Camper Towing concern!
 

My parents put a down deposit on a camper (trailer) this weekend, its nice 19 ft long and weights about 2900 lbs.

According to the owners manual, it says the 3.0L max trailer pulling is rated for 2560lbs (I believe). Do you think my truck is gonna be struggling to pull our camper? I originaly planed on upgrading to 32's this spring, but im not soo sure now.... Also keep in mind my truck bed will probably be filled with a couple hundred pounds of food, drinks or whatever. :shrug:

Does that trailer have brakes on it? I don't know about the towing part, but I would be very concerned about the stopping part.

trailer has 4 brakes on all 4wheels

I'm far from an expert, but yeah, a 19' camper sounds like a bit much, especially if you put anything in it (food, gear, etc). There's also the concern of drag. Those campers aren't exactly the most aerodynamic things ever created.

But then I only tow utility trailers and small boats.. never pulled a camper myself.

truck will struggle
what gears do you have in the rear?

I have 4.10's open, but i guess it doesn't matter

If the trailer is bought and you have access to it, you will just need to make a short run to check things out. I just noticed you have a manual. That probably makes it worse for towing. I am pretty sure the manuals have a lower towing capacity than the automatics. It is probably just a function of a better clutch, if they exist.

It's because Auto's don't have the slippage of the clutch that manuals have. Less wear.

Aaron

my parents ordered it, probably get it around jan or february

you should be able to pull it SLOW, i pulled a 24 foot OLD camper w/ mine before and it kinda struggled but it did good, i was impressed....but it weighed about 5500, but i got the 4.0 and auto, i dont see why it wouldn't

Sometimes it's just getting comfy with it. the first time a towed my race truck to the track in my 4.0 I was pretty skeered. The concrete trucks would pass me. Now I wouldn't flinch towing it 300 miles.

yea it may do OK on flat street, but once i hit a hill on the highway, its all done....

We've discussed the auto vs manual towing situation before. Many have said they'd gladly consider towing more than the rated capacity w/ their manuals.. as long as you avoided starting on steep grades.

I wonder, is there a good way to test this? Can you hook up the trailer and go for a ride around town.. if you're using the left pedal alot (ie, slipping the clutch), then you're no good.. otherwise you're okay?

i dont know much about towing with a manual tranny i not familar with the gearing difference but i have pull over 5000lbs with my truck before believe me that is not something i recommend doing but i was suprise i made it home with out any problems. but i do pull around 3000lbs 6 days out of the week with out a problem. so i dont see why your truck wouldnt be able to tow that camper just do your self a favor and before you make any long trips drive around low traffic areas to get use to that amount of weight

make sure you get an electronic brake controller...and pump your tires up a little extra

what is that? my truck has a 4 prong wire thingy under the bumper or thats probably just for the lights and signals

Your gonna need a 7 prong RV plug to hook up to that and a brake controller mounted to your dash to adjust brake pressure to the trailer brakes. With your lil truck I would not pull such a heavy trailer without brakes.

cool

It depends on whether the trailer has electric brakes or hydraulic inertia brakes. 5000 lbs behind any Ranger is retarded and unsafe...

There have been many many threads about manuals vs autos and I think you are in the same bout as me. Many people have said over and over that a manual can tow as much as and auto on flat level ground, but when you hit a hill is when you have problems, and its the worst when you have to come to a stop at the bottom of a hill.

I towed a car(1988 ford tempo) on a tow dolly. I guess the total trailor weight was about 3100. My truck is rated at 3100 lbs. You would think I would be fine but I am running 35's so the added size and weight of the tires decreased my towing ability a lot. I had no problems except one time I was at a red light at the bottom of a hill. I just let the clutch slip until it got moving.

Get the wiring or whatever you need to beable to control the trailor brakes and think about big hills before you get to them, and let the transmission do the work keep it in a gear that keeps the RPM's where you are making peek power, and you should be fine.