# New 21rs Towing Experience With Durango



## rerhart (Jun 5, 2006)

Just picked up my new 21RS last Saturday. The dealer set me up with an Equalizer and Prodigy. My truck (2005 Durango Limited w/Hemi & 3.55 axle) and the camper were empty. It seemed to tow pretty well. There was a long uphill grade for awhile and couldn't really get it past 60mph without shifting way down, so I just kept it steady. Also, it was a very windy day and the wind was hitting me from the left. I noticed a strange feeling that when the strong wind blew from the left, it was like the front of my truck would move left and the steering wheel would turn right, almost correcting itself. Is this normal?


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## Highlander96 (Mar 1, 2005)

rerhart said:


> Just picked up my new 21RS last Saturday. The dealer set me up with an Equalizer and Prodigy. My truck (2005 Durango Limited w/Hemi & 3.55 axle) and the camper were empty. It seemed to tow pretty well. There was a long uphill grade for awhile and couldn't really get it past 60mph without shifting way down, so I just kept it steady. Also, it was a very windy day and the wind was hitting me from the left. I noticed a strange feeling that when the strong wind blew from the left, it was like the front of my truck would move left and the steering wheel would turn right, almost correcting itself. Is this normal?
> [snapback]123627[/snapback]​


The speed without downshifting is a direct result of the gears. Do you have a transmission temp guage? You really need to watch the tranny temp.

The truck moving left and the steering wheel moving right is a result of not having enough weight transferred to your front axle. Double check your height from the wheel well to the top of your tire for the front and back. When hooked up they should drop the same amount. In other words if the rear squats down 1/2" you want the front to squat down 1/2".

Best thing to do is to read your Equalizer manual and double check the setup.

Good Luck and Happy Outbacking!

Tim


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Yep, probably the equal-i-zer isn't set up right. Here's The instructions on how to set it up correctly. Follow them EXACTLY and you will be rewarded with a much better towing setup.

Congrats on the new 21RS, we've had a lot of fun with ours.

Mike


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

rerhart,

Congratulations on the new Outback!








You are going to love it!

I agree with the others, it sounds like the Equal-i-zer is not tuned correctly. Imagine that, a dealer failing to properly set up a W/D hitch!









The meovement of the front of the truck into the wind is a result of the force of the wind against the side of the trailer being much stronger than the force against your Durango (Compare the suface areas presented to the wind). This causes the rig to pivot about the rear wheels of your Durango. The trailer moves right - with the wind - and that forces the TV to pivot counter-clockwise, moving the front of the Durango left.

Getting the Equal-i-zer dialed in should reduce this effect to almost nothing.









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## rerhart (Jun 5, 2006)

Thanks....but keep in mind that I only noticed this when there was an extreme side wind. When going with the wind, it felt fine. I've only ever towed a popup or a boat before, so, I assume towing the 21RS would be different. I wonder if it will be different after I load it and the Durango up with all our "stuff"?


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

The hitch should be reset after you load your gear into it anyway. When you load it up, you change the tongue weight, etc. and the hitch needs to be adjusted to compensate. It doesn't need to be changed every time you take a pot out or put one in, just when it's basically loaded for camping, a little change in weight won't affect it.

Mike


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

rerhart said:


> I wonder if it will be different after I load it and the Durango up with all our "stuff"?


Yes... *It will be worse* if you do not get the Equal-i-zer dialed in. Your cargo loading will further exacerbate the difference between the Durangos front and rear axles.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

rerhart said:


> There was a long uphill grade for awhile and couldn't really get it past 60mph without shifting way down, so I just kept it steady.
> [snapback]123627[/snapback]​


Dude -- how fast do you normally tow when youre disappointed that you had to drop down to ONLY 60 mph???









I usually tow right at 60 as my max -- but thats just me -- on hills i usually drop it down to 50...


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## rerhart (Jun 5, 2006)

This was my first time towing a hardside camper, back home from the dealer...I was simply testing how fast I could go. On a flat freeway with no wind, I coasted nicely around 65, no overdrive, about 2500rpm. City driving was not a problem. It's when I hit any incline, she would drop in speed fast and if I had cruise control on, it would drop down a gear too low and windout/rev up, so I'd turn off the cruise whenever there was an incline coming up and see how fast I could push it without it dropping a gear too low. My wife thought we had a problem with the truck, but I had to explain to her that there was almost 4500lbs behind us, and no matter what vehicle we had we'd notice it!


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## Highlander96 (Mar 1, 2005)

rerhart said:


> Thanks....but keep in mind that I only noticed this when there was an extreme side wind. When going with the wind, it felt fine. I've only ever towed a popup or a boat before, so, I assume towing the 21RS would be different. I wonder if it will be different after I load it and the Durango up with all our "stuff"?
> [snapback]123663[/snapback]​


I was hit with about a 40 mph gust on I-95 in Fayetteville, NC in April. It moved my ENTIRE rig to the shoulder. The truck did not go one way and the trailer the other. Re-Check the set-up.

It will be different when loaded. Like Doug said...Worse.

Re-Check the set up. It will be the best two hours you spend.

Happy Outbacking!

Tim


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

rerhart said:


> It's when I hit any incline, she would drop in speed fast and if I had cruise control on, it would drop down a gear too low and windout/rev up[snapback]123685[/snapback]​


Welcome to the world of towing with a 1/2 ton & small block engine. This is normal and to be expected. Climbing hills in 2nd gear at 3500-3700RPM and 50MPH is normal. Trying to hold a gear and avoid downshifting is putting undue strain on your engine. Pull it down into 2nd and stay there until you're finished climbing. Then back into 3rd. Your Hemi loves to REV and it's not doing it any harm. Just watch the engine and tranny temps.


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Most big rigs slow down on big hills, why do people think when towing a camper, there SUV will not slow down some.


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## rerhart (Jun 5, 2006)

What's the best or easiest method to fix my Equalizer problem? I see posts about adding washers and/or raising/lowering L brackets and/or raising/lowering the ball mount. With my issue, what will most likely aleviate my problem? I assume I should pack both TV and TT with a typical weight for a trip, then do the measuring.

Also, I may not be able to fix this slight problem befor emy next camping trip. Will driving like this break or cause any problems with my TV or TT, or simply provide an undesirable driving experience?


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Click here and the instructions will explain everything on how to set up your hitch. Driving with the hitch out of adjustment would be alright but not the greatest idea IMO. If it were me I'd try to find the time to check it out.

Mike


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## LateralG (Feb 11, 2006)

rerhart said:


> What's the best or easiest method to fix my Equalizer problem? I see posts about adding washers and/or raising/lowering L brackets and/or raising/lowering the ball mount. With my issue, what will most likely aleviate my problem? I assume I should pack both TV and TT with a typical weight for a trip, then do the measuring.
> 
> Also, I may not be able to fix this slight problem befor emy next camping trip. Will driving like this break or cause any problems with my TV or TT, or simply provide an undesirable driving experience?
> [snapback]123703[/snapback]​


I've tweaked my Equalizer during a rest stop. To increase transfer to the front, crank the tongue jack up enough to unload the WD bars. A big crescent wrench will loosen the L-Bracket square-head bolts. Raise the L-Brackets one hole. Re-install everything. Takes about 10 minutes.


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## campmg (Dec 24, 2005)

I'll agree with Lateral G. Raise the L brackets one notch. The w/d bars should ride somewhat parallel to the trailer but don't have to. If you're making too many adjustments here, you should look at the washers added to the hitch head. I haven't done it but it seems easy to add or subtract them.

Also, make sure your hitch is at the proper height for your coupler. I see people going back and forth with adjustments while the height is off. I'd get that correct to start.


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## rerhart (Jun 5, 2006)

Thanks for the info everyone. I just measured from the top of my ball to the ground and it is 25". Then on a level surface, with the camper level, I measured from the ground to the top of the inside of the ball hitch on teh trailer and it was also 25"....however, that was with my truck empty. I added 2 kids and 150lbs of fertilizer to my truck and the top of the ball went down to about 24.25". Next, I am going to measure when it is hooked up....but have to go to my son's ball game first!...


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## h2p (Apr 28, 2006)

Ghosty said:


> rerhart said:
> 
> 
> > There was a long uphill grade for awhile and couldn't really get it past 60mph without shifting way down, so I just kept it steady.
> ...


Ditto... 60 is the max I go on flat ground... 50-55 up or down hills.


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## campmg (Dec 24, 2005)

Anyone else have coupler heights? I just measured mine. The number's at home but 25" seems high. I was around 21" or so on my 25RSS. Not sure if the heights are consistent throughout the Outback line but I'd like to hear from others.

Also, with the EQualizer, you should add 1/4" to the ball height for each 100 lbs of tongue weight with your 1/2 SUV. Figure 600 lb tongue and you're adding 1.5".


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## rerhart (Jun 5, 2006)

Highlander96 said:


> rerhart said:
> 
> 
> > Just picked up my new 21RS last Saturday.Â The dealer set me up with an Equalizer and Prodigy.Â My truck (2005 Durango Limited w/Hemi & 3.55 axle) and the camper were empty.Â It seemed to tow pretty well.Â There was a long uphill grade for awhile and couldn't really get it past 60mph without shifting way down, so I just kept it steady.Â Also, it was a very windy day and the wind was hitting me from the left.Â I noticed a strange feeling that when the strong wind blew from the left, it was like the front of my truck would move left and the steering wheel would turn right, almost correcting itself.Â Is this normal?
> ...


I measured the wheel wells.
Before: Front=5.5" Back=9".
After: Front=5" Back=8.25".


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Looks like it's set up just about right. One other thing to check would be tire pressure. Most likely your durango has "P" or passenger rated tires and they should be at the maximum pressure listed on the side wall. "P" rated tires have softer side walls which give the vehicle a nice ride but give up some lateral stability in return which is what you want when towing.

Mike


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## rerhart (Jun 5, 2006)

camping479 said:


> Looks like it's set up just about right. One other thing to check would be tire pressure. Most likely your durango has "P" or passenger rated tires and they should be at the maximum pressure listed on the side wall. "P" rated tires have softer side walls which give the vehicle a nice ride but give up some lateral stability in return which is what you want when towing.
> 
> Mike
> [snapback]123799[/snapback]​


The dealer actually checked my tire pressure. They were all set to about 33psi, which is what is posted on the Durango door. They recommended and increased them all to 40psi. The sidewall on the tires states a max of 44psi.


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## Highlander96 (Mar 1, 2005)

rerhart said:


> camping479 said:
> 
> 
> > Looks like it's set up just about right. One other thing to check would be tire pressure. Most likely your durango has "P" or passenger rated tires and they should be at the maximum pressure listed on the side wall. "P" rated tires have softer side walls which give the vehicle a nice ride but give up some lateral stability in return which is what you want when towing.
> ...


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

Rerhart,

Looks like your hitch isn't too bad so may be seeing the short wheel base get you. Slow down is my recommendation.

65MPH at 2500 RPM and cruise control, and 60MPH up hills. Think my friend I will be smelling your trans clutches. SLOW DOWN especially on hills.

Running that load at that speed with a 3.55 is putting pretty good stress on that trans. In fact it is carrying all the load, and on the hills your heating that thing up real good if that stock trans cooler isn't exceptional.

In summary motor isn't working, (2500 RPM on a 4000 RPM peak torque RPM motor) you have a 3.55 that isn't efficient so what is carrying the load, THE TRANS. Very understandable correct?

You could run at a lower gear and let the motor do more of the work. I would guess 3000 RPM would get you the same 65MPH. Don't think it would hurt gas either. Gas is getting killed by the weight of the trailer plus that trailer frontal area (aerodynamic horsepower).

Hope that helps.


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## bweiler (Sep 20, 2005)

increasing the tire pressure should have helped along with all of those suggestions on Equalizer adjustment. I noticed that those big spongy tires on the Durango had a lot more lateral movement. We got the bigger wheels on our 06 and noticed a huge difference with the lower profile tires vs. our 05 durango.

And yes, with those 3.55's - slow down a tad - that tranny is contributing more than it's fair share -- but you do get 22 MPG HWY in return when you are not towing. Seems like a fair deal


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