Towing with Sport track

[Michael Lyons]

Does anybody know how big an Travel Trailer (TT) we can tow?

I am getting a hitch that attaches to the frame and really need to know what size Travel Trailer the ST might pull.

I don't desire to overload it, just tow a usable TT safely.



tongue or drawbar weight/ towing vehicle max weight?



2002 4X2 Sport Track.



Any experienced towers???



Thanks in advance for a reasonable answer.



Virgo

 

[Gerald Pierce]

Th eowners manual covers this in great detail. It is not just the weight of the trailer, but also the frontal area of the trailer that will impact you.



I do not have my manual handy, but 5k is in the ball park.



I towed a 3200lb loaded popup and the ST did ok, but anytime I hit a hill, the OD had to come off. Others here tow pretty large TT's, and report they do well, but I prefer to leave a little wiggle room between what I tow and the max capacity.

 

[Scott Tanner]

A 2002 4x2 will tow about 5300# w/ 40 ft^2 frontal area. The trailer I tow is pretty much as big and heavy as they get. I defineatley know it's back there, but I have gone about 15,000 miles with it over the years w/o issues. I get about 10-11 mpg (ouch).... I would reccomend a weight distrubuting hitch, tranny fluid, flush, aux cooler, and a sway control. The longer the tongue, the better it will tow. See Library for pics...



[Broken External Image]:

 

[Aaron Yarbough]

I don't think this has been mentioned yet, but if you are considering a TT that has trailer brakes you will have to add a break controller and a 7 Pin Round trailer connection. The 7 Pin round has the additional connections needed for the trailer brakes. If i'm not mistaken your truck came from the facotry with the 4 Flat connector which does not accomodate trailer brakes.

 

[Chris Taylor]

I tow a 21' trailer that weighs 3800lb(weighed on a scale). You know it's back there, but it's very doable. See the link below on why an additional tranny cooler is helpful... On a trailer this size you will need trailer brakes, a brake controller, a 7 pin connector and a weight distributing, anti-sway hitch.



I know others here have pulled much heavier weights, and so have I(~5500lbs), but if you are going to tow a lot, over long distances or in the mountains, keeping the trailer weight below 4000 lbs is good thinking.



BTY: Don't be fooled by the "dry weight" of a trailer. That's the weight without a LOT of accessories and none of your gear. Figure on at least another 1000lbs over the listed dry weight to get an idea of what the real weight will be going down the road.

 

[Michael Lyons]

Thanks for the responses, I have searched the site for ideas, need to do's etc.



I saw a very good hitch pictured but no reference for who's it is, any name brands around some one could provide? cost to have installed?



I towed my Nitro Bass boat for 2-3 years with no trouble.

TT will be another matter



Any suggestions on what a new hitch, anti sway system (have the bigger one aftermarket installed) might cost, Ballpark??



ST has 60k miles and counting, fairly low compared to some here, not bad for me.



Virgo

 

[Chris Taylor]

I like the Equilizer brand hitch, as it combines WD with antisway. There are other good hitches out there too, though, such as the Reese Dual-Cam. Cost for my hitch installed was $600, which was probably a little high. Best prices I found for the Equilizer brand(after I got mine...) was from RVWholesalers, but that's just the hitch only...you have to install it. Not that hard if you have the larger tools needed, and a very big cheater to torque the hitch ball to 250 ft-lbs. 1st install, I figured to learn from the RV dealer who installed it, and then I could adjust it as needed(didn't have to though...).



There is another hitch out there called a Hensley. About $2000... Lot's of pros and cons about it, but it was too rich for me. I do have the McKesh mirrors made by Hensley though, and they are very good mirrors. Check out rv.net forums for a lot more detailed stuff on towing and such. I learned a lot from that site.



Boats ARE an easier pull because of lack of frontal area, but, as long as you take it easy, the ST will pull quite a bit just fine.

 

[Scott Tanner]

the hitch for sale in the swap-n-sell section is what i have... reese. works good. I have the reese torsion setup, with the friction sway control. I am not a fan of the dual cam setup, tho...

 

[Art G]

I towed a Mustang on a car dolly from Jax to Nashville, TN and back to Jax with my 02 4x2 ST without any problem.

 

[Chris Taylor]

As far as the dual-cam goes, I have one friend that loves it and one that doesn't want anything to do with it(he has the friction setup)... Both are probably good hitches(neither has had a problem with the ones they are using). The Equilizer works as a friction antisway system, just a little differently than the reese friction one. The dual cam does work a bit different, and is noisier that the friction ones. All seem to work as advertised though, so it's just a matter of preference I think...