I'm quite certain this is the result of my personal feedback, since I was the first to alert them to this issue. So you know as much as they do about the issue and can make the decision you feel most comfortable with.
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Towing...actually Airstreaming...with a Model X
- Thread starter jamtek
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- Driving Dynamics Model X
Looks complicated! In the UK and Europe we just use a simple ball and socket arrangement, a 50 mm ball hitch on the car and a tow hitch on the caravan, boat trailer etc. which usually has a built-in stabiliser clamping arrangement. There are two main brands; Winterhoff and Alko. Operation and coupling/de-coupling takes a few seconds and the combination, if weight distribution is properly sorted, is very stable at motorway speeds. In the UK we have a 60 mph limit but on the continent you can drive up to 81mph in dry conditions. Is this system illegal in the US?
qadaemon
Member
In the US we have several ball sizes depending on trailer weight and utility. We also have pintle hitches and hooks on occasion. Because of that, it is far more popular to have a square receiver--typically 2"--that you can quickly connect a drawbar to. The drawbar has the ball semi-permanently mounted on it. The trailer coupler then drops onto the ball and latches in a similar but different enough fashion as the 50mm standard ball.
The X's stock hitch makes all this this worse in my opinion, because the receiver is also a separate piece that connects to the hidden hitch. This makes three mechanical links instead of the typical two. Weight distributing hitches and anti-sway are typically independent components from the ball coupler on the trailer side, though are commonly integrated into the drawbar. We also tend to have electric or electric-hydraulic trailer braking instead of hydraulic surge braking.
However, that arrangement makes it easy to store the receiver when not in use and keep it clean and the area where it connects aerodynamically smooth. Since many people who tow do so only occasionally, they may prefer it that way.
If you tow regularly and want to keep the X receiver in place all the time, of course you can do that. Or if you tow only occasionally and want to keep it in place then you can do so.
The way Tesla decided to design it gives owners flexibility.
I would be interested in seeing a video of how that works. Will have to do some searching online...
Just a minor correction. Tesla states that when not towing, one should always remove and stow the hitch and cover the hatch. That comes out of the X manual.
Since the receiver can sometimes become tricky to remove and replace, I have to side with @qadaemon on this one. Even for those who use it only for a bike rack on occasion, it can be a bit of a challenge. I believe it will result in most owners leaving the hitch in place anyway, which leaves the undercarriage open to debris.
I’d prefer it be fixed and sealed. Of course, mine is now.
So we had our maiden voyage yesterday.
As promised, we went commando with only a 3/4" rise ball mount, an LED electrical adapter for the 7-way connector, and a Tekonsha P3 brake controller.
Bay Area Airstream installed the brake controller according to adelman's instructions (except steps 2 and 3 turned out to be unnecessary – you can just yank the left side footwell cover down a little so it dangles enough for you to have clearance to do the wiring and the mounting. If you're a righty who likes to use the manual lever on the brake controller, you might think about siting it under the 17" screen which puts it closer to hand than your left knee.)
Handling along Highway 1 did feel a little squirrelly but not alarming. I could feel the Airstream push-and-pulling front to back, but not so much side to side.
What was alarming: a loud, firm "clunk" from the hitch area that intermittently occurred when reversing. Haven't identified the source. Could it be play around the hitch pin?
Anyway, we had a great time and we were grateful to all those who have towed before us for their guidance and reports, @ohmman, @JimVandegriff, @adelman, @jamtek, etc.
As promised, we went commando with only a 3/4" rise ball mount, an LED electrical adapter for the 7-way connector, and a Tekonsha P3 brake controller.
Bay Area Airstream installed the brake controller according to adelman's instructions (except steps 2 and 3 turned out to be unnecessary – you can just yank the left side footwell cover down a little so it dangles enough for you to have clearance to do the wiring and the mounting. If you're a righty who likes to use the manual lever on the brake controller, you might think about siting it under the 17" screen which puts it closer to hand than your left knee.)
Handling along Highway 1 did feel a little squirrelly but not alarming. I could feel the Airstream push-and-pulling front to back, but not so much side to side.
What was alarming: a loud, firm "clunk" from the hitch area that intermittently occurred when reversing. Haven't identified the source. Could it be play around the hitch pin?
Anyway, we had a great time and we were grateful to all those who have towed before us for their guidance and reports, @ohmman, @JimVandegriff, @adelman, @jamtek, etc.
JimVandegriff
Member
Congratulations!! Where did you camp? Did you charge at a campground or only at a supercharger? I'm proud of you for taking the step.
We're full-timing at an RV park in Half Moon Bay, where the Tesla plugs in to the 50 amp circuit. So the drive to Pacifica and back was just a day trip. We haven't overnighted away from our park yet but we are thinking about going up the coast alternating between superchargers and campgrounds like you suggested, all the way to Vancouver, maybe? Or possibly Tahoe for Christmas skiing.
The Airstream has actually been around longer than the Tesla has been able to tow it. First we had to wait for Tesla to get the Bosal back in stock. The install took a couple days. That happened mid-November. Then we had to go back to the service center to get Trailer Mode turned on – they put in the hardware but forget to turn on the software. That got done early December. Yes, they could have done it over the air, but apparently I was driving at the time the engineers were available to do the update, so it didn't happen.
Yesterday was our first chance to stretch our legs. It was fun!
I've got a big project due and I'm procrastinating hard so I'm going to go ahead and compile our inventory list here, for any future Sport 22FB buyers.
Trailer Hardware
We check the tongue weight using a tongue weight scale.
Before every trip, re-torque your lug nuts using a breaker, a torque wrench, and a 13/16" socket.
Keep your hitch ball lubed.
A portable compressor keeps your Tesla's tires at 46psi or 42psi, and your Airstream's at 80psi.
The Andersen leveler beats the usual stacking approach.
We're keeping a water filter ready for when we need it. It's polite to put a back-flow preventer on the black tank flush.
Decor
A big collapsible recycling bin sits outside the front door. The zipper failed on first use. Oh well.
We hang a trash can at the entrance, over the fire extinguisher.
A set of 33ft crystal ball LEDs keeps us compliant with that aspirational Airstream lifestyle look.
The lights in the bedroom are a 2-set of 66 foot USB LED string lights fastened with a bunch of 3M Command clips. Speaking of lights, a single sheet of Lee 506 Marlene gels is both necessary and sufficient to improve the native harsh bright cold white LEDs in the ceiling: double up the gels and cover the LED panels on the inside, using tape or museum putty.
A dozen medium Command hooks keep shoes on the wall and off the floor. In the bathroom, towel hooks are good for bathrobes too.
We keep warm with a Vornado heater. The fan is quiet but the "low" heat setting produces perceptible buzz from the "dimmer". It may bother you, if you're old and deaf enough it may not.
For sitting out, canopy chairs and metal table.
Kitchen, Bed, & Bath
AmazonBasics 18-piece dinnerware fits under the sink, on the left. We originally had lightweight Corelle but were discouraged by videos of explosive shattering, see also Prince Rupert's Drop. The cutlery is basic. Utensils include a spatula, tongs, and (a little indulgence) a set of regular, perforated, and long-handled spoons by Gray Kunz. Also, the best can opener ever, and a jar opener.
For water, we have metal sippy cups. For tea, a collapsable kettle and strainer. For wine, acrylic "glasses". For dishwashing, gloves and a dish brush. A couple of cutting boards so you don't mar the sink covers. Good knives. We use folded paper grocery bags as knife holders. That does not have the feel of a permanent solution.
A 9" cake pan fits nicely in the oven on top of the grill, though sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't have gotten a glass casserole dish.
An induction burner lives in the external storage, and plugs in to the external power outlet because we don't want the inside of the trailer to smell like cooking.
The Instant Pot is all the rage; the Ultra model can kinda do low-and-slow sous vide, though for precision, like, say, 146° eggs, you want an actual Joule. If we didn't have the Instant Pot we would probably get a weeknight pan instead of a skillet.
We keep one first-aid kit in the trailer and one in the car, each supplemented with Celox hemostatic powder for small and large wounds and a compression bandage. A flashlight is always useful, as is a headlamp so you can hit your stabilizing jacks in the dark.
A heated blanket helps beat the chill from the panoramic windows & aluminum body shell.
We bought whatever TheWirecutter said was the best vacuum cleaner.
Electricals
If your Tesla has the NEMA 14-50 adapter but your campground doesn't, you'll be glad for a TT-30 to 14-50 adapter. The TT-30, a.k.a. RV30, is not the same thing as the NEMA 10-30 that Tesla sells. Tesla does not sell an adapter for the TT-30.
Get a couple of 6-way taps – one for the dinette, one for the TV, maybe even one for the bedroom.
When boondocking, you can run 120VAC to your Airstream if you invert 12VDC to 120VAC, run a flat extension cord out the trunk, set the battery disconnect to STORE, force the fridge to propane, disavow the AC, and monitor consumption carefully with a Kill-A-Watt. Your trailer should have come with a 15-to-30 adapter but in case it didn't, they're cheap. Why all the fuss to get AC power when boondocking? Because you're just one external monitor and an unlimited hotspot from Calyx away from officially becoming a technomad!
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Very true. I was only trying to point out that it is possible to leave the hitch in place if desired. To protect the inner surfaces of the receiver one devise a cover that could be left on; it could be as simple as a small plastic bag held in place with blue painters tape.
@mengwong thanks for your Airstream report. In the future, when you take a longer trip, please let us know what your towing energy usage figures are. For example, if you are going to be on a lengthy stretch of level road, at the start of it set a trip odometer to zero and then try to maintain a steady speed and see what the Wh/mi figure turns out to be. Thanks, and safe travels!
Traveling level at 55mph, consumption is about 540Wh/mi, which is consistent with previous reports. Will repeat the observation when I'm next crossing CA-92.
For now, here's a picture of the Airstream + Tesla hanging out in the woods. My trip report for Half Moon Bay to Truckee is at Consumption and efficiency differences climbing various grades
Rossy
Member
We’ve done a lot of towing with our White Water Retro, and looking at Airstreams. Several we like are above 5000#GVWR so looking at what CanAm has to say. We have a non WD hitch with anti sway & Factory Bosal. No issues at all towing. 3200 mile trip in 2019 PDX/LAX/PHX and back. This year PDX to Yellowstone and back 1800 mi.
Not sure Cybertruck will be a better tow vehicle than model X, Primarily due to lack of supercharging pull through stalls.
Hoping to see what Can-AM says about towing ~6000#, but this likely is a no no due to insurance reasons.
So pondering a Fossil tow vehicle...I know! Blasphemy!
The Airstreams we are looking at are 23-25’ now and I really think Model X will have no issues pulling them, but it exceeds GVWR so thinking pickup. Cybertruck is so draggy that I can’t imagine any benefit (although cheaper than X) and no room for dog in back like model X.
There are sub-5000 lb AS options in the 23 ft+ range...
The beginning of Another Airstream Adventure!
Some sad news… They are,discontinuing the. 23’ CB airstream , my favorite compact layout in 2023.
one drawback of that layout is the Lounge is I’m the front not that back. I wish airstream would reverse that layout. Marshall at CanAm said the 23FB does not tow like an Airstream ironically because of a lack of enough tongue weight.
one drawback of that layout is the Lounge is I’m the front not that back. I wish airstream would reverse that layout. Marshall at CanAm said the 23FB does not tow like an Airstream ironically because of a lack of enough tongue weight.
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