Towing a 30ft Travel Trailer - Tongue weight, Payload issues, Aerodynamics of a Brick.

Hello Everyone, I have serious concerns about payload capacity and the overall aerodynamics of towing a big tall brick behind my truck.

I've had this Winnebago Micro Minnie 2100BH for 2 years now, we've done close to 50 trips in it, it tows great here in flat-country FL at 70mph, S5 @ 2,200rpm and returns about 10MPG in avg. My truck is a 16' platinum 2wd with blistein struts set a 2.3" and 1.5" blocks under leaf springs. it does have a nice rake for towing and using a WDH it sits level with the fully loaded camper I have. This is a tiny trailer about 4,000lbs dry, 22 ft long, 10.5ft height and 7ft wide which tracks just like the Tundra.

I want to upgrade to a 30ft trailer (Minnie 2301BHS) that is much taller (11.5ft) and wider (8ft), the tongue weight is already making me nervous at almost 700lbs DRY - so with the battery, propane tanks and some stuff in the trailer it may be close to 850lbs or so.

My question is how much is this bigger frontal area going to affect my towing? The weight is not a problem is under 6,000lbs but as we all know this is just marketing BS, since my payload is about 1,300lbs is unrealistic to tow 10k lbs with a family of 4 in the truck, payload is always going to be the issue, but also I don't want to be pulling a big parachute with that massive frontal area. And I ain't got the cash for an Airstream lol.

The Micro Minnie is great in that regard because is only 7ft wide and close to 10 ft tall but adding a foot in both dimensions seem to exponentially affect towing even in the flat swamps here we get massive cross and headwinds every so often, I don't want to be risking anything.

Is it unrealistic to pull a 30ft RV with a 3rd gen Tundra? Hopefully somebody has a similar experience and tell me I'm worrying about nothing hehe... I don't need a 3/4 Ton truck and don't want one, well maybe I need one for a 30 footer? smh.... Here in FL we are allowed to go 70mph in Interstates so I would like to keep pulling safely at that speed if possible.

Thanks and sorry for the idiotic ultra-repeated question, I just couldn't find chats about the frontal area affecting towing.

 

You're not pulling safely at that speed now. It's not recommended to go 70mph while towing a travel trailer. Handling and braking are severely compromised while towing, especially with a 1/2 ton truck vs. a 3/4 ton truck. Your concerns about towing the larger trailer are valid and will amplify the previously mentioned issues. Being flat Florida at least you're not fighting the hills or the altitude.

 

We were in a simalar situation. Had a small 20' TT without any bells/whistles/slideouts and upgraded to a 25' TT thats pretty loaded (25' box size, total length of 30'). New trailer is taller and wider but slightly more aerodynamics.

According to the manual, my truck will tow 9,300lbs, i aimed for 6,000 lbs dry and i'm glad that i didn't go over that.
I knew that i'd need to add bags to deal with the squat....which is exactly what i did to deal with the squat. you can estimate around 10-15% of total weight will be on the tongue.

Truck pulls it well on the freeway, but where i can really feel it is on small windy highways.

I would try to go with a lighter model.

 

I typically tow at around 65mph but I'm telling you is WAY riskier to go under that speed here in FL. Drivers have absolutely zero patience, change lanes at 90mph all day long and its pretty typical to see people doing between 10-20mph over the limit at any given roadway. So it becomes a hazard to have a bigger delta with the rest of vehicular mass. I upgraded to Power Stop brakes in all 4 corners and the tandem axle trailer has 4 electric drum brakes, I've felt it relatively "safe" to emergency brake from highway speeds.

I hear you, if you have no wind or a tailwind is fine but I've seen MPG drop almost to 7mpg from 10mpg on the same route but with a 15mph headwind :S can't imagine pulling a bigger chute under those conditions...

 

Yeah i think your spidey-sence is telling you something.....go lighter.

 

I would consider going lighter (shorter) or upgrading to a 3/4 ton. You'll find yourself white knuckling it most of the time which will make it un-enjoyable good luck!

 

Try and keep your trailer weight under 7k, the Tundra will handle the tongue weight (Mine is 980lbs). But, dial your weight distribution hitch in properly without using airbags. Use the “Three pass method” at the Cat scales to help adjusting your weight distribution hitch.
Useful mods: “E” rated tires, rear sway bars & upgraded shocks.
And 70mph is TOO fast.

 

Yeah I've been considering a 25.5ft micro minnie that is 7ft wide too so its just longer of what I have I think that may be better.

I also have E rated all terrain tires, upgraded Blistein shocks, and try to keep it under 65mph but there are cases where its very dangerous to go under 65mph since the traffic is beating my ass at over 20mph from my speed, it may be a few sections in my travel route not all the time. I'm just debating the effects of going at interstate speeds towing a taller/wider/heavier TT versus what I currently have or I just need to "man up" and let the truck deal with it because I'm under all ratings still. I do not want to be uncomfortable or add stress to the weekend warrior experience.

 

These are some pictures of my current setup, its not a big TT at all even though it can sleep 6 adults

 

I believe 1,000lbs of tongue weight is just too much for the Tundra. adding tires, a bed topper, and just light packing will get you way too close to your max payload and that's not even counting driver and passenger's weight.

If my math is not wrong 700lbs is cutting it close for us, my wife, toddler and me are about 400lbs, we had a french bulldog and that was over 430lbs. Then add car seat, heavier 34" tires, tools and a couple of backpacks puts us right at 1,300lbs which is no bueno. I even put coolers and all the food in the camper before we travel just to be mindful of the payload.

 

Several folks on here tow longer and heavier and I think the numbers dictate how big you can go with your TT. That said, we are looking at the Apex 256BHS as all the numbers add up - except the 30ft length does make me a little nervous. Towing under 27ft with my half ton is where I’d prefer to be but I don’t get everything I want with that length!! I would guess this is your dilemma too as the TT you have now lines up great with your towing capacities but maybe not so much with your comfort capacity. The ProPride wdh will supposedly eliminate any sway (for $3500 I really hope so!) that may be my workaround to justify the longer trailer. We really like the Minnie 2301BHS (maybe built a little better than the Apex?) but the Apex is about a foot shorter in exterior height and costs less. Unfortunately, as this entire towing arena is more suggestive than definitive, I don’t know that there is a clear and concise answer to any of these questions until after we make our purchase and experience for ourselves…. Good Luck (to us all!)

 

Wow this is a very cool option! that foot shorter in height really helps, the length actually benefits the aerodynamic disadvantage of the frontal area, it does add to the sway in some conditions but a decent WDH with sway control will help on that. I've seen Tundras pulling 30+ ft 5th wheels here... I know that is very irresponsible, but I'm trying to understand where does the truck capability and my comfort zone meet. I'm liking that model you just shared, here I come youtube!

I can't complain about Winnebago quality it's been a worry free experience for us, I believe they are right at the top under Airstream quality. I'm also checking the Micro Minnie 2306BHS by far the most sold floorplan of Winnebago Micros, check that out as well.

 

I towed a Jayco Jay Flight 29BHS with my 2015. I had 1,000 pounds of tongue weight and was right about 15,500 pounds combined.
I towed from MI to Yellowstone with multiple stops on that 4 week trip. About 5,000 towing miles. I averaged 8mpg. I was able to go as fast as I wanted in S4. I did use S5 quite a bit but that requires a lot more diligence to keep the converter locked Most of the trip was done at about 70mph.
I never felt unsafe or unstable. The brakes were great and the P3 worked great.
However, I would not do this again.
I was overloaded.
I did damage my hitch (permanently bent). It was a result of too much weight distribution. It actually bent the hitch in the upward direction about 5 degrees.
Toyota did replace the hitch but I did have to cover $100 out of pocket.
I did add airbags after this trip which I converted to SumoSprings later. These only resulted in an overloaded rear axle.

30' is too big for a Tundra or IMO any half ton truck.
I have since "downgraded" to a 27' unit. I am still overloaded but only by 200 pounds now....

 

Wow this is good intel Mike. I do believe staying under 30' is best after reading all of this, half-tons are just not built for this type of towing even if your numbers look "right" is not a comfortable right. You bring your kid's friend on a trip, or that extra paddle board or bike, and you're overloaded and at a greater risk.

And THANK YOU for mentioning the converter locking in gear, many folks out there get stuck in tow/haul mode and this and the other instead of understanding how the transmission should work. I have the towing pack with transmission cooler, bigger alternator, etc. and I'm always mindful of driving not lugging the engine and making sure is not "slipping" in gear by fine tuning my throttle to where it "locks".

 

Our trailer is 25 feet inside (28 feet hitch to bumper) and that's about the biggest I would go with any halfton, Tundra or otherwise. Ours is about 5300 lb dry so I'm guessing about 6500 lb loaded, though I haven't actually weighed it yet. It can theoretically sleep 8, though 5 is more realistic.

It's also nicer to park a shorter trailer. We're in a camp site this week with a bit of a mound in the middle on one side and it took me a fair bit of maneuvering to get it where I wanted it. An extra 5 feet would have made it that much harder.

 

Thanks for your real life experience and advise - only thing I am nervous about is the 30 footer portion….

 

my travel trailer (Outback 292URL) is almost 34 feet long . Dry weight is 7100# or so, probably more like 8000# with batteries, propane and a little gear in it. We tow it 55mph around 52 miles to the lake to camp. A couple of hills between here and there. Truck “does fine” but it’s a lot for this truck. Maxed out for sure. I wouldn’t pull it 70mph down the interstate or expect the truck to be drama free on a cross country trip. We’ve occasionally used the camper as our primary residence between buying flip properties and needed the space.

 

What a weird thread, I’ve towed our 35’ overall length trailer over 6,000 miles. It weighs roughly 6,500lbs dry, and with everything loaded except tanks it’s likely approaching 7,500. WDH of course, and it towed just fine stock. It also collapsed my leaf springs eventually, so I have Dobinson leafs and RAS HD added now. The thing tows great and stops fine, we are planning to downsize but that’s to get into more primitive sites more than anything else. We don’t do RV parks very often, and have to be very careful about picking sites with how long we are. I park in “25’ max” sites all the time but have to scout online ahead of time and it’s a huge pain!

High winds can get hectic, but that’s true always. And slow down! I’ve done 70ish mph for most of the miles but learned to slow down. I do 65mph as a max now, generally, and use S4 or 5 depending on condition, even down to S3 for steep grades. No doubt lighter and smaller is easier in every way but other than f&#^ing blowouts on exploding Chinese tires, zero towing issues to date. Don’t buy garbage-quality trailer tires!

 

This is a strange post, the damaged hitch portion. I nearly crashed my truck and trailer driving into a camping spot in the boonies some years ago. Came over a blind rise at maybe 20mph at most and it was a STEEP short dip and back up again with an immediate 90 degree turn to the left. That’s the day I realized the factory brake controller was useless, and I was one of the early adopters forcing the firmware update from the dealer. The trailer bucked and kicked and scared the crap out of the whole family, but I managed to get it slowed down and made the turn. Zero damage to anything other than maybe my front brakes.

I have to wonder if there’s more to the story or you had something else contributing to the problem?

 

I had a 2004 Sand Piper Sport toy hauler measured at 30ft tip to tip that I recently sold. Weighted 6900 empty. When fully loaded with 100gal of water, food, and gear I was over 8500lbs. I used a ProPride hitch and didn't go over 60mph when towing. Sat level and was very stable/well planted. I also used a toungue weight scale to help me adjust my weight distribution when packing the trailer tried to keep it between 10 to 13 percent of the trailer weight. After the first trip it was rinse and repeat, similar gear/supplies stored in the same location gave me similar tongue weights. If I had to do it again... smaller camper or bigger truck.

 

Yea the more I read (and the more videos I watch on half tons in general) the more I think 25ft and under is the sweet spot 26-27 foot is ok and 28ft may be pushing it while 30ft+ you need to be a truck driver in a past life! Thanks. I will now try to concentrate on the <28ft tip to tip variety of trailers because I’m not buying an expensive crappy 3/4 ton truck to daily drive…

 

I’m pretty comfortable towing my 32’ (includes tongue) 6200lb GD 2800bh. The experience doesn’t feel much different than towing my previous 26’ 4200lb trailer honestly. I wouldn’t go any larger with this truck and will probably get a HD truck many years down the road. For now I’m very comfortable with my setup. You do what ultimately makes you most comfortable. Being stressed about the tow hurts the vacation vibes. For me, I still have no stress with my setup, just wanted to share my experience.

 

Well that’s the thing everybody has a different comfort zone, and if you are within the specs of the truck and its limits then everything should be fine right? I just have LOTS of experience towing my 22ft 5,000lbs loded rig and similar size towing with other trucks, but fearful to go any larger since is unknown for me and also close to BigRed’s limits.

I guess another factor is that our weekend warrior plans are typically withing 150 miles from home and that gets us both FL coasts in central FL and a gazillion places to go, campgrounds around here are very cool. So my point is trying to get the most out of it, plus depriciation seems to be less wity around 30ft rigs? Maybe its the sweet spot of towing?

I feel like I’m more confussed now hahaha but thanks everyone for their experiences! Keep em coming

 

This exactly.

 

How is that measurement for length taken? Box size or ball to bumper?

 

I towed a 24' box trailer across the country in a 4.7l 2008 tundra. I took my time. Used manual shifting. Cranked the brake controller ALL THE WAY UP to the point that I could use the trailer brakes to slow down the truck. (Had a close call before I did that with some driver in a little car stopping in the middle of the highway FOR NO REASON with official 12,000lbs barrelling down the road behind them. Thank God we could swerve around him....)
Filled up the small tank every hour.
If I was to do it again, I'd use a weight distribution hitch, and a 5.7. And a brake controller cranked all the way up.
I'd rather not do it again.

 

If you’re comfortable with the size trailer you are considering, and it meets your needs, do your thing. Smaller is better for cost, fits in more spots, maybe gets better towing mileage?, and of course will tow easier.

Sorry but have to say after reading some of the above: For those starting to tow, READ YOUR MANUAL PLEASE. WDH is required above 500lbs IIRC. It’s a bit crazy how so many don’t do that.

 

Most of the manual is like greek the first few times you read it.

I was moving my family across the country. Had a lot on my mind. Wasn't thinking clearly. Made mistakes.

Angels were working overtime to get that truck and trailer 3000+ miles safely across the country.

I'm probably still a fool. Just not as much.

 

To make things harder, the 30ft rig I was considering is almost exactly the same price as a 25.5ft but I would get a lot more for the family. That’s also a factor on doing research and not regret staying “short” when maybe I could have gone bigger without stressing too much ‍♂️

 

Airstreams measure from tongue to bumper. Most all other travel trailers measure the box only.