Pulling Campers... BE CAREFUL!!!!

[tim tarras]

I know about of guys are going to be towing trailers/campers out west for the season. Please be careful.

My wife and I were going south on I35 today when the truck with a camper in front of us started to sway. The camper then flipped on its side and the truck was forced into the ditch. Nobody was hurt. The guy told my wife that he was reaching for something when it started.

PS. He did have a weight distribution hitch.

 

[slvrslngr]

Seen it multiple times. Usually excessive speed and inattentive driving caused.

 

[Akwoodchuck]

Ouch...Interstates lol....

 

[jmez]

Bet that broke some dishes.

Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk

 

[full choke]

Glad no one was hurt!

Also- make sure you are not dragging your security chains when you are driving around in the dry Western states.

 

[Finch]

Glad no one was hurt!

Also- make sure you are not dragging your security chains when you are driving around in the dry Western states.

My buddy and I were heading through Indiana I believe on our way back from our 1st elk hunt in 2015. There were 3-4 separate median fires on a stretch of the interstate. Pretty sure low hanging security chains were the cause.

 

[Yarcher]

That will certainly put a damper on a trip.

 

[NYyotekiller]

You see a lot of this with guys with 1/2 ton trucks pulling too much weight Nowadays. Just because your rig has enough horsepower to pull it up hills doesn’t mean it can safely handle a large load in an emergency situation. Light truck and swaying load = bad situation.

Glad no one was hurt.

 

[HOT ROD]

I see this all the time here in Wyoming... Not enough truck pulling to big of camper plus a stiff cross wind equals a disaster..

 

[woods89]

You see a lot of this with guys with 1/2 ton trucks pulling too much weight Nowadays. Just because your rig has enough horsepower to pull it up hills doesn’t mean it can safely handle a large load in an emergency situation. Light truck and swaying load = bad situation.

Glad no one was hurt.

I think this is definitely a factor.

We have a 16' tool trailer that probably weighs about 5000 lbs total that we bought 5 years ago. I pulled it with an F-150 for about a year, and then bought an extended cab, long bed F-250. The difference in stability was hard to believe.

You had to stay on your toes with that 1/2 ton, for sure.

 

[Buffinnut]

those 2 nailed it. Everyone thinks a swb half ton towing a 35ft trailer is fine until it happens to them. I used to be in a bunch of Facebook groups for full time RVing and toy-hauler people and it's terrifying how many posts a day go like this - just bought our tow vehicle, ( half ton) "tow capacity is 10,000lbs" picking up our travel trailer tomorrow (dry weight 9,999lbs) so now they are pulling a 12-13,000lb 38ft travel trailer with a truck that has the PAYLOAD for about a 5,000lb trailer plus all the gear in the truck and weight of the family plus the dog.
Not to mention a short wheel base lightweight half ton with a giant sail behind it.

 

[Buffinnut]

That wouldn't have happened with a CCLB one ton. My f350 weighs 9000lbs without much in it

 

[Squamch]

And check your lugs and bearings while you're at it. Local guy had his new truck written off a couple weeks back by a little 205 travel trailer tire. 110km/hr trailer tire into the front of a truck doing 110km/hr....

 

[elkguide]

The main reason that I drive a 2500 isn't for the pulling power.... it's the stopping power. On top of the weight difference in the 1500 and the 2500, the brakes are the big thing for me. Been to way to many accident scenes where somebody tried to stop and the brakes just weren't up to the job.

 

[204guy]

1/2 ton was the first thing I noticed also...

 

[260madman]

I see half tons pulling big trailers all the time. I shake my head and hope they make it. It’s the reason I bought a 2500 Yukon for pulling my TT and it was a remarkable difference. Then I bought a 2500 HD pickup. Stability and stopping is everything. That’s not to say it couldn’t happen to a 3/4 Or 1 ton but it’s more common with the half tons.

 

[rayporter]

all the half ton questions-----------theres your answer.

seriously i see lots of three quarter tonners pulling way too big trailers all the time with the same attitude. it can pull it. i dont have any trouble. when you see a tri axle toy hauler or a six horse trailer with a three quarter ton pulling it they are gambling.

 

[Brianmp01]

Newer half tons can tow alot more than they could in the past, the newer ram 1500 are 12k towing capacity. I tow my 27ft camper with my 1500 with no issues and am within my weight limits. Alot of people don't set there weight distribution set ups correctly

 

[Brightwhite]

This brings up something that I have thought a lot about driving around Colorado this summer seeing hundreds of trailers being towed with not even 1/2 tons, but small trucks and midsized SUV’s. My wife’s suv has a tow hitch on it and wouldnt dream of hooking anything up to that unless it’s maybe a drift boat or a utility trailer, never a 21’ or any RV trailer!

I drive an f150 and do have a RV trailer that I tow it with, but I feel like it’s welllll within the acceptable weight and size of what a 1/2 should be towing. It’s a 18’ trailer that weights 3,200 pounds dry, I’m sure fully loaded in at 4,000 or so. My f150 with the max tow and the 3.5 eco boost, Ford gives it a tow rating if I think 12k pounds, so I know people out there buy a truck like mine then buy these long and heavy 8-9k trailers thinking they are well within spec, so they’re fine.

Back to my question and thought....What do you guys feel the Acceptable % of your tow rating to be used on a dry trailer weight is? IE...if you have a 10k tow rating, should you never go over 50%? 35%? Or is it higher? I feel like some standardized “dry weight percent of tow capacity” rating would help people understand that it’s not just pulling, but stopping, and controlling the load that’s the much more important part. Especially all the new uninformed folks out today trying to recreate outside.

 

[Brianmp01]

This brings up something that I have thought a lot about driving around Colorado this summer seeing hundreds of trailers being towed with not even 1/2 tons, but small trucks and midsized SUV’s. My wife’s suv has a tow hitch on it and wouldnt dream of hooking anything up to that unless it’s maybe a drift boat or a utility trailer, never a 21’ or any RV trailer!

I drive an f150 and do have a RV trailer that I tow it with, but I feel like it’s welllll within the acceptable weight and size of what a 1/2 should be towing. It’s a 18’ trailer that weights 3,200 pounds dry, I’m sure fully loaded in at 4,000 or so. My f150 with the max tow and the 3.5 eco boost, Ford gives it a tow rating if I think 12k pounds, so I know people out there buy a truck like mine then buy these long and heavy 8-9k trailers thinking they are well within spec, so they’re fine.

Back to my question and thought....What do you guys feel the Acceptable % of your tow rating to be used on a dry trailer weight is? IE...if you have a 10k tow rating, should you never go over 50%? 35%? Or is it higher? I feel like some standardized “dry weight percent of tow capacity” rating would help people understand that it’s not just pulling, but stopping, and controlling the load that’s the much more important part. Especially all the new uninformed folks out today trying to recreate outside.

I like to stay around 2500 lbs below max tow when I fully loaded