I'm new to rv'ing, so I need advice on towing a viewfinder 19fk. We bought it to see how we would like traveling around the country. I hear alot about sway and need to know what I need to stop it or minimize it. I'm buying a toyota tundra 4.7 v8 to tow it. the viewfinder is about 4000 lbs dry and 6200 lb gross weight. I just realized that the towing capacity of the truck is 4700lb. It has a towing pkg with tranny cooling Etc. Is this adequate? Thanks
QUOTE(jmcf46 @ Jul 6 2011, 07:39 PM) [snapback]26689[/snapback] I'm new to rv'ing, so I need advice on towing a viewfinder 19fk. We bought it to see how we would like traveling around the country. I hear alot about sway and need to know what I need to stop it or minimize it. I'm buying a toyota tundra 4.7 v8 to tow it. the viewfinder is about 4000 lbs dry and 6200 lb gross weight. I just realized that the towing capacity of the truck is 4700lb. It has a towing pkg with tranny cooling Etc. Is this adequate? Thanks For the short answer NO.As in it mite tow it for a while but most trucks are over rated any way. As in I tow with a E350 rated at 9800 tow capacity.My trailer is 6400 to 7500 pounds and I am not happy with the power. It is not all weight it is also how aerodynamic it is.Also if that is all it will tow on paper you will need a equalizer hitch I would think.As for sway a lot of that is how you load it.Around ten percent of the weight on the hitch is what they say.You may can get by with a little more or less just depending on how your rig pulls.
QUOTE(Wink @ Jul 6 2011, 11:27 PM) [snapback]26692[/snapback] For the short answer NO.As in it mite tow it for a while but most trucks are over rated any way. As in I tow with a E350 rated at 9800 tow capacity.My trailer is 6400 to 7500 pounds and I am not happy with the power. It is not all weight it is also how aerodynamic it is.Also if that is all it will tow on paper you will need a equalizer hitch I would think.As for sway a lot of that is how you load it.Around ten percent of the weight on the hitch is what they say.You may can get by with a little more or less just depending on how your rig pulls. Thanks for the information, now I'm going to the dealer and yell at him because he lied to me. Dealer said it would tow 7000lbs with no problem.
QUOTE(jmcf46 @ Jul 7 2011, 11:26 AM) [snapback]26697[/snapback] Thanks for the information, now I'm going to the dealer and yell at him because he lied to me. Dealer said it would tow 7000lbs with no problem. Do your homework - the dealer will tell you anything to make the sale.
Before you jump down the salesmans throat, here's a link to the spec's. http://www.toyota.com/tundra/specs.html It states towing capacity 8,100, payload 1,500 and gross weight of 6,800 lbs. I don't know what year yours, is this is a 2011, or if's a 4x4. On paper he did not lie to you. You will need sway bars also. If you go through with the deal. Good luck with your decision and happy camping. Hopefully. This was also a crew cab. the regular cab has a bit more capacity.
QUOTE(dog bone @ Jul 7 2011, 12:09 PM) [snapback]26702[/snapback] Before you jump down the salesmans throat, here's a link to the spec's. http://www.toyota.com/tundra/specs.html It states towing capacity 8,100, payload 1,500 and gross weight of 6,800 lbs. I don't know what year yours, is this is a 2011, or if's a 4x4. On paper he did not lie to you. You will need sway bars also. If you go through with the deal. Good luck with your decision and happy camping. Hopefully. This was also a crew cab. the regular cab has a bit more capacity. Do let us know what the deal is as the horse power looks good on paper.And I was wondering as that did not sound like much tow capacity for a V8 pick up.? I would find out for sure what the deal is.The rear in gear ratio may have some thing to do with it.
QUOTE(Wink @ Jul 8 2011, 09:53 AM) [snapback]26710[/snapback] Do let us know what the deal is as the horse power looks good on paper.And I was wondering as that did not sound like much tow capacity for a V8 pick up.? I would find out for sure what the deal is.The rear in gear ratio may have some thing to do with it. I did some checking and I think you are looking at tow rating for the small V6.If you got the V8 I think you are good to go.
Wink, the op never got back on anything, but I did more looking also. Retired nothing better to do. Anyway, he said it was a 4.7 v8. They make a 4.6 v8 with 310hp and 327 ft lbs of torque with a 4.10 rear. They mention 4.30's, but it didn't say if it was an option or just for the other engines. I hope jmcf46 read some of this and it helped him out. Happy camping. Bob
QUOTE(Wink @ Jul 6 2011, 11:27 PM) [snapback]26692[/snapback] For the short answer NO.As in it mite tow it for a while but most trucks are over rated any way. As in I tow with a E350 rated at 9800 tow capacity.My trailer is 6400 to 7500 pounds and I am not happy with the power. It is not all weight it is also how aerodynamic it is.Also if that is all it will tow on paper you will need a equalizer hitch I would think.As for sway a lot of that is how you load it.Around ten percent of the weight on the hitch is what they say.You may can get by with a little more or less just depending on how your rig pulls. I agree with your short answer of "NO" but don't necessarily agree with the rest. Towing capacity is limited by many things and the ONLY thing that counts is what the specific owner's manual says. There is usually a chart that refers to engine size, axle ratio and presence of a towing package. In many cases, you can't rely on an online source due to in year model changes. The government mandates that the owner's manual be accurate for that particular vehicle. As for "most trucks are over rated" this is usually not the case. I have friends in the automotive industry who are directly involved in this aspect of new vehicle design and I know that, they are conservative in the ratings. As for sway, that really has little to do with weight (unless you are loading your trailer wrong) and a lot to do with the wheelbase of the tow vehicle. A short wheelbase pickup can have significantly more problems with sway that the same pickup with a crew cab or a long bed. There is some convoluted formula that compares the wheelbase of the tow vehicle to the distance from the hitch to the trailer axle but I don't remember exactly what it is. My suggestion is to Google it. One other side note, there is no specific mandate from any governing authority as to how towing capacity is measured! Each manufacturer comes up with their own method and it can even change from year to year. Caveat Emptor!
When I bought my trailer the dealer said "I'm not going to try to sell you add on's, with the exception of a sway hitch. You'll be glad you did- It will make your experience a lot safer and more enjoyable". He offered it at his cost, and I said okay. It was a good decision. I have not experienced any sway in the 3 years I have owned the trailer, and it only takes an extra minute or so to hook up. I owned a trailer with just a regular hitch previously and it's worth your cost! I imagine if you have a V8, towing package, and are within the tow rating you will be okay. My truck/trailer is well below its tow limit, so driving the mountain passes is comfortable. That's what will really put a lot of strain on a truck if it's inadequate for the towing it is doing.
Ok my turn!!!! I have a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.6L V8 with a towing package. I am towing a 26' Jay Flight. When driving on main roads (55 mph or less) I have absolutely no issues towing the trailer. When on the highway (65 or so), depending on the weather, it can be dicey. If there's a fair amount of wind, it's two hands on the wheel and turn off the radio. I do have a blue ox sway control system, but the biggest issue I have is with the wheel base. The jeep has plenty of towing capacity to tow the trailer, but the wheel base is significantly shorter than that of a truck, so winds can wreak havoc at times. I've never felt like I was going to completly lose control, but it certainly makes you pay attention. I've never taken the camper farther than about 60 miles from home either for this specific reason. Needless to say I'm definitely in the market for a truck
We tow a 35' TT with a Ford F250. We are within the range for the truck, but sure wish we had more power. She slows way down on long uphills, overheated twice in mt. ranges out west last summer until we got smarter about pulling over to cool down the tranny. Next truck will be a diesel for sure. The sway bars have been superb, with the extra effort of getting them on and off. I negotiated them into my purchase price...found the best one on the Market at the time, and insisted they included it at no addl. cost, and installed it too. That was three years ago, and in this economy, I'd guess dealers are even more eager to make a sale.
We have a 2011 Jayco with a weight of 4550 and a 2011 Silverado 2500HD with the 6.0 and a towing capacity of 9400. It may be overkill, but she does not struggle and handles the TT beautifully!! Also, I would not buy a tow vehicle that "just" falls to within the weight of the trailer! You will not be happy, trust me from experience. My '09 silverado did not make me happy with its towing ability. My 1998 1500 towed better than the '09, and this is why I decided to go with the 2500, it is a WORLD of a difference!!!
