"Towing the big trailer" report (long)

["Doug Mitchell" <dougm@domain.elided>]

Hi all,

I'm back in one piece from the great Deer Hunt.  For those
who missed the previous discussions, I have a 1978 Scout II
with the stock (CA emission) 345, 727, and aftermarket 4.11
gears towing a 25.5 foot travel trailer with a GVWR of 6800
lbs.  I towed my trailer to Fish Lake (9,000+ ft) and home
to Salt Lake City (4200 ft).  The Scout has an ancient
Rancho 2.5" lift, probably put on when my other Scout ('78
Traveler) was new.  The springs are stiffer than the stock
20 year old XLC springs that were on the Scout II when I
bought it.  The Ranchos were originally under my Traveler,
so I know what the stockers felt like on the Scout II.
...new red poly bushings all around and I bought brand-new
31x10.50 mud tires for the trip.  ...wanted some anyways.

The trip was done with a 20-30 mph crosswind on the way
there, and with a 30-40 mph crosswind on the way home.  I'm
guessing on the wind speed, but it made a VERY large flag
stand perpendicular (sp?) to the pole.  I used an Equal-izer
brand hitch, a load-distributing, anti-sway hitch in one.
...the kind with the big, ugly, square bars.  The hitch
works amazingly well.  I had no trouble maintaining 60 mph
on the way down in the wind.  On the way back, I still could
manage 60, but with the stronger wind, 55 felt very stable.
The hitch, IMHO was the main factor with the ease of the
tow.  My dad's 18-foot trailer sways much more when I tow
it.  It has the other type of load-distributing setup with
the chains and bars, no sway control.  I limited downhill
runs to 60 mph, since I wanted no chances of losing control
even for an instant.  With the short wheelbase of the Scout,
that could be fatal.  The ride was much more stable than the
ride back from CA when I flat-towed my Scout behind a
half-ton Suburban.

About power.  I could maintain reasonable speed on the 6%
grades, ~45 mph, but when I hit the 8% grade, I had to get
to second gear.  There was some 10% grade that required
first gear.  This was with a loose spark plug.  My Scout
maxes out (RPM) at 20 mph in first, 45 in second.  I blew
the plug out of the hole near Nephi on the way home.  The
new plug took care of the rough running and what I thought
for the last month was the usual exhaust leak from the right
side.  Duh!  With seven cylinders, and an open spark plug
hole, I maintained 50 mph on a slight uphill.  Gas mileage
was bad, 6-9 mpg.  ...but that was with the loose spark
plug.  I haven't checked my Nephi-to-Salt Lake figures yet.

All said, I'll probably do it again next year.  I will want
some overload springs, probably air bags, for next time.
Because of the short wheelbase, any rear squat is not safe.
I had to put my spare 25 gallons of gas and two Action
Packers full of tools and parts in front of the rear axle to
reduce the "squat" to near level.  The trip was some 4 hours
each way and was very comfortable except when on the
interstate.  I was driving 55-60 mph, and the big rigs were
doing 75+, and they really blew me around when they blew by,
especially with the strong crosswind.  Dad said one of the
a**holes missed me by inches as we went through jog in a
construction area.  ...his fault, not mine.  The speed limit
in the construction areas is 55, but everybody except me
ignores it.  For the trip we're planning to Yellowstone in
'00, I will have a larger, safer vehicle.  I'm looking for a
88-91 3/4-ton Suburban with a 454 or turbo diesel.  ...dunno
if they made the turbo diesel back then.  When the big,
square trucks pass a trailer, the wind first pushes the tow
vehicle to the right, and then sucks it toward the big truck
as it pulls abreast.  (or was it the other way around?) The
tow on the interstate was unpleasant because of this, but
towing on the 2-lane was very stable and pleasant.  Anyways,
you just have to learn not to react too much when you
suddenly lurch for no reason and there's a truck in the
mirror.

The Scout with the big trailer was at least as stable as all
of my other towing experiences.  I have towed a 17' camp
trailer behind an '87 extend cab Ranger, an 18-foot trailer
behind a '94 Explorer, a '78 Scout behind a '94 Suburban,
and the same 18-foot trailer behind my Scout.  (I'm not
including anything under 2500 lbs, since I can't even tell
I'm towing something that light.)  All of the vehicles
(except when I towed the Scout) suffered the same thing as a
big-rig blows by at 80 mph.  ...maybe the Suburban will too.
Oh, yeah.  I forgot the miserable experience of towing the
17-foot trailer behind a CJ-5.  Suicide.  ...and the 17-foot
behind a LUV diesel, 4WD low range for 6% grades.

Sorry I'm so long-winded.  The bottom line is that the Scout
makes a great tow vehicle up to its rated 5000 lbs capacity
(depending on final drive ratio).  I overloaded mine and
still had a good ride.  I'd feel more comfortable with a
longer wheelbase, since I know how fast the trailer can push
the short Scout sideways.  I'll do it again for deer
hunting, cuz I need the Scout, but for towing my new trailer
anytime else, I'd rather stick with the manufacturers
recommendations.

...the deer are safe from me for another year.  ...got three
shots at 600 yards, but missed.  Yes, I went and checked to
be sure.

Doug