montypower
Adventure Time!
It's hauling our toys... Yamaha RMAX and z125
2020 Ford F250 on 37s - Expedition Truck Camper Build!
- Thread starter montypower
- Start date
montypower
Adventure Time!
Yep! We had clearance issues on moderate dirt roads. And less drop hitch required... Spring over conversion works great!
montypower
Adventure Time!
In this video we share our Truck Camper Towing thoughts and things to consider:
MPG – Your fuel mileage will suffer when towing. Wind drag, weight and rolling resistance all negatively affect your mpg and range. It’s important to know the towing MPG so you can appropriately plan refueling. We have seen 8-10 mpg over the past 3,000 miles this summer while towing. The truck camper is typically 10-12 mpg without the trailer.
Parking – Our total length is under 40 feet which makes it possible to park in two parking spaces. Keep in mind shorter is better for trailer parking. Parallel parking is more challenging due to the trailer tire width. The truck tires are 10-12” away when the trailer tires are touching the curb. Ideally, it’s best to have the trailer track width match the truck. Overall, parking can be a hassle and plan accordingly.
Driving – On-Road it’s fairly easy driving on Interstate highways. However, twisty mountain roads require more attention and careful driving. On narrow roads the trailer tires are nearly the full lane width. Off-Road travel is much slower! Turning around is a challenge. Rough terrain can limit travel. Biggest benefit is being about to “base camp” and drop the trailer for exploring.
Weight – Getting your scale weights is essential. Keep within your loaded trailer weight under the GVWR. Use a hitch scale to ensure 10% of the loaded trailer weight is on the tongue. The trailer hitch weight will transfer load from the truck front axle to the rear axle. Our 450lb trailer tongue weight increased the rear axle weight by 700lbs (250lbs transferred from the front axle). Stay within the GAWR (gross axle weight rating). Tire load capacity and PSI is essential for safety. Ensure your tire and wheel weight rating will support the axle weight. Then adjust your tire pressure for the weight you are carrying. Improper tire pressure is the number one cause of catastrophic tire failure.
Maintenance – Trailer wiring, hitch, chains and tires. Be sure to carry a matching spare tire. Check lug nut torque. Check tire pressure. Tire plug kit and air compressor can make many flat repairs painless.
Truck campers are excellent for towing trailers. It’s fun to bring a boat or toys on your adventures! But be mindful when preparing and cautious on your journey. Overall, we prefer the freedom of traveling without a trailer.
tacollie
Glamper
@montypower if you had a factory option of 4.56 or 4.88 gears when you ordered your truck would you have gone that route? I bought used and now I'm torn on what to regear to?. I have the sterling 10.5 rear axle so anything I get will be aftermarket. I'm tempted to go 4.88 since our camper is permanently mounted even if we stick with 35s.
RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
One thing i'll add here based on several real life experiences with friends about towing trailer is BRAKES!!!!
Strongly advised to upgrade truck brakes to be able to handle weight of trailer in the even of a trailer brake failure which is VERY VERY common!
Trailer brakes are problematic, low quality, and often have issues so for safety reasons, i'd suggest having truck be able to handle the full load if need be in emergency situations.
I had to tow a small 12ft trailer with just a single dirtbike with my Tundra (with upgraded brakes) 100 miles home after a trailer brake failure and it was absolutely terrifying and dangerous
Also, having a proper trailer brake controller and calibrating it makes a world of difference
Strongly advised to upgrade truck brakes to be able to handle weight of trailer in the even of a trailer brake failure which is VERY VERY common!
Trailer brakes are problematic, low quality, and often have issues so for safety reasons, i'd suggest having truck be able to handle the full load if need be in emergency situations.
I had to tow a small 12ft trailer with just a single dirtbike with my Tundra (with upgraded brakes) 100 miles home after a trailer brake failure and it was absolutely terrifying and dangerous
Also, having a proper trailer brake controller and calibrating it makes a world of difference
mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
You've had good success with the Hawk LTS brake pads, yes?
And there's no reason you can't run these even if you're not towing, yes?
Buddha.
Finally in expo white.
I’m an rv tech. The amount of people who leave with a trailer and no brake controller is scary.
Some people won’t get one even after we tell them what it is and why they need it.
Also don’t use that EZ lube axle repacking thing. It pushes grease past the wheel seal and coats your brakes in grease.
RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
Absolutely! I've run them on both new oem tundra rotors and on the DBA slotted rotors and absolutely love them!
Yes.
I didnt tow often at all with the Tundra. I didnt like it.
montypower
Adventure Time!
Lower gears are helpful for everything except MPG and top speed. If you generally travel under 60mph and are not too concerned about fuel mileage... then 4.88s may be the ticket.
For the cost of aftermarket gears... I'd go 4.88. It would give a bit more torque starting out especially if running 35-37" tires. I doubt it would impact the fuel mileage more than 1mpg (and possibly not at all).
We are plenty happy with the factory 4.30 gears even with the camper and towing. Going to 4.88s wouldn't be worth the cost for us. However, if going from 3.73 gears... you'll love the upgrade! And it will be worth while.
mk216v
Der Chef der Fahrzeuge
I love my 4.88 Yukon/Nitro's with 37" tires!
PS--Peter, I just fitted a slightly used 37" M/T into the factory spare location. Doesn't fit as well as your A/T, but it has a nice departure angle to it so it should work for now. Funny how a 37"(36.5" truly) tire can fit into the OEM hitch/spare area that only measures about 32-33" wide.
tacollie
Glamper
@montypower and @mk216v thanks for the feedback on gears. I played around on the gear calculator and 4.88s with 35s is really close in rpms to 4.30s with the tiny stock 245s. I spend so much time locked out of six I'm thinking I shouldn't really see a MPG hit. Now I just have to decide which locker for the front end ?
montypower
Adventure Time!
We've been happy with the OX locker! Using it air activated from ARB compressor. It's been completely reliable for 2 yrs. I've had much more drama with past ARB lockers.
RAM5500 CAMPERTHING
OG Portal Member #183
I didn’t know they still made OX Lockers. That’s awesome to hear.
I’ve had their cable actuated variants in vehicles before with zero issues and love them.
Agree, ARBs, not so much!
Glad to see OX is still around
freelheeler
New member
Just found this build thread, hello and thanks! I've been around the site and under trucks for awhile and have recently been happy using what i got... however I seem to frequent this forum when i'm struggling w my setup and would like to hear more about towing using a 6.2 w camper, tire size 35 vs 37, re gearing vs different truck.
2019 F250 SC, 8' bed, 6.2 w 4.3 gearing, 6 spd tranny, 35" (Toyo MT's), Bilstein 5100s and airbags
2008 FWC Granby
I ordered the truck new and have put on nearly 50k (95% w the camper), I've crawled it around the mountains of MT, and taken it on extended overland adventures. Often times with a dirt bike in the hitch rack... it mostly just works. Than i bought a 2022 14' enclosed tandem axle trailer and that's when I started to think do i need more engine or different gearing, prior to more towing the rig did well 4.3 gearing and 35's. But I want to bring more toys mostly dirtbikes/snowmobiles (w tools, fuel and gear) so not too heavy, but any slight hill or wind and the truck just falls flat, more so with the camper. Often times I lock it out of 6th/5th and still have to 'work' to keep 65 mph. I know its not a diesel but.. I've pulled the trailer w a dodge cummings and u set the cruise at 80 and go.
I also need new tires and have been researching gearing for 37s... that said I don't like the idea of going away from the stock 4.3s so thinking a 'thinner' 35" but not convinced it'll make any difference. So back to gearing, would 4.88 or 5.(something) improve the overall performance using 35s? MPG is always a factor but this is not a daily driver, so i think I'm ok getn a little less.
My track record has been to buy more truck than I think I need... than good or bad a few years in i tend to grow out of it... the current super duty w 6.2 is awesome but i kind of want the new 7.3 or 6.7 diesel w the 10 spd tranny. I also have a budget and like my truck so if $2500 to re gear gets me 10-15% more and slightly better towing experience i'd be happy... i think.
2019 F250 SC, 8' bed, 6.2 w 4.3 gearing, 6 spd tranny, 35" (Toyo MT's), Bilstein 5100s and airbags
2008 FWC Granby
I ordered the truck new and have put on nearly 50k (95% w the camper), I've crawled it around the mountains of MT, and taken it on extended overland adventures. Often times with a dirt bike in the hitch rack... it mostly just works. Than i bought a 2022 14' enclosed tandem axle trailer and that's when I started to think do i need more engine or different gearing, prior to more towing the rig did well 4.3 gearing and 35's. But I want to bring more toys mostly dirtbikes/snowmobiles (w tools, fuel and gear) so not too heavy, but any slight hill or wind and the truck just falls flat, more so with the camper. Often times I lock it out of 6th/5th and still have to 'work' to keep 65 mph. I know its not a diesel but.. I've pulled the trailer w a dodge cummings and u set the cruise at 80 and go.
I also need new tires and have been researching gearing for 37s... that said I don't like the idea of going away from the stock 4.3s so thinking a 'thinner' 35" but not convinced it'll make any difference. So back to gearing, would 4.88 or 5.(something) improve the overall performance using 35s? MPG is always a factor but this is not a daily driver, so i think I'm ok getn a little less.
My track record has been to buy more truck than I think I need... than good or bad a few years in i tend to grow out of it... the current super duty w 6.2 is awesome but i kind of want the new 7.3 or 6.7 diesel w the 10 spd tranny. I also have a budget and like my truck so if $2500 to re gear gets me 10-15% more and slightly better towing experience i'd be happy... i think.