~3". I decided to lift the Airstream rather than use an extended drop shank, since A/S's tend to be on the low end and will commonly drag the tail AND hitch when entering driveways like at gas stations. So my A/S has been lifted 3" and sits nice and level now.
AHC is awesome in all sorts of ways. Besides the obvious ride quality and leveling abilities. It's useful when hitching up to get the ball under the trailer, or releasing. It's also great to relieve the tension on the weight distribution bars, without completely relying on the tongue jack to lift the heavy combination. Also useful to level things at the campground.
One very interesting aspect of AHC is that it slightly lowers ride height at speed on the freeway. This actually works great in concert with the weight distribution bars to dynamically increase WD tension for stability at higher speeds. I can set WD with less static tension. Around town, this allows for the combination to have a bit more flexibility between the tow vehicle and trailer, to traverse uneven terrain, especially with the stiffer Equilizer hitch bars.
Requisite pictures:
LX570 mods: 33" AT Load Range E tires (Falken Wildpeak AT3W 305/55/20), 1" spacers all around, Dometic Milenco Grand Aero3 tow mirrors.
*Normally, I do 36 psi all around on these tires, but 42psi rear 41 psi front when loaded.
Pertinent numbers for the Airstream 27FB: 28' length (ball to bumper), 5813 dry weight, 790 hitch weight, 7600 GVWR.
Mods 3" lift axle lift.
*Note, these are dry unladen weights with no accessories or gear. It is well known in the AS community that Airstreams specs are very much on the light end. While I don't have actual weights (yet), those who have, generally report tongue weight in excess of 1000lbs, and trailer weight about 10-20% more.
Hitch: Equalizer with 1000lb bars.
Brake Controller: Tekonsha P3
Happy to report that she tows splendidly. No tail wagging or any hint of instability.
The pair is well matched in mass, as the LX570 is reported to have a curb weight of ~6150lbs. Weight is generally a major factor in stability. While trucks can be heavy too, they tend to be light in the rear where it counts (unless they have gear/ballast).
Next is wheelbase, or more specifically wheelbase to rear overhang ratio. This was a concern as LC/LX's have wheel bases on the shorter end (~112"). With not exactly a short overhang (~56"). This 2:1 ratio is not ideal, but I believe the heft and wide track do lend some added stability to make up for things. Where this is a huge advantage is maneuvering and backing up in tight campgrounds.
AHC works splendidly to control ride and secondary trailer motions. At no point does it feel under-damped or undersprung. I tried comfort mode on the manual damping dial for kicks and it allows for more motion, but I much prefer it in normal damping mode. Ride and trailer motions are quickly quelled. And ride quality is splended considering the load along and 42 PSI in Load E tires. Obviously no sag with AHC, but the nose at the front end will ride high without proper WD tension.
I use an Equilizer hitch with
The receiver on the LX570 is quite high, especially considering that the suspension never compresses or droops with load. Along with it being modestly lifted (1" via tires). So the standard drop shank puts the nose of the A/S high by ~3". I decided to lift the Airstream rather than use an extended drop shank, since A/S's tend to be on the low end and will commonly drag the tail AND hitch when entering driveways like at gas stations. So my A/S has been lifted 3" and sits nice and level now.
AHC is awesome in all sorts of ways. Besides the obvious ride quality and leveling abilities. It's useful when hitching up to get the ball under the trailer, or releasing. It's also great to relieve the tension on the weight distribution bars, without completely relying on the tongue jack to lift the heavy combination. Also useful to level things at the campground.
One very interesting aspect of AHC is that it slightly lowers ride height at speed on the freeway. This actually works great in concert with the weight distribution bars to dynamically increase WD tension for stability at higher speeds. I can set WD with less static tension. Around town, this allows for the combination to have a bit more flexibility between the tow vehicle and trailer, to traverse uneven terrain, especially with the stiffer Equilizer hitch bars.
Requisite pictures:
Last edited:
27’ is serious hardware!
