EcoBoostJake

So my wife and I invested in a 1978 Casa Vegas 23' long travel trailer this past week, and I wanted to ask for some advice from the die hard towing community. Mostly I am interested in what modifications I should make to my truck, hitch system, trailer, or anything really to help us with towing this large trailer.

The fella selling us the trailer knew little enough about it, as he got it second hand from someone who knew even less. Thus he could not tell us its overall weight, or tongue weight. He guessed weight was between 3,000 and 5,000 lbs just based on how it towed vs. two of his other trailers he knew better. Either number is well inside of my trucks range. So we took it for a ride and it towed almost as easily as our 2,500 lbs pop up.

For the record, I am driving a 2014 XLT 4x4 with 3.73 locking rear diff & trailer brake controller. The truck is stock from a drivetrain / suspension perspective, and does not have the HD max tow option. It does have the stock under bumper hitch, wiring harnesses, and I installed aftermarket tow mirrors.

The trailer has brakes, nearly new tires, and was last serviced 3 or so years ago. I think I will need to grease the axels or bearings, but need to crawl around it a bit more to figure out how to do that....

My biggest concern right now is that the hitch I am using is a cheap 3 ball hitch from Harbor Freight. I almost picked up a new heavy duty 4" drop hitch, but thought a weight distributing hitch may be a better option to keep the truck/trailer level and reduce sway while on the highway.

My second biggest concern since I don't know tongue weight is exceeding my payload. I would like the option to put my motorcycle in the bed and then hook up the trailer without threatening stability, or causing my headlights to point o the sky. Is adding a leaf my best option or are their other better solutions? (Thank you to the forum member in a different thread who informed me an air bag does nothing to increase payload!)

The brakes are on my list to upgrade, but seeing as we were able to stop far faster than I expected while towing, I think I will let my stock pads/rotors take some more abuse before I move up to an R1 Concept or Power Stop kit.

Any suggestions are welcome, and while I have limited funds to invest in mods, we do have a trip planned for early August to take this thing to the mountains, and I will do what I can to make sure we are safe while traveling.

mass-hole

HD Payload and max tow packages are two different things. It looks like your truck may have the max tow package seeing as it has a 3.73 locker and the big tow mirrors. You can confirm this by checking the door sticker to see if your GVWR is 7700 llbs.

Edit, NVM i didnt see it was a 5.0

As far as keeping the truck level, I would say air bags are the way to go. They wont affect the unloaded ride as they "adjust" to give you the proper spring rate. Only when you increase the payload do they stiffen the suspension. I've actaully found they make the truck ride a little better when they are over inflated while unloaded since they take some weight of the leaf springs. They are also very easy to adjust. I mounted the two schrader valves to the holes on each side of my trailer hitch and can fill them and level the truck in 2 minutes with a bicycle pump.

I would suggest sticking to the AirLift RideControl bags as they are good for 2000 lbs of lift(above what your leaf springs are already providing) and are more than adequate for our trucks payload capacities. I have heard people who get the Loadlifter 5000's complain about the ride becoming harsh, most likely cause they are stiffer bags for handling 5000 lbs.

Ricktwuhk

He said he added the mirrors...

Ricktwuhk

I assume you looked over the trailer and found no identification plate listing any specs? Find that hard to believe but you can drive to a CAT scale and weigh it.

EcoBoostJake

I will have to do my homework on HD payload vs. max tow, and try to figure out what I actually have. The truck came with standard little mirrors, and I upgraded to the towing mirrors.

My paperwork shows a 7350 # GVRW Package, but nothing on either max tow or HD on the window sticker. I can add a picture of my window sticker if someone wants to review it, but I didn't see anything that would lead me to believe it was on there. Also my truck is Canadian, so the door sticker is different than my 2011 American model.

As for the trailer, I looked high and low for a manufacturers tag like is on our pop up and shows details, but couldn't find one. I am not exactly confident it is a Casa Vegas, but that was on the title and all I have to go on. Maybe I need to crawl under the trailer and see if it was printed on the inside in a less convenient spot.

Feathermerchant

There are GVW and payload stickers on your drivers door frame. The info on them will help you lot. In addition on the bottom of your hitch are its ratings.

EcoBoostJake

When you say hitch, do you mean the receiver mounted under the truck, or the actual hitch that slides into the receiver?


The 3 ball hitch was a birthday present from my in-laws and is from harbor freight. When the sticker was on it, I think it had a rating of around 5,000 lbs. So I feel I need to replace it, even if it is capable of hauling this trailer.


Would I be wise to spend the extra cash and get a weight distributing / anti sway hitch? Or would you advise just getting a standard hitch with a higher rating and save my money for air bags or other addition?


We live near Chicago and any trips we take usually involve traveling hundreds of miles in flat farm lands. With the high winds we typically encounter, I was leaning towards the WD/AS hitch. But as you can see I am a noob when it comes to towing heavy and knowing what is needed.

humblerb

5,000# of trailer should put you over 500# TW.
Get the WD hitch and go with it.
Especially if you have to travel hundreds of miles on your trips.

schmenke

Yes, definitely the WD hitch.
Airbags, as has been mentioned, merely hid the symptoms of rear-end sag.
A properly calibrated WD hitch will provide better, and safer, handling.
Also, if you're opting for a WD hitch, you'll have to replace your current 3-ball hitch with a "shank" style one.

Feathermerchant

If you lay on your back under the receiver you will see a tag. It identifies the ratings.
Over 500lb tongue weight it will say you need a WD hitch.