Towing with a Offroad

I have a 2019 Off Road with a towing package. Plan is to buy a pop up trailer, I have never towed before, and wanted to know what I would need for towing the pop up.
Do I need brake controller, stabilizer, and what kind of hitch/ball set up do I need.
Do I use the “S” Mode with the “ECT PWR”?
The truck is at the stock height And automatic transmission
Thanks
Barry

 

Thanks for posting this. I am in same spot and would also like to know.

 

I routinely pull a 3000 lb (fully loaded) boat on my OR-LB. My typical trip is 20 miles one way but I also go to northern MN once or twice a year at 500 miles a pop. My boat trailer has hydraulic brakes.

I pull in S5 and feather my throttle to reduce torque converter from disengaging too much. I let the truck go a little slower up hills and a little faster down hills. I sometime use ECT, but not usually.

If you can keep your speed down (55 MPH) I think S4 is perfect.

 

I have a 18 OR, pull a 1600lb popup. In my limited experience I don't think you need a brake controller or a stabilizer, just a 2" ball hitch, for my old 97' popup I used a 2in drop. Use ECT and it pulls really well.

 

You're probably overthinking it a bit, something like a pop-up or A-frame trailer should be fine with your truck. Other towing threads talk about weight distribution hitches, trailer brakes, etc but that's for like 20 ft camper trailers that are getting close to the GVWR. You shouldn't be anywhere near that.

 

If you're trailer has electric brakes, you should get a brake controller. If the trailer doesn't have brakes, then don't get one.

Unless you're doing crazy off camber offroading, the standard 2" ball hitch will be fine. You may need a drop receiver to account for any lift you have, to keep the trailer level.

As others have said, don't overthink it and hit up the towing forum.

 

Make sure you distibute weight correctly in the camper...at least 15% of your added weight should be in fromt of the axle. If you ass load it she will pull squirrely and maybe even try to unhitch itself.

Make sure you have some kind of lockpin or bolt on the hitch itself, i cant believe how many ppl dont.

If you dont have bearing buddies on the trailer already, get some. It makes it alot easier and they are inexpensive.

You will probably never have problems wit Go...its Whoa thats the problem. Just pay attention, people will not drive any nicer around you just because you are towing. Your first few trips you will probably have a mild case of tourettes syndrome.

If you do feel like the trailer is pushing you and/ or you look back and the trailers starting to come around...hit the gas. Its the only remedy. I had to do this on a giant hill up by Traverse city Michigan whike towing a popup camper with a Grand Cherokee. With no brakes on the camper the only thing you can do to straighten it out is go faster.

Have fun!

 

This, I try to keep it to 65 and people don't like it.

 

This is too f**king true. People are oblivious to the fact that your reaction and stopping distance are GREATLY reduced.

 

Also, go to a wide open parking lot and practice maneuvering the trailer in tight spots... in forwards and reverse. It can be hard by yourself, but even worse with an audience and pressure.

 

If you put your hand at the bottom of the wheel and move it right or left the way you want to go while looking in the mirror...the vehicle and trailer will move according to the reverse image in the mirror.

 

You didn't state what dry weight and wet loaded weight of the pop up so it would be difficult to p say what you need or don't need. There are plenty of pop ups that weigh more than my 3600 pound (dry) travel trailer. I run a weight distribution hitch and brake controller in S4 ECT on always. Good luck OP, with a little practice and keeping it real you will enjoy the towing.

 

If you have never pulled a trailer before, my tips are 1) remember to take wide corners while watching the trailer carefully in the side view mirror, 2) practice backing up the trailer in a safe place prior to going out in the wild, 3) drive very defensively, and 4) always be aware of how long you are.

EDIT: if your trailer is wider than your truck, like mine is, be careful when passing bicyclists, parking alongside a curb, and any other situation when you are close to something you don’t want to collide with.

 

I just towed a lightly loaded 12 foot U-Haul tandem axel from Raleigh to Charlotte on the interstate. 11.2 MPG and 3/4th gear the whole way with cruise set a 70. The truck doesn't like it!!

Got 21.4 going to Raleigh empty.

Get a Tundra.

G.

 

Aerodynamics make a big difference at speed, and your pop-up trailer should have a small footprint. I towed a 5,500lb travel trailer and thought it did great.

Can you have someone with towing experience shotgun with you to make sure it goes smoothly?

The manual reccomends ECT mode and S4 for towing. Realistically though, if the transmissions not hunting for gears you’re probably not hurting anything to use the overdrive gears.
ECT mode is basically a tow/haul/sport mode that changes the shift patterns of the transmission to make it more responsive and hold gears longer