Towing an Airstream - Help me check all the boxes

[ARZ540I]

Originally Posted by ard

welp, here goes...Hop into the deep end.

Ive been reading an absolutely fascinating book, Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales. It has pulled together thoughts and observations over my life in a way few other books have. (Ill start a thread in OT actually)

Here is an observation...

You have driven cars half a million miles in your life. Perhaps. That has given you a neurological pattern of ‘driving’. When things happen when driving, you respond- at a subconscious level at times. You are probably pretty good with 4 wheels.

Now you are clamping 5000 lbs on the back and loading the family in the car. In what he would call a ‘tightly coupled’ system. 6, 8 wheels. Two braking systems. A pivot.

Recognize that the margin of error your body and mind have learned driving a car may not (will not) apply to this new set up. Just recognize this, dont be lulled into forgetting it, when after crushing at 60mph down I5, your brain says “yeah, I got this”


Also, another aspect... Your mental image of this whole trip is that you will drive, camp, return. Intellectually you are trying to prepare: spare tires; propane; weights; questions in BF. But all of that prep is in the neocortex, not at the amygdala where survival skills are honed through reactions and escape.


Be present.

(Told ya this was gonna be odd...)

My question about ‘have you towed before’ is not that if you have towed a lot, you have likely had an ‘indicent’. Not an accident, but a puckering event that leaves an impression. Hair on the back of the neck..... You can drive 10,000 miles without an event, but drive 100 miles and deal with a runaway sway, you will have learned a survival skill at a Neurological level that may save you again.

Check out the book’...


Oh, have a great trip.

This is excellent. Appreciate your comments and i will put this book on the list

Thanks Again

[CLS70]

My suggestions:

1. Keep an eye on your speed, as others have pointed, there is a lot of additional mass & inertia involved; and the braking behaviour of the car+trailer can be unexpected at high speeds. When I trailer my boat (much smaller than an airstream), I drive well below my "normal" speed.

2. Suggest to plan to stop regularly and check trailer tires - you may want to check also that bearings are not overheating.

3. Be careful if there is a lot of Wind - I think the Airstream has a sizeable lateral size....

Enjoy !

[ARZ540I]

[QUOTE=CLS70![/QUOTE]

The notion of frequent stops and not rushing is solid advise. I plan to do so.

On the topic of gearing do any of you switch to manual shifting to control the gears during higher elevation climbs?

[TriX5]

At about 10 y/o I was a passenger in an MB towing a car trailer with the same model MB on it. The drive was only about two or three miles but somewhere in the middle this combo was out of control and needed the entire width of a two lane road. Fortunately there was space for the oncoming traffic to swerve through the grass on the opposite side of the road.

After that, I have always had a healthy respect for towing anything that approaches the weight of the tow vehicle.

Last January I towed quite a bit with the e70 35d (about a 1000lbs single axle trailer) and the X5 never blinked, very steady while towing. However, when I had to put said X5 on a car trailer and tow it behind my Tundra I had a few moments of reflection before I hit the road......


Have a safe trip!

[SF2000x5]

My suggestion is to bring an OBD reader and coil pack but you have a diesel.

[MudyOvl]

Sounds like you have most of the boxes checked. Question. Do you have the factory hitch and brake controller. If so, then the X5 will monitor the vehicle's stability and counteract any trailer sway. It's very nice and obviates need for a sway control hitch. Second, do you have a third row seat? If you do, then the X5 will self-level. Both of those features make for a more confident towing experience.

[bfeng]

Here are some iffy ideas.
(1) I am going to add a couple extra side markers on my trailer to flash with my turn signals. Seems like many drivers hover next to my trailer where they can’t quite see the X5 turn or the trailer signals

(2) how about testing the stopping ability/distance. Get on a deserted road, take it up to 40-45mph, and try a panic stop. If the trailer tries to go sideways obviously get off the car brakes and back on the gas to straighten it out.

You might be surprised how long your braking distances have gotten. I tried this and now I leave a LOT of space between myself and the car in front. I aggressively estimate possible need to brake and I proactively slow down to build a gap when it MIGHT be needed. All I’m missing is a front mounted missile system for drivers who

(1) pass me and then merge just a few feet in front of me
(2) slam on the brakes because their exit is RIGHT there.

It seems like many drivers have an emotional need to, “pass the damn trailer BEFORE” getting to their exit

[bfeng]

I have towed a 6000lbs trailer about 3500 miles, mostly highway, in good weather and thru torrential rain with very windy conditions. The BMW stability control seems to work very well, but it doesn’t complete eliminate side to side motions in heavy gusting winds or when a semi blasts past me.

I have added about 150lbs of weight distribution to ensure the front wasn’t getting too light it reduced the slight porpoising I was experiencing on some roads. I think a rear shock upgrade would also have helped but I wanted to maintain stock rise when not towing.

I believe the WD has a very slight potential to over stress the factory hitch over time, so I inspect the hitch orientation after every big tow. I have 500 miles on the WD system and the hitch has not shown any signs of excess stress and the hitch mount nuts are still tight.

[ard]

Originally Posted by MudyOvl

Sounds like you have most of the boxes checked. Question. Do you have the factory hitch and brake controller. If so, then the X5 will monitor the vehicles stability and conteract any trailer sway. Nice and obviates need for a sway control hitch..

uh, I think weve debunked this.


Yes, a stock BMW, when it senses a trailer connection and the car has been coded to respond WILL alter the stability control


No, it isnt magic. no it doesnt overcome the laws of physics, no it doesnt obviate the need for a sway control and no it isnt predicated on having a stock hitch and a stock brake controller. no it doenst use braking via a 'brake controller' to eliminate sway.


There have been a ton of threads (here and BF), many by Kanar and bluedragon on towing, from many years back. A good resource for pushing the envelope

[upallnight]

Get a real tow vehicle. Get a ford Expeditiion. Ford Expedition can tow 9,300 pounds let see a BMW do that.