# 1-ton Diesel Or Not..........



## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

SLOW DOWN AND TAKE YOUR TIME !!! We had very high winds this weekend in MI. a coworker informed me that he saw 2 overturned TT/TV setups this weekend! traveling on the freeways.

This weekend we spent 3 days in nothern MI and had a beautiful time with some friends. The trip up we noticed that the winds were very gusty. i slowed to about 60 and kept an eye on the situation. the truck moved around quite a bit. Made us very happy we upgraded to the 1-ton diesel because with the 1/2 ton it would have been very uncomfortable. All was well and we arrived just fine.

The trip home, we encountered the same, gusts in the 40mph ranges. Again we were moving around a lot! youu could feel the gusts push the trailer from the side and i would have to fight it off until the gust settled. i will honestly admit it was very uncomfortable at times. now i have only trailered this 32BHDS a few times long distance and im sure some of it was just having to get used to it but having a smaller TV would not have been a good idea during these wind gusts. I use an Equil-i-zer and i still thought the trailer was moving around quite a bit but have to keep things in perspective, it was very windy! i think if we encounter situations like this frequently in the next year or 2 we might be looking in to either a Hensley or a 5r. I know neither will reduce the forces of the wind but from what i have heard the Hensley would reduce the swap/motion tremendousely and a 5r would just be much more comfortable to pull. i was very surprised at how many 5r's passed us.

Moral of the story, TRAVEL SAFE and make a good decision on your TV. I know everyone loves to jabber about how awesome their HD Diesel trucks perform (myself included) but they are not indestructable!! That trip taught me a lot. Slow down (i usually only drive 65 anyways) and take your time.

I have another couple of discussions id like to start and will us a new thread to do so....


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Good advise DT.







I think a lot of people do get that invincible feeling when they move up to bigger trucks. A diesel is great for pulling power, but makes no difference at all when it comes to stability. Probably about the only option truck-wise that would have a significant effect on what you are talking about is a dually.

As far as your experience this weekend, was the moving around you were feeling actually sway, or the wind moving the trailer and truck as a unit? In other words, was there much pivoting going on at the hitch? If it was sway, it may be that you do not have the Equal-i-zer dialed in correctly yet. If you transferred it from your old truck without adjusting for the new truck, it's probably time for some readjustment. The other thought that comes to mind is trailer balance. You mentioned that you have only pulled the new trailer a few times, could be that you need to play around with where/how you carry load in the trailer.

If, on the other hand, the truck and trailer were being pushed around together (not sway), well, there is probably not much you can do about that but slow down. No sway control in the world will correct that problem (because it's not sway).

In any case, a good reminder for all of us to be careful out there!

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Five Outbackers (Dec 27, 2006)

Great advise.... Speed Kills !! The life you save may be yours !! And Mine !!! I never go over 65 towing mostly around 60 I am towing with 1/2 tons now.. but Looking at 3/4 diesel very soon


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Slowing down is good but parking it and waiting the wind storm out could be the correct thing to do sometimes. The NJ Turnpike will, on occasion, close the road to trailers other than big rigs due to wind. Crosswinds will flip you. There ar plenty of other roads that do the same. 
If the wind is blowing from the side, it does not matter much how slow you go other than make how far you slide less when you blow over.









On my way to LA and the same day I had survived a sandstorm thru the desert, I came across a warning sign that said 'high winds ahead' . After the sandstorm, I had had enough of wind that day and decided to hit the next campground for the night even tho it was 3 pm. I felt that was the correct thing to do, park it and hope in the morning the wind was not as bad. It wasn t.

I have seen over my years driving, to many big rigs blown around or over to understand how strong a 'gust' can be.

John


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

PDX_Doug said:


> Good advise DT.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Doug,
i wanted the dually but was drawn to the fact that i could fit this in to the garage..... oh well.
In most cases the wind was moving the "rig" together. in response to the wind gust the driver (me) correction of the TV would them cause a slight sway. it never got to a repeatative back and forth (uncontrollable) sway (it did sway a little). just motion from the vehicle correction. I would see the TT move and then feel the TV move as the wind would gust. I think this was due to the lower weight of the TT and larger surface compared to the more weight on the TV and smaller surface.

Regarding the Equal-i-zer setup: I have readjusted the hitch for the F350. I would however like to get a little more resistance on the bars for better sway control. raising the L-bracket is too much i think so ill have to find and add one of those washers. This i have additional questions about...pertaining to the effectiveness of the Equalizer sway control on a 1-ton chassis. inherently with the equalizer design, the stiffer suspention effectively reduces the pressure on the sway control, since that control is built on to the WD arms. if you needed no or very little WD (as I do) you get less sway control. I dont want to get off track here so i will start a new topic about this....

Regarding the weights: i did have the rig weighed at Flying J. Again i will post a new topic to discuss this. i was rather surprised about a few things.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

It was a windy weekend in Michigan! I wasn't towing, but was traveling and did see the remanents of 2 trailer awnings. One on US10, and one on I75. The one on I75 appeared that the trailer had clipped a sign in the construction zone, but I'm betting the wind contributed to that as well since I saw a lot of trucks wandering out of their lane with the gusts. I must admit it was nice to be curising in a nice and low Taurus X crossover. I don't think I would have even been happy in the truck driving solo.


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## GoVols (Oct 7, 2005)

PDX_Doug said:


> A diesel is great for pulling power, but makes no difference at all when it comes to stability.


I would suggest there is added benefit beyond power, and that is the stiffer suspension, LT tires and added weight of a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck. All three combine to make a more stable, safer ride while towing over a standard 1/2 ton truck.


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

GoVols said:


> A diesel is great for pulling power, but makes no difference at all when it comes to stability.


I would suggest there is added benefit beyond power, and that is the stiffer suspension, LT tires and added weight of a 3/4 ton or 1 ton truck. All three combine to make a more stable, safer ride while towing over a standard 1/2 ton truck.
[/quote]
I would have to agree. the stability of my F350 over my F150 is incredible.


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## Lady Di (Oct 28, 2005)

Thanks for the reminder. We all tend to get overconfident about what our vehicles can do, whether towing, of just cruising in whatever.

We all need to keep safety in mind.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Are you sure you were getting actual sway, or just movement of the trailer/rig in the wind? Its hard for people to figure wheather they are getting one or the other..

Movement in windy conditions is normal reguardless of what rig you have.. It feels a bit like sway, as it gives a whip feel.. Even 5ers have this whip feel from time to time in windy conditions..

As for speed, if in windy conditions, slower is safer.. If it takes 50mph to feel safe in wind, then do it.. 45mph is the slow limit in most states, so you are still legal to run 50.. Who cares what passes ya.. If 5ers go by giving the nose in the air look, just look the other way..

I have seen way more 5ers layed over in wind than pull types, because they think there rig is superior.. The bumper pull guys pull off the road sooner than the 5ers, because the bumper pulls have to. But if you have a 5er in wind gusts of above 60 mph, you are actually at it limits, then a bigger gust pops up, and over you go.. Seen it a jillion times.

Here is a really great article on sway.CLICKY

Cant help not to promote my hitch here.. After reading this article, you will see that the pull-rite and hensley moves the hinge point of the ball forward.. My hitch also does this.. I have it pinpointed somewhere between in front or just behind the back of the rear axle, but either way, right at the rear axle. So it will have the actual hinge point in about the same spot as the hensley or pull-rite.. Cant wait to have it up and running soon.... Sorry, couldnt help it.. lol This is why my hitch makes towing feel so secure.

Carey


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Carey,
the motion we felt was mostly a gust pushing us and me correcting the vehicle position. after the correction, the TT would sway side-to-side minimally (once back and forth). this was just what i noticed in my side mirrors. nobody was honking or running off the road so it must not have been that bad but felt somewhat uncomfortable at times and definatley moved us in the lane when it wanted to.
BTW, good link.


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> This is why my hitch makes towing feel so secure.


Having driven his rig, I can attest to this. The sensations you get when pulling are rather abnormal when compared to towing with a traditional style hitch. Abnormal as in "this is so far superior to what I am familiar with that it is hard to describe".

I absolutely cannot wait to see a production model. Sorry for the OT post.

-CC


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> Are you sure you were getting actual sway, or just movement of the trailer/rig in the wind? Its hard for people to figure wheather they are getting one or the other..
> 
> Movement in windy conditions is normal reguardless of what rig you have.. It feels a bit like sway, as it gives a whip feel.. Even 5ers have this whip feel from time to time in windy conditions..
> 
> ...


Hey Wait Carey, I was just thinking.... If your hitch improves towing that may encourage the bumper pulls to stay out in the wind longer. Then they'll be in the ditch with the 5ers!








So maybe stability is bad?!?!








Sorry, just had to mess with you a bit!!!


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

I think all rigs towing a trailer should slow down. I see so many RV's flying down the road at 70+ when the speed limit in California while towing it 55. When you tow at higher speeds you are endangering your life and everyone around you.

I worked with a guy 2 jobs ago and he bought a 18 or 20 foot trailer. He was not satisfied with how the half ton pulled it he wanted more speed going up hill. He finally got a Ford Powerstroke and now he could pull that little trailer up any hill as fast as he wanted to. Well on his way to the coast one day he was passing everyone on a mountain grade that had a passing lane. When He hit the top of the grade the passing lane goes back to one lane. Well he must have been going 90 when he crested the hill and to his shock the road made a sharp turn, he tried to brake but it was to late that trailer was pushing him to much and he did not make the corner and ended up going down a embankment into a ditch. He totaled the TV and the trailer and was lucky he and his Wife lived through it without any major injuries. He told me that he tried to make the curve but the trailer was going stright and it took the truck with it.

The insurance bought him a new truck and trailer but he now has to camp by himself because his wife refuses to go with him now. So no mater how big that truck is and how small the trailer is you still have to drive carefully that added weight will make a big difference and what gets people in more trouble is over confindence.


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## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

I wonder if, when I hear folks say that they slow down to 60-65 MPH in high winds, they know that their ST rated trailer tires are only rated for a *maximum* of 65 MPH? Here is some good information worth considering.


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## GoVols (Oct 7, 2005)

Airboss said:


> Here[/url] is some good information worth considering.


Good, interesting info on that site, but it contradicts what is in the Outback manual. The OB manual says to store the trailer over winter with partially deflated tires, while the tire website says to store them at maximum inflation.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Nathan said:


> Are you sure you were getting actual sway, or just movement of the trailer/rig in the wind? Its hard for people to figure wheather they are getting one or the other..
> 
> Movement in windy conditions is normal reguardless of what rig you have.. It feels a bit like sway, as it gives a whip feel.. Even 5ers have this whip feel from time to time in windy conditions..
> 
> ...


Hey Wait Carey, I was just thinking.... If your hitch improves towing that may encourage the bumper pulls to stay out in the wind longer. Then they'll be in the ditch with the 5ers!








So maybe stability is bad?!?!








Sorry, just had to mess with you a bit!!!








[/quote]

That is a true fact Nathan!

Carey


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## Sluggo54 (Jun 15, 2005)

Airboss said:


> I wonder if, when I hear folks say that they slow down to 60-65 MPH in high winds, they know that their ST rated trailer tires are only rated for a *maximum* of 65 MPH? Here is some good information worth considering.


(From the clicky above

An "LT" designation on a trailer tire size specifies load range only. It is not designed for use on light trucks.

Say what? LT means light truck... this is hokey.

I've never seen an ST size marked LT. Later - down at the bottom - it mentions Carlisle warranty. "Nuff said.

I use LT tires, specifically LT235/85R16E, replacing ST235/80R16E's. Just look around at what large trailers use. It's NOT ST's.

Sluggo


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## mehrhard (Aug 21, 2007)

I agree with all above. I have a 2006 Ram 3500 Megacab Duelly and a 28 KRS the truck is over kill with a 17500 tow package but when it comes to your tow vehicle bigger is better. If a 3/4 ton works good for you then a 1 ton will too but if you end up with a heavier tongue weight that pushes the limit of the 3/4 then the 1 ton is a must. By having a 1 ton I now have the option of up sizing my trailer with out having to up size my tow vehicle. That being said speed is still the number one item to watch, if you feel unstable you should slow down and not worry what the other driver think. Make sure you get a good WD hitch and have the installing dealer show you how to adjust it properly. This adjustment will change with your different loads.


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## Airboss (Jul 14, 2007)

Sluggo54 said:


> I wonder if, when I hear folks say that they slow down to 60-65 MPH in high winds, they know that their ST rated trailer tires are only rated for a *maximum* of 65 MPH? Here is some good information worth considering.


(From the clicky above

An "LT" designation on a trailer tire size specifies load range only. It is not designed for use on light trucks.

Say what? LT means light truck... this is hokey.

I've never seen an ST size marked LT. Later - down at the bottom - it mentions Carlisle warranty. "Nuff said.

I use LT tires, specifically LT235/85R16E, replacing ST235/80R16E's. Just look around at what large trailers use. It's NOT ST's.

Sluggo
[/quote]

Good points, but this doesn't change the fact that ST tires are rated for a maximum of 65MPH which is the point I was trying to make.


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