Towing a 30' toy hauler

[DCDOC]

The wife and I just recently sold a 40' triple axel FW toyhauler.We have been looking at a lightly used 2014 shockwave 27SADX . This trailer has been stored indoors,has all the bells and whisltes, and the owner wants to get a motorhome so he is including the WDH and friction anti sway bar.My big concern is how is a 30' trailer to tow. I prefer fifthwheels over trailers but this toyhauler trailer is hard to pass up. Owner says it tows great behind his Duramax. Any insight from you 30' trailer pullers would be greatly appreciated.

[Strabo]

Bumper pulls allways seem lower than fifth wheels for some reason.

[2500_Grunt]

lawnspecialties wrote:

mrw8i wrote:
The State of California seems to think a 5th wheel tows better than a bumper pull. A 5th wheel with a GVWR over 15K pounds requires a non-commercial Class A license. A bumper pull with a a GVWR over 10K pounds requires the same non-commercial Class A license.

"The State of California"

That really gives it some credibility. :R

Agreed!

[lincster]

I had a 30' Warrior, 34' with the tongue.
Towed great behind my F350 until I put my sandrail in it. I drove the rail in straight and could never get rid of sway over 65mph. I had my WD set correctly and had the Equalizer hitch, but couldn't get rid of it.
Went to a 5er, won't go back.

[lawnspecialties]

mrw8i wrote:
The State of California seems to think a 5th wheel tows better than a bumper pull. A 5th wheel with a GVWR over 15K pounds requires a non-commercial Class A license. A bumper pull with a a GVWR over 10K pounds requires the same non-commercial Class A license.

"The State of California"

That really gives it some credibility. :R

[mrw8i]

The State of California seems to think a 5th wheel tows better than a bumper pull. A 5th wheel with a GVWR over 15K pounds requires a non-commercial Class A license. A bumper pull with a a GVWR over 10K pounds requires the same non-commercial Class A license.

[coolbreeze01]

I've only owned bumper pulls. Seems like they tow just fine.

[Bedlam]

My bumper pull toy hauler was only 26' overall in length, but over 11K lbs. I always felt comfortable towing it with my 2005 F250 PSD. I really did not want something longer than 50' nose to tail because of the some of the campsites we visit and the ferries we use to cross waterways, but I would not hesitate to tow something longer if I planned to stay in open spaces.

Something others have not mentioned is how much overhang is on the rear and how low it sits. Obviously you will get tail swing when make corners, but you can also get tail drag on just about any driveway entry with the lower slung longer units.

[nayther]

Strabo wrote:

is it friday yet? wrote:
I went from a 29' bumper pull to a 5th wheel because I hated how it towed. I doubt I'll ever go back. Much more relaxing, especially towing long distances.

X2. I fully agree.

x3

[lawnspecialties]

I don't want to start another battle here. But I'll say it again. I've had campers from a 30' TT to a 45' 5er. A well set-up WD hitch like an Equalizer will make towing either one just as good as the other. Maybe if it was a 45' TT, it would make a difference. But TTs aren't typically as long as 5ers.

But pulling my 36' Work & Play is just as easy as the 45' Cyclone was.

[slapshot12]

My F250 PSD tows my 30' (36' overall) just fine. I use a Reese WDH and airbags on the truck. It took a little tweaking to get all of the setting just right, but it does tow pretty good. My trailer is 8500 dry, and probably 10500 loaded. Considering how much side surface the trailer has, it isn't too bad in the wind.

[jlud]

My truck is a 14 crew f250 psd, pulling a keystone carbon 33 with a 14k equalizer set up. I don't want to start a battle and I'm sure it's not as great as a 5th, but it's my first Rv and it pulls great with no problems at all. I wouldn't hesitate to pull it, mine is 9k dry.

If a newb like me can be comfortable I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem at all.

[Hap_Hazard]

DCDOC
We have a 2005 FSC2800 WW. It is just over 30’ from hitch to backdoor. We’ve towed it over 25,000 miles and travelled all over the country and never had a problem.

We use the same type of WD hitch and sway bar. Proper loading is the biggest factor in the trailer handling that we’ve found. I have repositioned my load when I noticed a problem. This is a very rare event and normally means we slide our two Lazy Boys or move some other packed boxes or suitcases forward.

While I have no 5th wheel experience I wouldn’t be concerned about the bumper tow.
Hap

[Strabo]

is it friday yet? wrote:
I went from a 29' bumper pull to a 5th wheel because I hated how it towed. I doubt I'll ever go back. Much more relaxing, especially towing long distances.

X2. I fully agree.

[CarlT100]

I much prefer a FW over a towed trailer. The fiver is much more relaxing to tow on a long trip. I just completed a 6600 trip to Canada and back towing my FW Impact. The rig was a pleasure to drive. We encountered severe thunderstorms and high winds and had no trouble.