Pulling a camper

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Nik Hoffman

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I am wondering what is the longest camper I can pull. I have an 04 st xlt 4x2 4.0 V6. I will have to get hitch installed and plan on using a Uhaul class III hitch. What have others had luck pulling? I am thinking something about a 22 foot-ish travel trailer, camper, whatever you want to call it. Thanks for the info.
 
The length is not the concern... rather more the weight.... and type of brakes on the unit...



You could tow a 53 foot trailer if it only weighs 1,000 lbs....



What is the brand and weight, single or dual axle and brake type ??



Thanks



Todd Z
 
I wanted to get some preliminary information. I had looked into buying an Airstream and possibly doing a restore on it. Also thought about renting one for camping this season.
 
Airstreams are very heavy. They look great, but they are heavy. Safty first. You can add airbags to your rear axle, but that does not "give you more towing capacity".



Never forget that.





Tom
 
I agree that Airstreams are major cool and they have a huge following. Tons of information on the interweb for getting them back into shape. I remember growing up in the hills of West Virginia we would always run into Airstreams out in the middle of the woods that people lived in permanently. My parents are currently big travel trailer campers and whenever I visit them in a park its great to see the old Airstreams restored.
 
Actually, for the size, the Airstreams can be lighter than the modern trailers. And they do pull much better because of the rounded front. However, weight is weight, and the ST is rated to pull ~5000lbs, with a WD hitch. That's not a lot when you start adding things up...
 
I tow a 27 ft liteweight.... long tongue actually helps towing stability... Frontal area is best kept to a minimum... Ford rates area beyond the truck's area as 40 sq ft extra.... see pics in my library... Although there is nothing wrong with a uhaul hitch, we all kinda boycot uhaul because they won't rent to us sport trac owners, even though they will sell you a hitch... try ordering one from www.etrailer.com, or your local rv dealer... Reese and Draw-tite are good brands... If you get it installed, make sure that the tech follows the directions and installs it according to the directions... I had one improperly installed once, and had to force them to re-install it... You will need electric brake controller and the wiring to go with it... Lastly, do a search in the archive on the subject Towin, you'll find gobs of info.... HTH
 
You also have to add the wieght of the people, camping gear, food supplies, boat?, bikes?, fuel, etc.. I think the 2wd has a lower towing rating than the 4wd doesn't. Not sure you want to put the 4.0 and the trans in that much strain, not to mention the 2wd suspension. Just looking out for ya, don't wanna see you and the family stuck on the side of the road or out in the woods. I can't remember who told me but I think that Featherlite or another company like theres was making a lighterweight clone of the airstreams. Might want to look into going that route. ;) :D
 
I called around on the hitch install price. Uhaul had it for about 150ish and a couple others in my area wanted over 300!! It does suck that Uhaul wont rent to us but have no issue taking our money for the hitch, luckily I have a 5x8 trailer that I can use so I dont need to rent one. I guess I can order one and install it myself, I would at least know it was done properly, or who to blame if something happens! Most are just bolt on, right? No welding needed?
 
An Airstream, especially an older one, will be too heavy for the ST. Like others have said, you have to consider not just the dry weight, but the weight of the trailer after fully outfitted with all of your stuff, food, LP gas, potable H2O, etc.



Looking at Airstream's current line, the only model that even close to the ST's tow range is the 22' Sport Line. It's dry GVWR is 4500. You can figure in another 750-1000 lbs for fluids and cargo, which will put it just at or over the ST's max towing limit. Pushing it that hard will be detrimental to the Trac's already infamous transmission.
 

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