Hello RV owners, we are in the process of purchasing our first travel trailer Grand Design Image 3100RD dry weight 7900 lbs, 35 FT length. . My big concern is towing travel trailers safe, with a sway bar. i heard from friends that travel trailers will tend to sway during heavy winds, being passed by larger trucks and if you have a blow out you can easily lose control. We selected the travel trailer due to the price point and we love the floor plan. I am not new be to towing 30 years experience of towing boats, utility trailers, and even some tractor trailer experience, but never towed 35 ft travel trailer.I would like opinions of those who towed both 5th wheel and travel trailers, which one do you prefer, did you feel safe towing travel trailer?One more questions does anyone own a Grand Design RV? If you do how do you like the RV?Thanks your opinions are greatly appreciated.

I tow about the same size trailer with my F350 and I have no issue with sway,I do feel the push when being passed by large trucks.It is more of a suck then push feel,that is called the bow wave effect,and you will always feel that to some degree.With a proper sized truck and a properly set up w/d hitch you will have no problems.For that size trailer I recommend at least a 250/2500 and up series truck.

Get a used Hensley Arrow or ProPride hitch and you will ELIMINATE ALL sway even the bow wave then a 18 wheeler passes. You should be able to find a used one for less than $1,000 on ebay or Chraiglist. Search for more posting on Hensley or Propride.

You didn't say what you tow with or what hitch you have. I tow a 37ft. travel trailer 10k gvwr with my GMC 2500HD and have an Equal-I-zer brand integrated sway control hitch rated at 14K/1400 tongue wt. and do so just fine with no issues. Your statement about "sway bar" is telling that you may not quite understand hitches yet. The Equal-I-zer is a weight distributing hitch with built in sway control by means of friction on the weight distrubiting bars and 'L' brackets they rest in. The other is a friction antisway device added onto the side of the tongue and connecting to the hitch head. I have used this type on smaller lighter trailers but would not use it on a 35 ft. trailer because it is inadequate for the weight it would need to suppress in a sway situation. Look on youtube for how to handle sway should you experience it.

Not exactly the same but I tow a 32ft enclosed trailer weighing 10,000lbs loaded with a DRW F-350 with the heavy duty tow package and never have a problem. I have never used a WDH with this set up but would recommend it with a travel trailer. You never have to much truck

Keep in mind that cross winds from weather or traffic will not go away just because you have a hitch that might mask the effects. When wind pressures against the side of the TT or FW are great it is time to get off the road. Perhaps it is good to feel the effects rather than continue on till it rolls.

Towing Travel Trailers | Good Sam Community

falconbrother
Explorer II
Jun 22, 2020
My experience has been to get the hitch set up right and you won't have any issues. The mechanic at CW set up our hitch in 2017 when we bought a new TT. They got it right. We've towed many miles since 2017 with no memorable white knuckle moments, other than the massive pot hole we hit a couple of Saturdays ago on the way to the beach. Been passed by speeding semi's and been in storms with crosswinds. No issues. I'm a big time DIY guy but, I don't trust myself to set up a WD hitch and get it right.
kfp673
Explorer II
Jun 22, 2020
I will throw in my vote for BlueOx sway pro. My travel Trailer is just a bit loner at almost 37'. Once you learn the little tricks like using the tongue jack to take weight off the bars, the swaypro is super easy to connect it works very well. Very little sway. Strong winds and tractor trailer passing will push/pull side to side but it does it to the entire rig including the truck which makes it much easier to manage vs when the trailer starts swaying.
264SRinPA
Explorer
Jun 21, 2020
I tow a 38' Grand Design Reflection travel trailer. Looking at the model you're interested in, make sure you have at least a 3/4 ton truck. Grand Designs tend to be tongue heavy. Get at least a 1200lb or 1400lb Equal-i-zer hitch. The tongue weight on our Reflection is about 1800lbs. Don't let the dealer talk you into anything less.
Sandia_Man
Explorer II
Jun 15, 2020
That is a nice floorplan for sure, and at that length nothing is more important than having enough truck. If the dry weight you stated is from the brochure, you will find the actual sticker weight to be higher leaving the factory. Make sure you get a quality WD hitch with integrated sway control, many have already been mentioned above.

That being said, a WD/SC hitch must be installed and dialed in properly for best results, might take a few trys before you get it just right. We tow a long TT and sway is not an issue for us, and the wind tends to blow with quite a bit of force in our neck of the woods. Nothing is more paramount when pulling a sizable rig than overall towing comfort.
samsontdog
Explorer
Jun 15, 2020
I have towed 5th ws, TTs for over 50 yrs. I prefer TTs because I haul a lot of stuff in the p/up bed and I have a canopy on the bed. I have a 34 ft TT at the present time and use the Equalizer 4 point hitch. I also have the Hensley which I found to be too much trouble to hook up and no better than the Equalizer. I have never had a problem towing either the 5th ws nor TT, never had an accident or a ticket in over 65 ys..If you have your truck properly equipped it will tow the TT as well as the 5th w. I towed a 40 ft 5th w one summer and it did not tow any better than my 34 ft TT. I felt safe towing either one
Tvov
Explorer II
Jun 15, 2020
Knipper64 wrote:
.... I am not new be to towing 30 years experience of towing boats, utility trailers, and even some tractor trailer experience, but never towed 35 ft travel trailer.

I would like opinions of those who towed both 5th wheel and travel trailers, which one do you prefer, did you feel safe towing travel
trailer?
....

With your experience you will be fine.

I've only towed travel trailers, but just hook up and go. Yes, you will feel wind, same as with utility trailers or towing a boat.

A properly outfitted truck and a quality hitch you will be fine.
wowens79
Explorer III
Jun 15, 2020
Get a quality hitch, Equalizer 4 pt, Reese Dual Cam, or blue Ox Sway Pro. The Hensley that was mentioned are supposed to be really nice, but they are pricy. Don’t get the basic hitch the dealer will want to sell you.

You will feel trucks and buses passing you. Also make sure you have enough truck.
Bob_Olallawa
Explorer
Jun 14, 2020
Hello, yes I pull a 37 ft Grand Design travel trailer.. Started with a 2500 Gm went to a 3500 GM just cause. I would recomend a weight Distrubtion Hitch with built in sway control. Only problem I have had was finding a spot for the long trailer a couple times. Get it set up right and you will be fine. Just don't try to pull the thing with too small a rig. Grand Design makes some very nice travel trailers, better than most, not sure but we are very happy with ours.Haven't pulled a 5th wheel as I use the bed space and have a canopy. My rig has around 1,500 lbs of tongue weight and I am using a Reese Straight Line with Dual Cam setup.
Guy_Roan
Explorer
Jun 14, 2020
My experience with towing three different trailers.
If you have sway bars and your trailer is perfectly on the same plane as your tow vehicle, (balanced perfectly), you should have no problem with sway. Possibly a bit when a tractor trailer passes you at 70 MPH, but if you see him coming and just hold the wheel tighter you'll have no problem.
Don't worry about a blow out. With tandem wheels you won't even notice it. One time doing sixty, I heard a loud bang and didn't even know what caused it until I looked in the mirror and saw that I was leaving a trail of shredded rubber behind me

Guy
Lynnmor
Explorer
Jun 14, 2020
Keep in mind that cross winds from weather or traffic will not go away just because you have a hitch that might mask the effects. When wind pressures against the side of the TT or FW are great it is time to get off the road. Perhaps it is good to feel the effects rather than continue on till it rolls.