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 04-04-2005, 07:38 PM   #11
sandy eggo
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Whoa, check this out!

Ok, just when I was about to give up, I stumbled across a thread that has given me hope.

http://www.x5world.com/showthread.ph...ighlight=hitch

Check out the picture of the X5 pulling a 9,000 lb Airstream!!

My X5 is spec'ed out nearly identical to this guy's X5 - minus the Dinan goodies. Now I'm thinking I can pull that ole TM with no problem so long as I have the setup properly dialed in.

Ray, we might be "on" for that tractor pull yet. Know anyone in CO wanting to sell a gently used TM?
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2005, 07:46 AM   #12
RockyMtnRay
TrailManor Master
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 816
Default Omg!

Quote:
Originally Posted by sandy eggo
Ok, just when I was about to give up, I stumbled across a thread that has given me hope.

http://www.x5world.com/showthread.ph...ighlight=hitch

Check out the picture of the X5 pulling a 9,000 lb Airstream!!

My X5 is spec'ed out nearly identical to this guy's X5 - minus the Dinan goodies. Now I'm thinking I can pull that ole TM with no problem so long as I have the setup properly dialed in.
Now that borders on insanity. I note his location is Houston....and I'd dare say he's not doing much towing in the Rockies or high Sierra being some 3000 lbs over his GCWR...350 ft-lbs of torque or not. The good side is he is using a Hensley so even with a 111 inch WB tow vehicle and a 31 foot trailer, he actually may have a fairly good handle on sway control. But Hensley or not, trying to control that much trailer on a tight, steeply descending mountain curve with only 111 inches of WB is an almost-guaranteed disaster.

You still need to check that tongue weight issue...WDH or weight carrying...if you want to maintain the warranty.
Quote:
Ray, we might be "on" for that tractor pull yet. Know anyone in CO wanting to sell a gently used TM?
<*quickly runs torque, weight, and axle ratio numbers*>...."Bring it On"
__________________
Ray

I use my TM as a base camp for hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, and climbing Colorado's 14ers


The Trailer: 2002 TM Model 2720SL ( Mods: Solar Panels (170 Watts), Dual T-105 Batteries, Electric Tongue Jack, Side AC, Programmable Thermostat, Doran TP Monitor System)

The Tow Vehicle: 2003 Toyota Tundra V8 SR5 4X4 w/Tow Package (Towing & Performance Mods: JBA Headers, Gibson Muffler, 4.30 gears, Michelin LTX M/S Tires, Prodigy Brake Controller, Transmission Temperature Gauge)


RockyMtnRay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2005, 11:12 AM   #13
sandy eggo
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Ray,

Same thing occured to me - ok, he's from Texas, how much serious mountain driving has he done. I will email him privately to inquire. One thing though - he did quote in the post that he's pulled that beast over 20,000 miles. I know Texas is big but after 20,000 miles, he must have left the Republic of Texas more than a couple times and ventured to someplace with at least some big hills (maybe the Ozarks for example).

I guess the main thing this tells me is that the ratings of the OEM hitch may be a tad conservative and I don't think I'm going to sweat running up on the theoretical max of the tongue weight. That Hensley looks like a great product (checked out the website) - looks like a definite "must buy" in my case to add a bit of extra comfort factor.

There were a couple of other posts in that thread that suggested folks are doing a heck of a lot more with their X5 than pulling jetskis. I thought the X5 vs H2 comparison was interesting...anyhow, like all things in life, I suppose this will be yet another case of "your mileage may vary".
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2005, 11:49 AM   #14
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

Ray wrote
Quote:
Now that borders on insanity.
I'd say he crossed that border about three states back. Good Lord, he uses his cruise control while towing that monster! I think I'll stay out of Texas for a while - I don't want to meet him on the road anywhere.

My Dad had series of big Airstreams like that in the 70's and 80's. He started out towing with a big Chrysler/Plymouth wagon (383 cid, etc), but soon moved up to a big Suburban (454 cid, etc). Even with that rig, it was a bit dicey at times in the mountains.

Bill
__________________
2020 2720QS (aka 2720SL)
2014 Ford F-150 4WD 5.0L
Bill's Tech Stuff album
Bill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2005, 02:19 PM   #15
RockyMtnRay
TrailManor Master
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posts: 816
Default Skip the Hensley; totally unneeded for towing a TrailManor

Quote:
Originally Posted by sandy eggo
That Hensley looks like a great product (checked out the website) - looks like a definite "must buy" in my case to add a bit of extra comfort factor.
Take the Hensley back off your list...it is most certainly NOT a must buy for towing a TM. You don't need any sway control to safely tow a TM; much less the level of sway control provided by a Hensley.

The huge advantage of Hensley Arrow hitches over other weight distributing hitches is they use a patented set of trapezoidal levers to essentially lock the trailer in line with tow vehicle, yet still allow the tow vehicle to initiate a turn. Essentially it makes the tow vehicle/trailer almost sway proof...which is a good thing because traditional travel trailers are very sway prone. The reason they are sway prone is they are typically so heavy that the manufacturer has to put their axles very near their center of gravity to reduce the percentage of trailer weight that's on the tongue (usually only about 10%). And thereby the manfacturers reduce the tongue weight to something that's manageable by typical half-ton rated pickups and SUVs, namely something in the 700 to 900 lb range.

By contrast, TrailManors are designed to be inherently very sway resistant because their axle(s) are much further aft of the trailer's C.G. than on a standard travel trailer. This results in about 15% of the trailer's weight being on the tongue...but, because TM's are so much lighter for a given "open" length than a standard trailer, the resulting tongue weights are still quite manageable. As long as you properly load a TrailManor (any model)...namely don't hang a lot of weight (like a bunch of heavy bikes) well behind the rear bumper....there is absolutely no need to use any sway control when towing a TM. In fact, the factory has told members of this board to NOT use sway control because it (1) should never be needed and (2) will mask any loading problems if used.

So, forget the Hensley. As a weight distributing hitch, it provides no better tongue weight distribution than any other WDH. But it is incredibly expensive (around $3000). And it's also a royal pain to attach to the tow vehicle when hooking up for departure. Normal WDHs....where you lower the tongue over the hitch ball on the TV before attaching the weight distribution bars....have quite a bit of latitude in the angles between TV/trailer and around half an inch of fore/aft/lateral misalignment between tongue and ball. Not so on the Hensley...this hitch is pre-locked onto the hitch ball and leaves only the hitch bar sticking out. Therefore you have to precisely align the TV's hitch receiver's 2X2 opening with the 2X2 hitch bar. This requires precise (to about 1/16 of an inch) lateral placement of the hitch receiver and within about 1 degree precise alignment of the centerline of the hitch and the centerline of the TV. It takes a lot of maneuvering and backing up skill with a Tow Vehicle to achieve that level of precision so the hitch receiver will slide onto the hitch bar.
__________________
Ray

I use my TM as a base camp for hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, and climbing Colorado's 14ers


The Trailer: 2002 TM Model 2720SL ( Mods: Solar Panels (170 Watts), Dual T-105 Batteries, Electric Tongue Jack, Side AC, Programmable Thermostat, Doran TP Monitor System)

The Tow Vehicle: 2003 Toyota Tundra V8 SR5 4X4 w/Tow Package (Towing & Performance Mods: JBA Headers, Gibson Muffler, 4.30 gears, Michelin LTX M/S Tires, Prodigy Brake Controller, Transmission Temperature Gauge)


RockyMtnRay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2005, 08:45 AM   #16
Frenchy
Site Sponsor
 
Frenchy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 127
Default

You should look at the "Equalizer" hitch. It is easy to hook up and does give sway control even though you don't need it. $399 at http://rvwholesalers.com/catalog/home.php?cat=&page=.
__________________
Frenchy
Frenchy 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


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:23 AM.


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