Huntindog wrote:
Flapper wrote:
Late to the party. I have the 2017 version of this model. Tow with a 2012 F-150, HDPP. 2166 payload. 6000 miles on it.
Can't speak to the latest model, but mine was very, very light on the nose, even with full water (10%). I had scary sway a few times during the early period of owning. Was using an inadequate hitch. Got the ProPride hitch, which settled it down. Current TW is about 920 (12.5%). Mostly due to the very heavy hitch. You may have to plan on figuring out ways to add lots of weight to the nose if not spending the big $$ for the hitch - more batteries, over hitch bike rack, etc. - if GD has not reworked it. Online specs lead me to think not - but they are bad about keeping those things current.
If buying from a dealer, I would demand they scale the unit, to see if it is too light on the tongue, or not. 12% on the tongue is the bare minimum you want to see.
I still get a bit of movement from "truck suck" as the big rigs pass me. Wife is not comfortable driving it, although I've gotten used to it. The spring project is to go over everything with ProPride, to see if it is all set up correctly.
Milage on the Ecoboost is 8.5. Bummer, as my old fifth got 10. Different aerodynamics, and more sticking out behind. There is a lot of tail to wag the dog.
No useability complaints - we had a few things fixed under warranty, and there were a couple of recalls for that year, but nothing that interfered with its use.
While quality is on a par with similar priced other brands, GD does excel at customer response. The only thing I ever got from Jayco was "check with your dealer". GD will chase down answers to questions, step in if the dealer is dragging their feet, etc. They even will authorize anyone to do warranty work on it...(except for Camping World).
I believe the weight of the hitch does not count as TW of the TT.. Most here seem to agree on this. I also believe that the weight of the hitch should be counted against the allowable TW as far as the reciever is concerned.
In other words, the TT TW needs to be over 10% not counting the hitch WT. That is what will make the TT inherently stable.. But the reciever will be supporting/distributing the TW of the TT AND the hitch, so the total should be under it's rating.
The propride will not let the TT sway, even if the TW is light... But it will just be masking the real problem of light TT TW. So that is likely why it feels unsettled when you tow it.
This is the problem with some lashups with the propride/hensly design.
A marginal TV that they would be perfect for, runs out of capacity pretty easy when used with a heavy TW TT, and the weight of the hitch.
I don't know your numbers, but if you can add more TW temporairly as a test... See if it feels better.
Also, I am a big fan of more than most like for TW. Depending on the design of the TT, and your specific usage of it.. Weight can shift around a LOT in the course of a trip. The GD has large holding tanks. That alone can be a major factor. And sometimes during a cold weather hunt, we return home with next to no propane in the tanks. Food gets eaten and becomes waste.. Many other items can move around as well.
I like to be right at 15% or more when I start a trip.. Then I have no worries about the return trip.
Well, just so the OP has a benchmark - for tongue weight, I am using the amount I got using a scale under the coupler, divided by the total weight as measured at a truck scale. This agrees fairly well with the numbers I calculate when weighing all the axels at a truck scale. for the full rig, and then again just for the unhitched TV.
GD grey and black tanks are behind the axels in this model, and water is in front. So my 10% was with full water, and no waste - but pretty much otherwise as delivered, with the bad hitch. The 12.5% came with empty tanks, and loaded for camping, with the ProPride.
Currently have switched to 2 6v batteries, so I might be a bit heavier now.
Eyeballing it, the trailer seemed a bit nose up the last trip. My storage lot insists on being the one to move the trailer, and I'm suspicious as to the effect their method has on the alignment of the hitch. They may have caused some of the adjustments to slip....so time to remeasure and re torque everything....
I agree - more weight is better for preventing sway. The rest of the truck easily exceeds weight specs, so I have lots of margin, but getting close on the receiver max.
