TrailManor Owner's Forum  

Go Back   TrailManor Owner's Forum > TrailManor Technical Discussions > Towing and Hitching
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-09-2009, 12:17 PM   #11
ib4classics
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

We are new owners of the TM also, we purchased it in early July.
I have Towed it home from the original owners home, (South Carolina) wihout the WDH, boy could I feel the need for it.
Then one trip so far to North Carolina with the WDH. I had to wait until I sold the old trailer to to adjust the WDH to the TM in case I needed to tow the old trailer somewhere for the buyer. It sold in 6 days on Craigslist.
Both times we got 14 mpg, the first trip the TM had nothing in it, nor did the TV, the second trip we had the TM loaded pretty much as we always will and almost everything we will carry in the TV.
Our 4 Runner has 3.73 gears and I have found with tow vehicles in the past with those gears, towing less than 5000 lbs the mileage does not change with an extra few hundre pounds.
We also pulled two long 6% grades on both trips.
Our 4 Runner has the computer read out near the radio so I can glance and see the milage
readout which according to the owners manual is monitered several times per second.
I average 18 mpg combined and have had as high as 23 mpg, gasing up at the interstate entrance and then flat driving at 60-65 mph which is about 18-1900 rpm with the 5 speed automatic solo.
I have done a manual check on the computer and it is very close.
We will be going to Florida this fall so I will have a long trip to check the milage. We are going for a month so we will have it loaded accordingly, especially since we may just continue to travel after that for awhile.
We have friends in Glendale AZ. and we may just head that way for the winter.
I will be anxious to see what mileage we get towing after we get out of the mountains of East Tennessee, and North Carolina but 14 so far is good.
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2009, 02:59 PM   #12
Philip
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 129
Default Thank You For The Reply

Quote:
Originally Posted by ib4classics View Post
We are new owners of the TM also, we purchased it in early July.
I have Towed it home from the original owners home, (South Carolina) wihout the WDH, boy could I feel the need for it.
Then one trip so far to North Carolina with the WDH. I had to wait until I sold the old trailer to to adjust the WDH to the TM in case I needed to tow the old trailer somewhere for the buyer. It sold in 6 days on Craigslist.
Both times we got 14 mpg, the first trip the TM had nothing in it, nor did the TV, the second trip we had the TM loaded pretty much as we always will and almost everything we will carry in the TV.
Our 4 Runner has 3.73 gears and I have found with tow vehicles in the past with those gears, towing less than 5000 lbs the mileage does not change with an extra few hundre pounds.
We also pulled two long 6% grades on both trips.
Our 4 Runner has the computer read out near the radio so I can glance and see the milage
readout which according to the owners manual is monitered several times per second.
I average 18 mpg combined and have had as high as 23 mpg, gasing up at the interstate entrance and then flat driving at 60-65 mph which is about 18-1900 rpm with the 5 speed automatic solo.
I have done a manual check on the computer and it is very close.
We will be going to Florida this fall so I will have a long trip to check the milage. We are going for a month so we will have it loaded accordingly, especially since we may just continue to travel after that for awhile.
We have friends in Glendale AZ. and we may just head that way for the winter.
I will be anxious to see what mileage we get towing after we get out of the mountains of East Tennessee, and North Carolina but 14 so far is good.

That gives me a pretty good idea of what to expect. Thank you.

Do you have a feel for whether sway control might help in an emergency situation where you have to swerve swiftly to avoid something?

Again, thank you and best of fortune with all your future travels.

Phil
Philip is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2009, 05:21 PM   #13
Bill
Site Team
 
Bill's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
Posts: 10,088
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Philip View Post
Bill,

After your comments and RedHawks I am leaning toward getting a Reese WDH without sway control. If I did I would probably get the one with Trunnion bars that would allow addition of sway control(dual cam type) in the future if ever needed .... [D]o you think that sway control would provide any benifit during a swift swerve turn to avoid something? No experience here!!
Phil
Phil -

I suppose I have done over 40,000 miles with a TM in tow. On several occasions I have had to make a sudden swerve such as you describe. Sometimes it is done purposely, and so there is no element of surprise. Climbing the 2-inch edge back onto a piece of new pavement from a graded-down shoulder is a good example of this - you want to do it at a steep angle, so it involves a swerve. But about once a year it is done as a surprise, due to some external event. Sometimes it is an idiot jumping out from a side road. Sometimes the idiot is passing me, and cuts back in too soon. Sometimes, especially in the west, it involves coming out from behind an obstruction such as a grade cut, and encountering a sudden side wind. This is really exciting when you come out of the grade cut onto a bridge, such as the Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River in Marble Canyon in northern Arizona.

In every case, my palms sweat a bit. In some cases, it is my wife who is driving - we share about 50/50. Both of us have commented repeatedly that the TM is perfectly behaved. We don't like the situation, but sway is not one of the reasons.

That's my experience - take it for what it is worth. And I agree that preparing for the eventual need, however unlikely, by buying trunnion bars with the dipsy-doodle bend in the end, makes good sense.

Bill
__________________
2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL)
2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L
Bill's Tech Stuff album
Bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2009, 05:28 PM   #14
Redhawk
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Not a 4 Runner, but still a Toyota. Highlander. On a recent trip that I normally get 25MPG with no TM at 80MPH, I got 18 MPG with the TM at 65 MPH, I was very happy with 18. I expect a big drop once we hit the mountain highways. This trip was down I-25.

I don't think the Highlander is as sturdy a chassis as the 4 Runner, and I was amazed at how well the TM tracked and handled. You shouldn't have any issues once you level the load.
  Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2009, 08:16 PM   #15
Philip
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 129
Default

John,

Wow! That sounds great.

Please let me know how it goes when you do some mountain work.

Enjoy your travels,

Phil
Philip is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-09-2009, 08:22 PM   #16
Philip
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 129
Default

Bill,

Thank you again for your time and information. You certainly have the experience.

It certainly looks as if I won't need sway control on the TM.

Happy Trails,

Phil
Philip is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-15-2009, 03:37 PM   #17
Philip
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 129
Default Everyone - Thank You For All Your Help. I have purchased an Eaz-Lift WDH.

To Everyone,

Thank you all for your help. Your experience and information concerning WDH's made it easy for me to make a decision I am comfortable with.

I purchased an Eaz-Lift WDH without sway control. Sway control can be added later if needed. The sway control system on the Eaz-Lift may not be as elegant as that on the Rheese WDH(cam design) but I am assuming that it will easily do the job should I ever need it. Everyone feels that TM's never require sway control in the first place so I may never have to add it anyway. If I do it will not be for severe sway problems - just assurance.

The Eaz-Lift I purchased is the Trunnion type. There design is a bit higher profile to give me a bit more ground clearance.

Thank you all again,

Phil
Philip is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Experience Adding a Swing Hitch? markandanne Frame 18 04-01-2022 08:03 AM
Was this one of our members? UpAndDown General TrailManor Topics 4 03-12-2008 08:06 AM
Time to say hello, and thanks to forum members... R-R-and-S General TrailManor Topics 9 02-13-2007 01:41 AM
Members Map hhoenig Forum Admin | Account Help | Suggestion Box 15 02-06-2006 03:29 PM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:23 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 2022 Trailmanor Owners Page.