3600 miles towing

[Mavapa]

I recently returned from a 3600-mile trip towing my Rove Lite 16RB from Georgia to Colorado and back with my 2023 EB with 4K package. The Rove dry weight is around 2000 lb, so loaded up it was no more than 2500 lb. The trip was up through Nashville, north and west to St. Louis, then on I-70 to Denver. The trip was unremarkable, except that as I reached western Kansas and eastern Colorado I ran into some strong quartering winds that moved the trailer around a little. The Rove has a built-in anti-sway mechanism, so I had to turn off the Maverick's. I could see and feel the trailer move, which startled me at first, but it never got uncomfortable. I drove around Colorado a little, including over Monarch Pass (11,312 feet) and then up through Grand Junction and back to Denver on I-70. The truck never felt underpowered. It had no problem maintaining speed up to Monarch.

I was pretty conservative with my speed. I usually kept it between 60 and 65. The overall trip average was 16 mpg. That was almost entirely towing, with maybe 100 miles not towing. It proved to be a very capable tow vehicle with the Rove. I think it would be as good with a heavier and wider trailer, although I suspect that the mileage would drop a fair amount.

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[topgun/goose]

Turbo and fuel injection are your very best friends at altitude for sure!! Wonder how well the hybrid setup would do in similar circumstances?

 

[cclark]

Sounds like a great trip and the truck perfomed as it should. I'm looking at that same trailer, as it checks all the boxes in weights and layout. Just wondering why you shut off the trucks sway control. The Rove's sway control docs say it's compatible with Ford trucks, so having both on should not be a problem and actually be safer.

 

[Mavapa]

When I towed the 16RB home around 100 miles on the winding foothills road from Camp Oaks the truck-trailer seemed to be twitching a little. It seemed to stop when I turned the truck sway control off. I’m not certain that they were fighting each other. I guess I could have tested it when I hit the windy conditions in Kansas/Colorado.

 

[cclark]

Thanks for the reply. It's my understanding that the truck sway control uses the computer to apply truck brakes and engine brake to control speed to slow sway. The sway control on the trailer is an added bonus as the truck sway control won't have to activate as much. But you were comfortable, enjoyed the camping, and were safe, so that's all that matters. Happy camping!

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