4K tow package pulling an RV

[ZABSMAV]

This isn't mine.
But I borrowed it and it tows behind the hybrid pretty well at 65 MPH on level highway.

Pulled it up some really steep residential roads at residential speeds.
Probably in excess of 12% hill for a couple of blocks. I even purposefully came to a dead stop on the big hill to see if I could get rolling again. No problem. Electric torque at low speed coming from a dead stop is probably much better than the 2.0 EB.

To go any faster than 65 MPH you're going to need the EB. But why would you go faster? Gets sketchy in any powertrain.

At 65mph on the interstate freeways in our state you would be constantly run over by traffic going the 80mph speed limit (or faster).

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[Nw_adventure]

At 65mph on the interstate freeways in our state you would be constantly run over by traffic going the 80mph speed limit (or faster).

I can confirm this- Semis will aggressively pass you 24/7-365 and its not awesome.

 

[Manollo3]

At 65mph on the interstate freeways in our state you would be constantly run over by traffic going the 80mph speed limit (or faster).

I love going 65 mph when I pull my trailer and that is the speed I go on Texas highways as well. It is very relaxing not to have to hit the brakes and accelerate all the time. In no rush when I go somewhere. Don't understand people going 80mph with their diesel trucks and a 32 foot travel trailer behind. Just leave an our earlier and be safe.

 

[The Real Maverick]

I love going 65 mph when I pull my trailer and that is the speed I go on Texas highways as well. It is very relaxing not to have to hit the brakes and accelerate all the time. In no rush when I go somewhere. Don't understand people going 80mph with their diesel trucks and a 32 foot travel trailer behind. Just leave an our earlier and be safe.

There's a million and one studies out there that the long-haul trucks LOSE Money by driving that fast. Yet some do it anyway.

You can't drive fast enough to fit in extra loads per week, so they are just burning more fuel for no good reason.
Not everyone got good grades in math I guess.

 

[Maverick123]

Towing an RV at 80 mph is so weird, to me the whole point of camping is to relax and slow things down

I guess those folks have monster payments on their brodozer and 32 foot trailer and McMansion, they have to work every last second to make more money for those payments so they have no time to waste! They're driving flat out all the way there and back to save 10 minutes

PS: are there RV tires rated for more than 65 MPH?

 

[Snox801]

I tow heavy, but relatively short length trailer. ( 12 feet inside, like 15 with hitch).

I see absolutely no use for a WDH in this case. Being heavy, and I put a full 400 lb on the ball, I have had zero sway issues either. Lots of miles too.

I added airbags for leveling and a more comfortable ride. Less bounce going over railroad tracks, dips, driveways, an inch or so more clearance, etc.

400 lbs is not a lot for the bed, but it's a lot of leverage being not just behind the rear wheels, but behind the tailgate.

I found the same air bags in the coils handled the squat and every was fine after that.
Plus with as much as I tow and use this maverick for hauling if a failure happens I should be the first to find it

 

[AutobahnSHO]

There's a million and one studies out there that the long-haul trucks LOSE Money by driving that fast. Yet some do it anyway.

You can't drive fast enough to fit in extra loads per week, so they are just burning more fuel for no good reason.
Not everyone got good grades in math I guess.

Most people don't math well at all- they run on emotion.

"FEELS GOOD" to WIN on the highway races.
"FEELS GOOD" to have giant brodozer truck
"FEELS GOOD" to buy stuff and be in perpetual debt

 

[Hunters Edge]

I've been through Utah.

More than 100 times.
Used to commute between Denver and Los Angeles ( I-70 & I-15 ) and Denver and San Francisco ( I-80 ) frequently.

"Ever been to Winnemucca Mac?"
Well I have.

It's ALWAYS 4 lanes where those high speeds are. And SPARSELY populated.

Some of the EASIEST driving conditions in the world. You can safely drive 55 if you'd want.

So you are full of . Give it a rest.

I believe you are correct, some what. On interstate freeways minimum speed is 45 mph and trucks maximum speed supposedly is 65 mph. Unfortunately most trucks are speeding over the limit. I think 65 mph is satisfactory for towing a trailer on a freeway thus the reasoning having a slow lane and/or multiple lanes to accommodate trucks 65 mph or vehicles doing 45 mph which is legal.

On two lane highways not freeways there are no minimum speed limit which allows tractors, horse and buggy, etc to travel on them.

 

[heady]

Static loss of front wheel traction on the Maverick using the standard numbers on a 2.0 AWD from the '25 BBLB, a 400lb tongue, and a 7.5" ball mount center distance in the receiver is right around ~8%; dynamic losses are easily peaking at double this value as you are traveling down the road. Generally this is similar for many vehicles when using weight carrying hitches, you have conservatively about 20% less steering and front axle braking ability to count on weight carrying vs. using weight distributing, especially during braking events when the effective tongue weight increases, and of course much more noticeable in inclement weather. Cheapest insurance you'll ever buy really with actual, real mathematically measurable returns.

Everything else weight related has little real world impact other than hill climb speed as long as you are using a braked trailer. Weight is over-weighted (overrated?) Most additional power train wear and tear will come from the constant load factor over the course of a trip, by far the largest impact on that is the aerodynamic load. Aftermarket hitches for the Maverick are standard class III design 750/7500's (with plenty of safety margin) that are stamped 675/4500 so random people don't get ideas to try to tow 7k trailers up grades like the Davis Dam because we have higher performance standards and road speed expectations these days.

 

[Hunters Edge]

On a different note. I came across this article. Supposedly it is in prototype but taking orders on it already by the article. It's 22ft or 22.5 ft trailer with weight 2375lbs. If it's not over priced it should sell very well. Might even be hard to keep in stock.

Just thinking or guessing that the frontal area could increase if the weight is considerably less than max towing capacity. Also I don't consider V front ends as the same frontal area because of the coefficientcy as some posted towing snowmobile trailers, of course some also don't have the V front end.

Anyway thought this article worth posting and I'm sure there are other light trailers out there.

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/...r-light-super-nice-and-affordable-254640.html

 

[Hunters Edge]

Most people don't math well at all- they run on emotion.

"FEELS GOOD" to WIN on the highway races.
"FEELS GOOD" to have giant brodozer truck
"FEELS GOOD" to buy stuff and be in perpetual debt

Maybe, I think they just think of themselves. Case in point road rage and when a sign states lane ending and to merge in right lane for construction. Never fails as those thinking ahead and pulling over to allow traffic flow, watch as others speed by and stop the flow of traffic and increases the chance of accidents.

Of course I could be wrong but it seems that's where society has led us.

 

[Tiger Dude]

Reducing rear end sag also serves to reduce transfer of a portion the vehicle's weight to the rear axle. So, they do a bit more than only reducing sag. But, only a WDH will spread some of the tongue weight to the front axle, as you stated.

In general, load helpers improve the rear suspension's reaction to load, but only a WDH can transfer tongue weight onto the front axle of the tow vehicle and the trailer axles.

Unibody trucks are not good candidates for WDHs.

https://www.etrailer.com/question-2...q0l35dJPXkaLp08IXDAsfJKt7hWW708QP4JsACFezjsVh

 

[Tbone289]

Unibody trucks are not good candidates for WDH's.

https://www.etrailer.com/question-2...q0l35dJPXkaLp08IXDAsfJKt7hWW708QP4JsACFezjsVh

I agree. I don't use them on unibody vehicles. With a 400 lb. tongue weight limit, they're not that useful.

 

[Manollo3]

On a different note. I came across this article. Supposedly it is in prototype but taking orders on it already by the article. It's 22ft or 22.5 ft trailer with weight 2375lbs. If it's not over priced it should sell very well. Might even be hard to keep in stock.

Anyway thought this article worth posting and I'm sure there are other light trailers out there.

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/...r-light-super-nice-and-affordable-254640.html

Now that would be a perfect trailer for the Mav.

 

[heady]

They are equally as useful and it has precisely nothing to do with an arbitrary "low" tongue weight, but how much weight is removed from the front axle, which is a function of weight and the length of the lever arm. If our trucks had shorter wheelbase, it would have an even larger impact. Ford and many manufacturers use WDH on unibody vehicles, including those they've even recommended against the public using WDH (not the Maverick, there's no recommendation against wdh on a Maverick) because being a unibody is literally irrelevant. There's not a single additional "leverage force" of any concern imposed on the body than there is in a weight carrying configuration, unless the hitch is improperly configured by a moron attempting to lift the entire rear end off the ground - which does happen as there's unfortunately no shortage of people who are exceedingly stupid.

There are zero examples of unibody damage from properly equipped vehicles towing for this reason, it's mythology not reality. Anyone with even a basic understanding of physics would be able to acertain this.

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