RPM question

[geekything]

Really dumb question, but I haven't towed before and I'm interested to know the answer.

When my travel trailer finally arrives in the Spring, should I expect my RPMs to go pretty high when pulling away? The trailer is 2500lbs dry, so it'll be about 3000lbs with all my gear in. I have the Pentastar with 3.21 gears, and you can all make fun of my lack of manliness and tell me to get a 2500 if you like

But, seriously, am I going to hit 5000rpm everytime I go off the line?

 

[crazykid1994]

Just drive like you normally do. Keep it easy. Trucks not going to rev that high if you drive easy. In tow mode it’ll hold gears longer but still depends on your input. 3,000lb loaded should be perfectly fine. If I remember the v6 was around 5000lb max so you should be good

 

[TMyers]

Here's a few things to think about.

- 3000lbs. "Rolling" weight is really not that much. We've all pushed a car out of the road. Once you get it rolling, it doesn't take much effort to keep it moving. On flat land, you will not tach much over normal to get the trailer moving.

- While you are waiting on your trailer, if you don't already have a Brake Controller in your truck, get one.

- Your trailer will have built-in tongue weight. You need this! As you load gear, remember to keep that in mind. Don't load heavy gear behind the trailer wheels. Negative tongue weight will lift weight off the rear of your truck and cause a deadly "Fishtail" effect.

 

[geekything]

Thanks guys. I’ve used Tow/Haul with a bed full of stuff (1000lbs) and it did seem to make a difference.

The brake controller has hot was the OEM. I’m useless, so I had my dealer install it. Worth the money.

My tongue weight is about 500lbs per the manufacturer. I built a spreadsheet to factor in everything against my payload and GVWR. Everything looks fine but I don’t have a huge anount to spare. Even factored in the dog and a tank of gas.

What about altitude? Will I rev high if I try and get up the Rockies? Am I dumb for trying?

I did some quick math. I actually have more proportional horsepower with my V6 towing a 3000lb trailer than a V8 pulling a 7000lb trailer. I just have a sucky final drive.

 

[MADDOG]

No, your truck won't go right to 5000 RPM when starting out and it won't jump that high normally unless you are towing a steep grade and the transmission shifts down to maintain vehicle speed.

It will take longer for it to get to normal RPM, though, as you are being slowed by the additional weight.

Here are a few other things to consider and remember when towing:

• Slow down. It will take you longer to stop due to the additional weight. It never pays to be in a hurry when towing.
• Swing wide. Be mindful of that additional axle trailing your truck. Swing a bit wide when turning, especially in right turns, to keep from curbing the wheels or taking out sign posts, hydrants, light poles, pedestrians, etc...
• Leave some room. Since braking distances increase when towing a load, back off and leave more room in front of you. Of course, there are lots of asshats who will fill that space for you and, besides shooting them, all you can do is slow down a bit to maintain that distance.
• Loading your trailer. Load your trailer so that the majority of the weight is over the axle and towards the front. If you put too much weight at the rear the trailer will start fishtailing which is not a good thing. The general rule is to have 60% of the load spread across the front of the trailer to the axle(s) with 40% or slightly less behind the axle. Try to balance it from side to side if you can. It doesn't have to be perfect.
• Hitches. Get a weight distributing hitch (WDH) and an anti-sway kit. If you find that the tongue weight creates too much squat, consider adding air bags to the truck. They won't increase your load carrying capacity but they will level out the truck for a more pleasant and safer towing experience.
• Transmission & Tow Haul. If your truck has a tow/haul mode, use it.

 

[geekything]

Do I really need WDH with 3000lbs? Also, I’m limited to using a hitch with a little away control built-in rather than true sway bars due to lightweight aluminum trailer frame.

 

[MADDOG]

I would say a WDH for 3000 pounds may be overkill. Tongue weight, depending on the trailer's hitch to frame design and hitch bar length, can vary from 10 to 15 percent of the trailer weight. In your case that's 300 to 450 pounds. If you don't get much sag with that then you are good to go.

 

[geekything]

I hauled about 1000lbs of wet mulch the other day without too much sag. I have the option of the manufturer (we bought direct) installing a Fastway e2 which is apparently a good little WDH with some sway protection. I’m tempted to get it even just to cut down a little on away.

The trailer is not tall compared to other 21-footers or bigger.

Recommended tongue weight from the manufacrurer is 15% or 525lbs fully loaded (won’t get there).

What about those mountains?

 

[MADDOG]

Mountains will slow ya down and the truck will downshift at some point to maintain speed.

How steep of a grade are you talking about? What mountains?

 

[geekything]

I’d like to go to the Canadian Rockies at least. 8% grades? More worried about loss of torque due to altitude.

I don’t mind going slow. It’s a marathon rather than a sprint, after all. Just don’t want to have to get out and push

 

[MADDOG]

Yeah, 6% to 8% grades. You are under your tow capacity so just get a good run at the hills. Do you have Tow Haul mode on your truck?

 

[geekything]

Yeah, 6% to 8% grades. You are under your tow capacity so just get a good run at the hills. Do you have Tow Haul mode on your truck?

Yes, I have Tow/Haul. Makes a difference when I have 1000lb of stuff in my bed.

 

[cuminslvr]

Here are a few other things to consider and remember when towing:

• Slow down. It will take you longer to stop due to the additional weight. It never pays to be in a hurry when towing.
• Swing wide. Be mindful of that additional axle trailing your truck. Swing a bit wide when turning, especially in right turns, to keep from curbing the wheels or taking out sign posts, hydrants, light poles, pedestrians, etc...
• Leave some room. Since braking distances increase when towing a load, back off and leave more room in front of you. Of course, there are lots of asshats who will fill that space for you and, besides shooting them, all you can do is slow down a bit to maintain that distance.
• Loading your trailer. Load your trailer so that the majority of the weight is over the axle and towards the front. If you put too much weight at the rear the trailer will start fishtailing which is not a good thing. The general rule is to have 60% of the load spread across the front of the trailer to the axle(s) with 40% or slightly less behind the axle. Try to balance it from side to side if you can. It doesn't have to be perfect.
• Hitches. Get a weight distributing hitch (WDH) and an anti-sway kit. If you find that the tongue weight creates too much squat, consider adding air bags to the truck. They won't increase your load carrying capacity but they will level out the truck for a more pleasant and safer towing experience.
• Transmission & Tow Haul. If your truck has a tow/haul mode, use it.

I would add one thing to this. USE your mirrors when taking corners as well as backing. They will help you avoid running over someone or some thing

 

[MADDOG]

Yes, I have Tow/Haul. Makes a difference when I have 1000lb of stuff in my bed.

Obviously it will make a difference when towing as well.

 

[geekything]

I would add one thing to this. USE your mirrors when taking corners as well as backing. They will help you avoid running over someone or some thing

One good driving habit I have is checking my right mirror before turning right or entering a lane on the right. Lots of cyclists where I live and they don’t like being squished apparently.

 

[Hemi395]

I have a 3100lbs dry/3700lbs loaded camper that I tow with my 5.7 6 speed 3.55s truck. All the advice is in this thread is great. One thing I will add that really helped my truck handle the camper is to upgrade the rear shocks. The stock 1500 rear shocks are absolute garbage. I went with Bilstein 5100s and they made a HUGE difference in sway and rear bouncing.

 

[geekything]

I have a 3100lbs dry/3700lbs loaded camper that I tow with my 5.7 6 speed 3.55s truck. All the advice is in this thread is great. One thing I will add that really helped my truck handle the camper is to upgrade the rear shocks. The stock 1500 rear shocks are absolute garbage. I went with Bilstein 5100s and they made a HUGE difference in sway and rear bouncing.

Isn't that a little overkill for a small trailer?

 

[Hemi395]

Isn't that a little overkill for a small trailer?

Maybe, but overkill is better than underkill...

 

[Tim7139]

I just did a run from Calgary to Kelowna on highway 1, and on the way back swung up 93 through Rocky Mountain House.

My trailer was around 3,300 pounds with about 12% tongue weight. I have the Hemi with the 6 speed and 3.55 rear. With tow/haul on it was quick to rev 4-5 thousand and I was easily able to keep up with traffic with light petal, and over take going up Rogers Pass into the snow sheds. Without it on I needed to press a bit harder on the petal than normal to keep up on the hill 30k west of Golden. Over all it needed to kick down in a few spots to keep up, but it was able to stay in the normal range on all but a few parts of the grade. Was able to get up to speed without reving over 2,000 but needed a lot more time to do so. It was 6-12 c out and there was no change in transmission or oil temps in with either mode. No noticeable difference in economy either way.

I'd expect there to be a few cases you'll need to let it rev up, but not as many as you might think. It will be working, but not straining. You have a fair amount of torque, and it's peaking around 4,000 like the Hemi. Based on a very limited amount of towing with the V6 I'd say don't be afraid to let it rev in the 4-5 thousand range for a while, just keep an eye on your temps as it can get hot quick. If you find it's trying to shift a lot manually set a gear or use tow/haul to keep transmission temps down.

Depending on how much you're throwing in the truck you may want to consider a WD system, though it can be a pain to find one with a low enough rating. It didn't take a lot of cargo in the bed to go from feeling like there was no trailer at all at passing speeds and aggressive maneuvers to having something to feel a bit off. In my case all it took was tossing a 50Lbs generator in the back against the tailgate.

 

[TXCOMT]

It hasn't been mentioned here yet (I don't think...I read fast), but consider upgrading the factory rear swaybar, too. Hellwig makes a nice unit that's popular with many on this forum. I run one, too, but my Reb rarely sees towing duties. You might not notice a difference with your light-ish trailer...then again, you might!

TXCOMT