Ball Hitch Height for 282TXR

[dduffey]

I am looking to buy a used Forest River 2013R Rockwood Freedom 282TXR, which is just under the weight limits for the Model Y ( under 3000lbs dry weight and 220 lbs tongue weight). I am on 19", LR AWD 7 seater.

Not ever having towed before, I am unsure of the recommended ball hitch/height, brake controller, etc. for this trailer.

I do understand the limits of adding weight for propane and the toy hauler (we may just use for kayaks and for using w/ cyber truck).

Any advice on what I need to purchase to haul this would be appreciated.

 

[glide]

The manual has the hitch length/height specs. Pull up the “towing” section. And remember, there is no self-leveling air suspension so the measurements for your hitch need to be accurate.

For a brake controller I would recommend the Tekonsha P3.

 

[steve841]

Some basics ...
Trailer should be level. You may need a rise/drop ball mount of whatever to get to level.
Brake controller. On 3000lbs you dont need it. The nervous nellies will tell you otherwise, but the car especially with regen will be fine slowing down.

In your case .. my opinion is ....
I'm going to tell you now, that trailer you're looking at is going to be over the MY limit. Once you load that puppy up with toys, supplies and whatever, you're going to be over the limits. I wouldnt lose sleep on short hauls, but I doubt thats your intent.
Range. It's gonna crater by close to 50% going the speed limit. So, be warned.

 

[dduffey]

Thank you. Within the car and looking at "Specification - Vehicle Loading" it is blank/empty. (Actually caused car to crash/reset with AC on full blast and reset). If you knew we would leave the front/toy hauler empty except for a single 20lbs tank, would your opinion change?

Edit, I tied Driving - Towing and Accessories and it is also blank (2021.4.15).

Appriatiate your input.

Some basics ...
Trailer should be level. You may need a rise/drop ball mount of whatever to get to level.
Brake controller. On 3000lbs you dont need it. The nervous nellies will tell you otherwise, but the car especially with regen will be fine slowing down.

In your case .. my opinion is ....
I'm going to tell you now, that trailer you're looking at is going to be over the MY limit. Once you load that puppy up with toys, supplies and whatever, you're going to be over the limits. I wouldnt lose sleep on short hauls, but I doubt thats your intent.
Range. It's gonna crater by close to 50% going the speed limit. So, be warned.

 

[glide]

Thank you. Within the car and looking at "Specification - Vehicle Loading" it is blank/empty. (Actually caused car to crash/reset with AC on full blast and reset). If you knew we would leave the front/toy hauler empty except for a single 20lbs tank, would your opinion change?

Edit, I tied Driving - Towing and Accessories and it is also blank (2021.4.15).

Appriatiate your input.

https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/model_y_owners_manual_north_america_en.pdf

Start on page 73

 

[dduffey]

Bought the Tekonsha P3, works great, thanks for the suggestion. I set it to "B1" boost, since regen doesn't activate the trailer brakes, so if I hit the brakes in the car I don't want it to "start at 0" (default/no boost), although I assume with regen it would not really "start at zero". B1 feels pretty good (starts at 13%). I noticed the controller will lock the tires at ~8V if the brakes are cold or have sit for 24+ hours, but after driving for a bit (just a few braking events for testing) they don't lock up (gravel road) even at 12V ... so I set to 10V ... need to research this a bit. I'm testing by slowly driving (5mph) after hooking up then manually engaging the controller until I hear locking (haven't heard traction control kick in, which makes sense given the vehicle is 5712lbs).

The other thing I noticed is my Model Y LR AWD (with I assume single casting) shows a payload capacity of 1100 lbs and change on the sticker, which is higher than what some other LR AWD posts state (~800 lbs) ... so I wonder if that has been increased with 2021 models (7 seater).

I'm currently using a 0" rise multi-ball. The trailer comes with a sway bar attachment so I'm trying to find a way to get a 3/4" rise w/ a rocker cushion ball (2-5/16" w/ built in 1-5/8" rise for the cusion) w/ sway ball mount (3/8" thick rise) that is level w/ the ball. So far I have not found a way to make that work. (I would need to find a way to get a 1-1/4" ball mount drop to make up for the rocker/cushion and sway adapter rise).

Thanks for your help and suggestions.

I did end up buying this trailer but does sit too high as it is for "offroading" and has 28.5" diameter mud rover tires. I'm looking to drop from the 15" to 14" rims and smaller road tires (we will not be offroading) while staying within specs of the original trailer tires.

David