How do I increase towing performance?

Ok cool I'll look into getting one. Have you heard of sumo springs? I was thinking about getting some installed but I'm not even sure if I'll need them with a WDH.

Yeah I can live with that, I'm only going to be at RV parks.

 

We're getting way off topic here, but I use WAG bags in my Max. Yes, the black tank is small, but I don't want the odor in the small space of the Max. Or the hassle of draining the black tank.

 

Have you priced out RV parks in those areas yet? At $40-$80/night, plus the cost of truck mods to handle the trailer, 50% higher gas costs while towing, increased maintenance on both truck and trailer and a trailer payment (or smaller bank account) it might just be cheaper to stay at hotels. Alternatively, could be worth the added expenses to have your own “home” on the road with you.

 

I have, but have no experience with them.

I have Deaver springs in the rear, lifting the truck. I have added Firestone air bags and Daystar cradles, to accommodate the varying loads I carry (empty, 1 of 3 trailers, loaded for the weekend, etc.)

 

Take your set up to a hitch place amd let them determine what you need. There is no automatic answer despite what others say

 

Make sure you need one, you may not.

 

The RV parks are essentially free for me. I talked to HR and they said they will take care of RV park fees while I'm working as a Field engineer. So I'll only have to pay for RV park fees once I get promoted to a position with no travel or get a different job. It's honestly a pretty sweet deal.

 

I think you will be fine with common sense and driving like you have a 3K+ trailer behind you. Plenty of people (without aftermarket coolers) tow bigger through the mountains, you just have to slow down and take your time. I have not found a definitive answer on if the plugs/fitting for an external trans cooler are even on a 2021-2023 transmission. 2016-2020 had a factory external cooler so the upgrade was easy.

We are new to RV'ing, long-time tent campers, so keep that in mind with this info. I bought the Andersen hitch, the only WDH I have run. I like it for several reasons:

• Lighter than most WDH, 60-ish pounds total.
• Fits in a 22" Ridgid pro box, with no long poles to find a spot for.
• Greaseless

I was on the fence with a WDH (only 2K dry) and after reading threads here I was convinced. Tongue weight can be considerably higher than the 10-13% people throw around or the manufacturer's specification once you have batteries and propane added. The antisway is a huge safety benefit, and the Tacoma leafs suck. I'm at 2" sag with no hitch and 1" sag with the WDH.

 

Well I'm convinced. I'm definitely going to get a WDH.

 

Lol

 

My opinion is you are consistently running cooler, I'm at about 185 with the thermostat open. On my next trip, Ill have to note the coolant operating temp but I don't think it's much lower. If Im running close to the thermostat threshold when it's open it will be constantly opening and closing anyway. Heat is built on the hills and long pulls. Why not start with the lowest possible temp to keep the peak temp lower? Small red arrows show peak temp.

 

I don't know that starting cooler at the bottom of a hill has enough advantage over having the fluid up to operating temp as designed. Look at it this way, if it was better to have it pinned, why does it have the thermostat in the first place? Why wouldn't a manufacturer just run it open and keep the trans as cold as possible?

I make way too many short trips or trips where I am not hauling/towing to warrant a pinned cooler. Gotta weigh the options. I think that having it run a little warmer with a thermostat operating as designed on the few towing trips is the lesser evil when compared to always running it cold and making it take extra time to get up to temp every single trip, including those that would have towing.

 

Wet baths are a compromise just like most vehicle design decisions. A dry bath eats up precious sq footage when you're talking about a camper in this weight category. You've really got the runs if you're filling up a 9 gallon black water tank in 3 days!!

 

I might have exaggerated a little I guess. You do have to start with about 2 gallons of water in there to keep it working right so it’s really only 7 gallons. Every time you take a shit it’s another gallon or so to ensure enough water to keep the solids from clumping. Take a morning and evening piss and that’s another gallon a day so figure adding about two gallons to the tank daily.

 

why aren't they paying for a hotel? Nothing nearby? are they paying for your trailer too? and a tow vehicle?

 

They would pay for a hotel but there's no guarantee that there will be a pet friendly hotel to stay in. So in order to keep my cats it's just easier to stay in the trailer.

 

See if you can get a per diem for the hotel anyway. That way they are offsetting some of your trailer cost. Think about it, if they'll pay a hundred a day for a hotel, they can pay some for your trailer as well. Makes the payment sting less.

 

biggest advantage to a WDH on a small trailer is that they typically have sway built in, when that semi comes past at 80mph you won’t have the push/pull that would happen without it. Also it’ll push some of that tongue weight to the front axle for steering.

Thermostat on the 3rd gen is around 186’, having it pinned means operating temp will typically be 15’ cooler and that can help considerably on climbs. Especially if you’re half way up a climb and you hit a little plateau your pan temps will drop back down again.
In 7k miles of towing a 5k TT over plenty of mountains I never saw pan temps over 200’. Here’s a shot of my dashboard as I peaked Wolfcreek pass in CO, 10k+ ft elevation. Torque converter never got hotter than 217’.

Pre mid 2020 do.

Honestly I can’t say enough good about it as long as it’s setup correctly. The most critical part of setup that people don’t do correctly is when setting the hitch to the ball, the hitch and back of the truck needs to be lifted 1.5-2” above resting position by the tongue jack and then the nuts need to be tightened 3-4 turns. The red nylon bushings should be slightly swollen. If you’re measuring fender heights before and after and getting them within spec the ride is awesome.

I have nearly 2” of clearance between the top of the sumo and the frame when unhitched and I can still see daylight when the TT is hitched. Sumos will help with compression/rebound when you hit big bumps in the road.

^^^This^^^

@TexasTacoTuesday the next important thing to recommend is to get OBD fusion to monitor trans temps and so you can see when the torque converter is locked up or not. I have mine set so the red circle behind the selected gear turns green when locked up.

This could be a good unit for you… there’s usually space under the beds on these units, you could cut a hole for the cats and put the kitty box under a bench or under the bed.
https://coachmenrv.com/apex-nano/16R/6968

 

I've explained this a bunch of times already, I was fortunate not to need a wdh hitch for my low weight trailer. The hitch company could have sold me one for the hell of it I guess but THEY said it was not needed. Thanks.

 

That actually does look like a nice little setup especially with the seperate shower. I'll have to check one out in person and see if it's a better fit than the little guy max.

I think I'll do the sumo springs aswell since the back of the truck likes to bottom out. I'll make sure to get that wdh setup right too.