Post your Travel trailer that you tow with your Y

[Flybuddy]

r-pod RP-189 | Forest River RV - Manufacturer of Travel Trailers - Fifth Wheels - Tent Campers - Motorhomes

Anyone know if the 354 hitch weight would be a deal breaker on this? Never towed a camper before so not sure if that hitch weight has any wiggle room or 350 is max, no exceptions.

If it were 4 lbs it would be no big deal BUT the 354 is unloaded hitch weight. Once you fill propane, add a battery and put any weight forward of the axle, the hitch weight will go up significantly. You can probably handle the 171, 179 or 190 if you like any of those layouts..

 

[Flybuddy]

What trailer hitch ball mount did you go with? I got the Tow Smart hitch from Home Depot. When I tow my jet skis, the hitch is noisy because its loose.

[/QUOTE

Fairly common issue as the receiver is slightly larger (intentionally) than the square tubing on the hitch. There are all kind of home made fixes if you just google it. Something as simple as one layer of duct tape will tighten it up and quiet it down. There are also square rubber donuts that slide over the square tubing and fill the space between the receiver and the upward bend on the hitch keeping it from wiggling.

 

[Wennfred]

r-pod RP-189 | Forest River RV - Manufacturer of Travel Trailers - Fifth Wheels - Tent Campers - Motorhomes

Anyone know if the 354 hitch weight would be a deal breaker on this? Never towed a camper before so not sure if that hitch weight has any wiggle room or 350 is max, no exceptions.

We found the RP-171 online is it’s sweet at 2400 Lbs Dry weight, and I believe the tongue weight is 253 Lbs or so, we also like this floor plan too.

Fred

 

[Wennfred]

Have you guys looked into weight distribution anti sway hitches?

I’ve looked at various brands on YouTube and I’m leaning towards the Equalizer 4.

Equal-i-zer® Hitch | The Original Sway Control Hitch

This is a great Trucker RV’er that I follow, very smart explaining weight distribution, pay loads and tow weight ratings. This is a good plug on the Equalizer 4 from him.

 

[fly4fun]

Have you guys looked into weight distribution anti sway hitches?

I’ve looked at various brands on YouTube and I’m leaning towards the Equalizer 4.

Equal-i-zer® Hitch | The Original Sway Control Hitch

This is a great Trucker RV’er that I follow, very smart explaining weight distribution, pay loads and tow weight ratings. This is a good plug on the Equalizer 4 from him.

I've been looking at the Equal-i-zer hitch for a while, but still undecided if I want one. There are a couple issues when using it with the Y. The shank is too long, exceeding the 8.5 inch length Tesla allows, and there is the issue that Tesla doesn't technically allow weight distributing hitches.
I've been reading @ohmman threads on the Model X forums and there is a lot of good info to be found there. He is using an Equal-i-zer hitch with a Draw-Tite, which doesn't have the offset limitations of the Tesla-supplied hitch.

 

[Wennfred]

I've been looking at the Equal-i-zer hitch for a while, but still undecided if I want one. There are a couple issues when using it with the Y. The shank is too long, exceeding the 8.5 inch length Tesla allows, and there is the issue that Tesla doesn't technically allow weight distributing hitches.
I've been reading @ohmman threads on the Model X forums and there is a lot of good info to be found there. He is using an Equal-i-zer hitch with a Draw-Tite, which doesn't have the offset limitations of the Tesla-supplied hitch.

Thanks for the info, didn’t know there was a shank length limit. I figured the longer the better to prevent the hitch and model Y from hitting on a tight turn. Will go there and read the X-forum on this. Thanks again.

Fred

 

[Flybuddy]

Here's a quote from etrailer:
"weight distribution cannot be used with a Class II trailer hitch. Class II trailer hitches are not built for or tested for use with weight distribution so manufacturers do not make any systems that will fit a Class II trailer hitch"

 

[Riguy]

I've been looking at the Equal-i-zer hitch for a while, but still undecided if I want one. There are a couple issues when using it with the Y. The shank is too long, exceeding the 8.5 inch length Tesla allows, and there is the issue that Tesla doesn't technically allow weight distributing hitches.
I've been reading @ohmman threads on the Model X forums and there is a lot of good info to be found there. He is using an Equal-i-zer hitch with a Draw-Tite, which doesn't have the offset limitations of the Tesla-supplied hitch.

Where did you hear about the mount limit? Was it somewhere in the manual?

 

[RckyMtnElectrk]

Where did you hear about the mount limit? Was it somewhere in the manual?

Here are the length and rise limits per the manual for the hitch:

"Attaching and Removing the Ball Mount The Model Y towing package does not include a ball mount. You must purchase a ball mount suitable for the type of trailer you are towing. The Model Y hitch receiver supports a ball mount with a length of up to 8.5” (22 cm) and a rise of up to 0.75” (2 cm). Do not use any type of drop ball mount that does not meet these requirements."

 

[Wennfred]

Great info then, saved me probably 600.00 in a Weight Distribution System.
.
So I’m assuming to wait and see what Ball size to get later to match the trailer, 2 inch or like 2.25 inch. I’m guessing 2 inch is standard.

Found this one that is the same size:

Draw-Tite 2923 Draw-Tite Max Frame 2" Ball Mount Kit - 2" Drop - 3/4" Rise - 8 1/2" Length

Fred

 

[saltsman]

I don't want to rain on anyone parade, but I'm not sure a Model Y is a good choice as a tow vehicle for large high profile box-like trailers such as RV's or enclosed cargo trailers without adding an anti-sway friction bar. Trailer sway in cross winds can be highly dangerous in this trailer profile. This is especially true were we're trying to go with the lightest box trailer we can find. Examples:

While a Class II hitch isn't designed for weight distribution you can add a friction sway control with something like the Reese Friction Sway Control Kit (83660). For me personally, I wouldn't dream of towing something as high profile as a RV or Cargo trailer without one.

 

[Wennfred]

Thanks Saltsman, I would definitely get the Anti-sway setup for sure.

Great Videos, Morrow of the story, Slow the FxxK down and don’t pass another bigger vehicle doing 80+ Mph

Fred

 

[Wennfred]

Picked up this complete kit today, with Ball & Pin for about $43.00 at a local RV supply shop here in San Diego. They have everything for RV’s and provide installation and service.

 

[Zoomit]

Morrow of the story, Slow the FxxK down and don’t pass another bigger vehicle doing 80+ Mph

Yes and don't screw up the trailer weight distribution. That probably matters more than getting an anti-sway kit as a band-aid fix.

How to Prevent and Stop Trailer Sway

 

[fly4fun]

Picked up this complete kit today, with Ball & Pin for about $43.00 at a local RV supply shop here in San Diego. They have everything for RV’s and provide installation and service.

View attachment 602946

View attachment 602947

This is the same size ball mount and ball that I've been using for towing U-Haul trailers with my Y. Works good,
I think the next step though, is to to have a tab welded to it for a friction anti-sway bar to attach to.
I haven't done it yet, but looking at a Reese anti-sway bar.

 

[Wennfred]

P3 Brake Controller installed, the pig tail connector was a pain in the A$$ to get too, had to use a large screwdriver to pry apart this black foam and then I wiggled the connector in, once over the top I used another screwdriver to force the connector inside the socket. Will post 2 Videos below that shows where this connector is located and the other video shows the wiring from the pigtail to the P3.

 

[fly4fun]

P3 Brake Controller installed, the pig tail connector was a pain in the A$$ to get too, had to use a large screwdriver to pry apart this black foam and then I wiggled the connector in, once over the top I used another screwdriver to force the connector inside the socket. Will post 2 Videos below that shows where this connector is located and the other video shows the wiring from the pigtail to the P3.

View attachment 602992

Nice job.

I also installed the P3 and heartily agree on what a pain it is to connect the pig tail to that buried connector.

 

[saltsman]

Yes and don't screw up the trailer weight distribution. That probably matters more than getting an anti-sway kit as a band-aid fix.

How to Prevent and Stop Trailer Sway

Completely agree. Just wanted to add that trailer sway can also happen from crosswinds when towing high profile trailers like enclosed cargo trailers or RV's (especially when passing a semi truck at high speed)

Sway control will not make up for improper trailer loading. Too little tongue weight, the trailer will sway. However, too much tongue weight can overload the rear tires (which allows the trailer to push the rear end of the vehicle around). With only 350 lbs of tongue weight capacity we don't have a lot of room for error.

Be careful out there.

 

[Royall C]

I'm new here and was hoping to find out more information on what people are finding the power consumption to be in the real world. I bought a new MY the first week of November and then bought a 2018, 17' Casita trailer. I'm in Washington and found the trailer in the Sacramento area. It was a lot of experimenting during the 700 mile trip back north. You don't want to go over 50-55 mph if you want to go very far! You have to know the terrain you are heading into also. Mountains will suck the life out of your battery quickly. I left Redding Ca. with a 90% charge and planned on spending the night in Mount Shasta KOA. It was a total of 62 mile from Redding and would have made it with a slight cushion but didn't realize not only was I going up a mountain pass, I was fighting a brisk headwind too! I did experience "Range anxiety" that day! The last two miles on the freeway was on the shoulder of the road going about 10 mph and the battery on 0%..... Damn lucky the supercharger was just off of the highway!!! My trailer is about 3000 pounds with my stuff in it and has an Anderson chain type weight compensating hitch with its own antisway system built in. I'm heading out soon to see the US and hope to get a better feel how far I can nurse the mileage out on the flat highways. I'm kind of worried about some areas in Texas as some distances between charge stations are pushing 130 miles. I don't really know that part of the US so don't know what's going to happen!! Let the adventure begain!

If you have any insight with your towing experience, please post and let me know please!

 

[MikeInFL]