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How does your F150 tow the 297RSTS? I have a 2017 F150 3.5 with max tow package and I really like this TT too. What WD hitch did you use? My only concern is the payload on my truck. I would not be able to have anything in it exact passengers for this TT.
I saw that you emailed me also, so please check your email inbox. I replied to it.
Not to highjack, but we picked up our 2019 open range UT2504BH in August and have had a few weekends out in it. It was a tossup between that and a grand designs 2400BH. I haven't found any real problems with it other than the fresh water tank vent (52gallon) is simply a hose that hangs down by the rear axles. Due to the tank being 6.5" high and wide across the entire floor of trailer the hose will siphon water out of the tank when parked at an angle with the tank vent side down. On the up side, it comes with 15" tires rated for 75mph. It seems to be one of the better manufacturers out there.
Originally Posted by bikendan
We are quite aware of the RV Industry's deficits. We owned a 25' hybrid TT for 10 years and have had our current rear kitchen TT for almost 2 years now.
Luckily they both had minor issues that were fixed under warranty. We just found two Highland Ridge rear kitchen floorplans that solve some of our current trailer's shortcomings.
Not to highjack, but we picked up our 2019 open range UT2504BH in August and have had a few weekends out in it. It was a tossup between that and a grand designs 2400BH. I haven't found any real problems with it other than the fresh water tank vent (52gallon) is simply a hose that hangs down by the rear axles. Due to the tank being 6.5" high and wide across the entire floor of trailer the hose will siphon water out of the tank when parked at an angle with the tank vent side down. On the up side, it comes with 15" tires rated for 75mph. It seems to be one of the better manufacturers out there.
Usually those hoses are over fill hoses. The vent hose is usually attached to your fresh water tank fill spout.
The newly installed front hitch worked great! Our pre-ordered kayak back in September didn't arrive in time for this trip but that's okay since the lake was so low even the resort didn't rent theirs out.
Usually those hoses are over fill hoses. The vent hose is usually attached to your fresh water tank fill spout.
That was the setup on our last two trailers, but this one has a "dual" direct water/tank fill port and a lever to decide which way to send the water. It requires a pressurized water source to push the water into the tank. No way to gravity fill. It is really the only issue with this trailer. Otherwise, fantastic.
Couldn't remember if I had posted previously but this is my setup. Trailer is a 2012 Jayco JayFeather X213 which has a rear slide with a king size bed and 2 bunks in the front. Hitch is a 1000 lb/10000 lb Equal-i-zer. The truck does have a small level with a set of Bilstein 5100's set to the 2nd position. I have airbags which I inflate just enough to get them to the point where they don't quite start to lift the truck. The trucks curb weight(6140 lbs on the Cat Scale) is actually more than my 5500 lb trailer GVWR so this setup is extremely stable. I've never felt out of sorts.
I have since added one washer to my Equal-i-zer, for a total of 6, to get a little more tension on the bars. This was more for my 2006 Jeep Liberty CRD which I will use to tow it into the local Uintah National Forest, no more than ~40 miles. It was squatting in the back and lifting the front a bit even with the bars hooked up.
I actually remove the tire off the rear door of the Jeep and put it in the trailer since that's effectively like having an extra 75 lbs(48 lbs of tire+28 lbs of wheel i think) of tongue weight on the back which helps a LOT. The jeep actually tows the trailer really well except that its a bit underpowered at 200hp. The 400 ft-lbs of torque @ 2000 rpm lets me tow in 5th gear on the flats though. I just like taking the jeep because its SO much more manuverable and I off-road in the national forest once the trailer is off. I dont have the courage to take it on longer drives since I dont think it would be particularly safe climbing grades on I-15 or I-80 at 45mph when the speed limit is 80mph. The F150 gives zero F's about going 70mph up any hill and is just so much more pleasant to tow with.
With the extra washer it does ride a little stiffer on the truck, but very stable.
We've had a rough couple months with the old truck and trailer. 8/1/18 - Noticed a sound (not towing) from the '11 Ecoboost. Turns out both turbos and exhaust manifolds failed at 72k miles needing about $6k worth of repair. Warranty covered it but Ford couldn't tell me why it happened and if the engine had other damage because of it. 8/20/18 - Noticed the trailer was riding funny and not handling as normal. Looked underneath to find a spring hanger had seperated from the frame and the leaf spring flailing about. This was a manufacturer defect (Trailer was purchased new in June of '17) and they covered the entire suspension to be removed and all 6 spring hangers reinforced and re-welded back on the frame.
This down time with both the truck and trailer was a good time to re-evaluate our tow vehicle needs. We bought the trailer (7500 lbs loaded) after the F150. While the F150 had plenty of power, it never felt very planted and the payload was always exceeded while towing. So, I was able to sell that and purchase a '16 F250 6.2L.
Yesterday, I was finally able to match the new truck with the trailer and it's refreshed suspension. So far, my impression is the 6.2L and 3.73 gearing has about the same power off the line with the trailer as the 3.5L with 3.55 and 33" tires; however, the F250 does feel much more planted with less push from the trailer. And, focusing on the fact that the F250 is for towing, I won't be leveling or putting bigger tires on it.
10-16-2018, 12:55 AM
Back from our 'maybe' last trip for the season.
