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Towing advice/help needed...

FergBearPig

FergBearPig

2️⃣ Bronze
Ok guys/gals with way more experience than me...

First things first, I own a 2019 TRDOR with the 6sp manual.

My wife and I are strongly considering purchasing a Coachman 208BHS to camp with. Truck is also used for off-roading (mild) and therefore has a few addons (skids/sliders/hi-lift/etc)

https://coachmenrv.com/travel-trailers/apex-nano/208BHS/4011

Hitch Weight: 516lbs
Unloaded Weight: 3948lbs

Towing, I would use the Tekonsha P3 with a weight disto hitch with sway control.

The route is from the Ft. Bragg area to Uwharrie so about 1.5hrs away. I just wanted to ask more versed/experienced people if this setup is reasonable or a bit too much.

Any help is appreciated.
 
I haven't towed that heavy so I can't really speak from experience... but I did quite a bit of research on this a few months ago.

It seems the general consensus is to stay under 5000lbs, which you will be right around once it's loaded down.
You also can't discount the size of the trailer, which would be pretty large even for a 1/2 ton truck. There will be a lot of drag and a decent crosswind will introduce a bit of sway at speed.

I think with the weight distro and sway control setup you will be okay if you're careful, but it definitely will be a white knuckle drive lol
When I was considering a trailer a few months back, I was looking to stay right around 3000lbs dry weight/unloaded.

You would also probably want something to mitigate sag in the rear end such as SumoSprings or airbags.

So in my opinion that setup is doable but not recommended.

Just my two cents. Curious to see how others weigh in.
 
1.5 hours, mostly flat. You'll be fine.

Is your set up ideal? Nope. An F-250 would be perfect. But hey, it's only 1.5 hours and is right at the limit of your truck's capability, you won't be driving it every day or even 20x each year. I say go for it. You can leave the camper and then do some off-roading in your pickup around Wolf's den or some of the mid-level trail at Uwharrie. Can't do that in an f-250.

after a run or two, you can decide if you need a truck upgrade or just airbags, regearing, etc.
 
I really appreciate the responses. My options are to give this a try and report my findings or downsize and get a single axle TT. I'm pretty sure though that if I add a VTEC or SVT badge to my truck that it will have plenty of power for the bigger one.
 
I think you’d be fine if you remember your pulling right around the max rate limit.

I love/ hate watching people overload their vehicle with a trailer they have no business pulling and do 20 over the speed limit. Constantly weaving in and out of traffic to get to their destination 2 minutes earlier.

Take it at a normal pace, don’t treat it like a race car with no weight and it should be fine. Steep inclines, use your gears to help slow it down to assist the brakes.
 
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