Flagstaff design harder to tow?
We have a 2013 Flagstaff that we purchased brand new to replace our 2009 Passport 290BH. When we bought the camper I had a Dodge Ram half ton thinking that I’d be able to tow the new trailer with but ...
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Thanks to everyone responding, I appreciate the insight. To recap, I agree I should find a good HD shop to inspect & possibly align the axles but I live in a semi rural area with a lot of truck shops but not many good ones, same reason why I won't bring it back to the dealership, great guys but service is lacking to be polite. Still, I will hunt one out prior to spring.
I seriously considered buying a 5er last season since I have more than enough truck but losing the bed space is tough, especially if I want to bring my trail bike. Again, not out of the question but probably my last resort. Plus the cost for what's comparable to what we have is getting up there...
As far as checking the brakes & adjusting, I took the trailer down the highway for a while & then pulled over to measure the wheel temp with my infrared thermometer to detect which wheel was dragging, I found three out of four with higher temps but one was the worst. I adjusted the three while the trailer was connected with a jack but to your point maybe having someone engage the brake & then releasing would show something sticking even when free drag was adjusted properly? Also of note, never once did the brakes smoke or stink prior to adjustment. Although on camp roads occasionally the wheels would lock up aggressively at low speeds which I attributed to the brake controller not being adjusted perfectly after towing to the campground, at that time I was using an aftermarket Tekonsha P3 controller in my first F-350. Again being a new trailer at the time I couldn't imagine (shame on me) that something like dragging brakes wouldn't have been noticed on the long drive from Indiana to NH for delivery.
I know some wiggle & shake is part of the TT experience but again, something just doesn't feel right while towing this particular rig down the road. When we bought it the furthest campground we traveled to was 75 miles each way, since then we have expanded as the girls got older & we want to make trips a few states away before it's too late.
I seriously considered buying a 5er last season since I have more than enough truck but losing the bed space is tough, especially if I want to bring my trail bike. Again, not out of the question but probably my last resort. Plus the cost for what's comparable to what we have is getting up there...
As far as checking the brakes & adjusting, I took the trailer down the highway for a while & then pulled over to measure the wheel temp with my infrared thermometer to detect which wheel was dragging, I found three out of four with higher temps but one was the worst. I adjusted the three while the trailer was connected with a jack but to your point maybe having someone engage the brake & then releasing would show something sticking even when free drag was adjusted properly? Also of note, never once did the brakes smoke or stink prior to adjustment. Although on camp roads occasionally the wheels would lock up aggressively at low speeds which I attributed to the brake controller not being adjusted perfectly after towing to the campground, at that time I was using an aftermarket Tekonsha P3 controller in my first F-350. Again being a new trailer at the time I couldn't imagine (shame on me) that something like dragging brakes wouldn't have been noticed on the long drive from Indiana to NH for delivery.
I know some wiggle & shake is part of the TT experience but again, something just doesn't feel right while towing this particular rig down the road. When we bought it the furthest campground we traveled to was 75 miles each way, since then we have expanded as the girls got older & we want to make trips a few states away before it's too late.
