Pulling a 14.5' Jayco Baja trailer. (1 Viewer)

[Beagle]

Tried posting in Trailer Tech but moving it here. Not much luck over there.

How screwed am I?

We are planning on towing a 14.5 ft Jayco Baja from TX to WA state with our 2001 UZJ100 in Sep. The trailer weighs 2800# dry. I have airlift airbags on the LC as well as brake controller. It's a short trailer and we are thinking of just not really filling the water tanks etc more than 1/4. Ideally we'd go up through CO and over across Wyoming, maybe avoiding high passes.

What sort of situation am I in for? We haven't gotten a sway controller yet as some advised it wasn't needed with this length. I don't have a way to monitor Trans Temps which is one fear that's growing. Is this trip even possible? I'm not even sure what questions to ask. Towing around Austin has been fine. But getting up into Montana and the PNW, Idaho, or WY...I don't want to blow something. I love my rig. Thinking we might just have to cut out CO totally.

If the Colorado/ WY portion is too much elevation, I do want to see Montana so maybe going straight up from TX and staying east of the Rockies.... and then head west is better? Doing I need an alternative route?

Wife has greed to under-pack. There will be 2 dogs. Yes, I said 14.5 foot trailer. I'm also googling state mental institutions in case I need to be dropped off.

Are we going to be ok? Am I going to destroy my LC? Sorry my post is scattered. I just woke up. I have searched through the threads and seen some info but a lot conflicts. I need confirmation bias and encouragement.

Edit: I gather that I need Overdrive off most of the time and Power ECT on if I'm correct....?

Pic of trailer attached.

 

[MJK]

You'll be fine, enjoy the trip.

Make sure the 100 is current on maintenance, back off on the caffeine a little and do a couple local test runs to get comfortable with your setup. You'll figure out the rest as you go.

 

[ramangain]

You should be OK.

A helpful tool with be an OBD2 BT reader and get Torque Pro to monitor your tranny temps on your phone or tablet - $20 total cost.

 

[Beagle]

You should be OK.

A helpful tool with be an OBD2 BT reader and get Torque Pro to monitor your tranny temps on your phone or tablet - $20 total cost.

I do have an OBD2 that I haven't really used much but read it won't do Trans Temp. Is Torque Pro another app that reads the Trans Temp? I've been trying to figure this very thing out!
Edit: I'm looking on the ios apple App store and don't see the exact name "Torque Pro" yet. I see some similar names. Is that the exact name?

 

[AlpineAccess]

I do have an OBD2 that I haven't really used much but read it won't do Trans Temp. Is Torque Pro another app that reads the Trans Temp? I've been trying to figure this very thing out!
Edit: I'm looking on the ios apple App store and don't see the exact name "Torque Pro" yet. I see some similar names. Is that the exact name?

Torque will read trans temp with a Bluetooth OBD2 transmitter. that is the correct name

Good luck on the trip.

 

[Skidoo]

You want to drive the mountains using trans temp as guideline. Start to heat up, go lower in gears and slower. You may need 3rd or 2nd on the really steep stuff.
Clean your radiator when you get to Colorado of all the bugs you have picked up along the way.

 

[Beagle]

Torque will read trans temp with a Bluetooth OBD2 transmitter. that is the correct name

Good luck on the trip.

Thank you. Yes, I see " OBD2 Torque", and "Fusion" which I already have but nothing for "Torque-PRO". I'm using an Apple iphone. Could that be the problem? Thanks so much.

 

[GatorBait1551]

I do have an OBD2 that I haven't really used much but read it won't do Trans Temp. Is Torque Pro another app that reads the Trans Temp? I've been trying to figure this very thing out!
Edit: I'm looking on the ios apple App store and don't see the exact name "Torque Pro" yet. I see some similar names. Is that the exact name?

torque is only available on Android I believe

 

[abuck99]

For trailering in summer heat I would make sure my trans fluid is fresh and my cooling system (coolant, thermostat, rad cap, heater-T's, very clean radiator and fan clutch) , is in top shape.

 

[Beagle]

torque is only available on Android I believe

That's What I'm figuring out. Thank you for saving me another few hours of thinking I'm crazy or blind.

 

[AlpineAccess]

That's What I'm figuring out. Thank you for saving me another few hours of thinking I'm crazy or blind.

Correct, it's in the play store but not apple store.

It will run on any old android smart phone or tablet. I use a galaxy s3 from 2011, probably worth about $20 these days.

High elevation is tough to tow in, just being honest. I tow my boat with a 99 and it isn't a great time.

Our speed limits are high, and I wouldn't be comfortable for example; pulling my ski boat on the I25, as holding at over 65 isn't easy.

The slow, long climbs in WY are going to be rough. I spend a good bit of time in Wyoming around Lander, Tetons, and then up towards YNP. It's going to be a real slog.

 

[flintknapper]

Tried posting in Trailer Tech but moving it here. Not much luck over there.

How screwed am I?

We are planning on towing a 14.5 ft Jayco Baja from TX to WA state with our 2001 UZJ100 in Sep. The trailer weighs 2800# dry. I have airlift airbags on the LC as well as brake controller. It's a short trailer and we are thinking of just not really filling the water tanks etc more than 1/4. Ideally we'd go up through CO and over across Wyoming, maybe avoiding high passes.

What sort of situation am I in for? We haven't gotten a sway controller yet as some advised it wasn't needed with this length. I don't have a way to monitor Trans Temps which is one fear that's growing. Is this trip even possible? I'm not even sure what questions to ask. Towing around Austin has been fine. But getting up into Montana and the PNW, Idaho, or WY...I don't want to blow something. I love my rig. Thinking we might just have to cut out CO totally.

If the Colorado/ WY portion is too much elevation, I do want to see Montana so maybe going straight up from TX and staying east of the Rockies.... and then head west is better? Doing I need an alternative route?

Wife has greed to under-pack. There will be 2 dogs. Yes, I said 14.5 foot trailer. I'm also googling state mental institutions in case I need to be dropped off.

Are we going to be ok? Am I going to destroy my LC? Sorry my post is scattered. I just woke up. I have searched through the threads and seen some info but a lot conflicts. I need confirmation bias and encouragement.

Edit: I gather that I need Overdrive off most of the time and Power ECT on if I'm correct....?

Pic of trailer attached.

View attachment 2397416

Your vehicle will be fine. I'd concentrate more on the trailer than anything else.

'Length' has ZERO to do with trailer sway. There are a variety of things that will/can induce trailer sway and if you've ever experienced it (at highway speed) then you know how disconcerting it can be.

You have a single axle trailer...so make sure your tires are in good shape (not dry rotted or cracked) and air them up to the highest psi listed on the tire. Low air pressure in tires creates heat and heat is what causes most trailer tire blowouts. A blow out on a single axle trailer can get pretty exciting. Be sure your spare is fully inflated before hitting the road. Keep road speed below 60 mph. I don't care how fast everyone else is going.

You have an axle that is mounted well rearward so keeping 10-15% tongue weight shouldn't be an issue for you. But also balance your load (side to side) as much as possible. This will help prevent sway as well. Singe axle trailers tend not to be as stable as tandem axle trailers...so take the time to distribute your cargo load as evenly side to side as you can and 60% of the weight forward of the axle (if you can).

Your tow vehicle will be fine. Have a fun trip.

 

[Beagle]

Correct, it's in the play store but not apple store.

It will run on any old android smart phone or tablet. I use a galaxy s3 from 2011, probably worth about $20 these days.

High elevation is tough to tow in, just being honest. I tow my boat with a 99 and it isn't a great time.

Our speed limits are high, and I wouldn't be comfortable for example; pulling my ski boat on the I25, as holding at over 65 isn't easy.

The slow, long climbs in WY are going to be rough. I spend a good bit of time in Wyoming around Lander, Tetons, and then up towards YNP. It's going to be a real slog.

Yeah I'm worried about those passes. I'm wonder if we should go up from TX while staying East of the Rockies till we get to Montana and then head West to WA. I have no experience with that part of WY or Montana though and don't know if we just end up in more gnarly passes going west into ID. Trying to Google map route with Bicycle mode to see elevations. Ugh.

 

[Beagle]

Your vehicle will be fine. I'd concentrate more on the trailer than anything else.

'Length' has ZERO to do with trailer sway. There are variety of things that will/can induce trailer sway and if you've ever experienced it (at highway speed) then you know how disconcerting it can be.

Your have a single axle trailer...so make sure your tires are in good shape (not dry rotted or cracked) and air them up to the highest psi listed on the tire. Low air pressure in tires creates heat and heat is what causes most trailer tire blowouts. A blow out on a single axle trailer can get pretty exciting. Be sure your spare is fully inflated before hitting the road. Keep road speed below 60 mph. I don't care how fast everyone else is going.

You have an axle that is mounted well rearward so keeping 10-15% tongue weight shouldn't be an issue for you. But also balance your load (side to side) as much as possible. This will help prevent sway as well. Singe axle trailers tend not to be as stable as tandem axle trailers...so take the time to distribute your cargo load as evenly side to side as you can and 60% of the weight forward of the axle (if you can).

Your tow vehicle will be fine. Have a fun trip.

Ok good to know! Yeah good tires and aired to the max. 51psi which seems high to me but that's what they say. An old guy at a trailer supply place here in Austin talked me out of Weight Distribution hitch because his theory was my trailer tires were low at the time and to bring em up to 51psi and I'd notice a huge difference. Maybe we'll still get a WD hitch soon. Good to know on the packing. The fridge, stove and water tanks are all on the driver side so I guess we need to focus gear and dog food and junk onto the passenger side.... Thank again.

 

[vman07]

fwiw I've never been able to get trans temp on Torque. I know others have been able, you type in some algorithm or something, but I've never been succesful, bummer too....

 

[ramangain]

I have an 01 LX. I can get the correct trans temp in the version of Torque you buy for $5 as the second option given for trans temps.

 

[AlpineAccess]

fwiw I've never been able to get trans temp on Torque. I know others have been able, you type in some algorithm or something, but I've never been succesful, bummer too....

Mine pulled up right away, I just selected trans temp and moved it to my dashboard.

Might be a pro vs free feature, or might have been a patch or update but I'd check it again if you want to use the feature.

 

[AlpineAccess]

Yeah I'm worried about those passes. I'm wonder if we should go up from TX while staying East of the Rockies till we get to Montana and then head West to WA. I have no experience with that part of WY or Montana though and don't know if we just end up in more gnarly passes going west into ID. Trying to Google map route with Bicycle mode to see elevations. Ugh.

If you're talking about taking I25 up, which is likely the only option based on your proposed route - you'll be fine in CO. Running the front range will be very straight forward, just watch your timing on the springs - fort collins as our traffic gets more absurd every year since 2010. On a bad day the run from CS to FC can take 4+ hours if you hit it wrong.

When you hit Cheyenne you've got options, but everything in WY consists of very long, gradual downhill sections, followed by reasonable climbs (that are just really long). You'll have your pick of 18 wheelers to get around, if I feel like its hot and I've been running hard I just find a medium-speed 18 wheeler, move in front of them and match their speed until I want to scoot again. Offsetting all of the long, gradual climbs in WY is the fact that once you clear Laramie the roads are quiet until you hit the Tetons or YNP area.

FAR more of an issue in Northern Colorado, but particularly Wyoming is cross-wind. The weight distribution and anti-sway makes a big difference in wind.

I'm likely underestimating what you know about towing in wind as well, but its worth pointing out that it's worth researching the best ways to manage cross- wind.

The first part is just go slow - and assume the tractor trailer drivers have no idea what they are doing. I used to think that I could set my speeds by theirs, but after seeing dozens of them overturned on the side of the road I've learned to do my own thinking. Most of them can't even get their tire chains on in a storm.

If wind hits 'out of the blue' and the trailer starts snapping, don't hit the tow vehicle's brakes and maintain your current speed (which feels counter intuitive). Apply slow trailer braking with the hand toggle to pull the trailer in behind you, and when the trailer starts slowing your vehicle down, ease onto your tow vehicle brakes to get to a safe speed and maintain it from there.

 

[flintknapper]

Ok good to know! Yeah good tires and aired to the max. 51psi which seems high to me but that's what they say. An old guy at a trailer supply place here in Austin talked me out of Weight Distribution hitch because his theory was my trailer tires were low at the time and to bring em up to 51psi and I'd notice a huge difference. Maybe we'll still get a WD hitch soon. Good to know on the packing. The fridge, stove and water tanks are all on the driver side so I guess we need to focus gear and dog food and junk onto the passenger side.... Thank again.

I'm retired from 30 yrs. in the RV business. Everything from Class A motorhomes to travel trailers. You don't really need a WD hitch for your trailer BUT most come with anti-sway bars and those ARE a desired feature. IF your brake control has a manual feature you can use it to help control/stop sway if any should start.

If loaded properly...your trailer likely won't give you any trouble but crosswinds and large vehicles passing by can push the trailer enough to get it started. It's best NOT to use your tow vehicle brakes if this happens. Just get off the throttle and lightly apply your trailer brakes (if you have a manual feature) until things get under control. Biggest thing is NOT to exceed 60-65 mph. This is the #1 thing we see folks do and get into trouble. Take your time, enjoy the scenery and be safe.

 

[Beagle]

If you're talking about taking I25 up, which is likely the only option based on your proposed route - you'll be fine in CO. Running the front range will be very straight forward, just watch your timing on the springs - fort collins as our traffic gets more absurd every year since 2010. On a bad day the run from CS to FC can take 4+ hours if you hit it wrong.

When you hit Cheyenne you've got options, but everything in WY consists of very long, gradual downhill sections, followed by reasonable climbs (that are just really long). You'll have your pick of 18 wheelers to get around, if I feel like its hot and I've been running hard I just find a medium-speed 18 wheeler, move in front of them and match their speed until I want to scoot again. Offsetting all of the long, gradual climbs in WY is the fact that once you clear Laramie the roads are quiet until you hit the Tetons or YNP area.

FAR more of an issue in Northern Colorado, but particularly Wyoming is cross-wind. The weight distribution and anti-sway makes a big difference in wind.

I'm likely underestimating what you know about towing in wind as well, but its worth pointing out that it's worth researching the best ways to manage cross- wind.

The first part is just go slow - and assume the tractor trailer drivers have no idea what they are doing. I used to think that I could set my speeds by theirs, but after seeing dozens of them overturned on the side of the road I've learned to do my own thinking. Most of them can't even get their tire chains on in a storm.

If wind hits 'out of the blue' and the trailer starts snapping, don't hit the tow vehicle's brakes and maintain your current speed (which feels counter intuitive). Apply slow trailer braking with the hand toggle to pull the trailer in behind you, and when the trailer starts slowing your vehicle down, ease onto your tow vehicle brakes to get to a safe speed and maintain it from there.

You are not underestimating what I know about towing and this is all super helpful. I might also send you a PM on some more WY info if you don't mind....thanks again for all of that info.