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rdunk · 09-24-2010, 01:04 PM

Bob, sorry about your problem - an "uncontrolled stop is always scary! However, I wouldn't put all of the blame, if any, on the F350. First off, you say "the road was wet". Well, wet pavement does require some driving caution on the driver's part. You mention sliding through the light from 500 feet - - that would almost equal the length of two football fields. That would seem like an awfully long slide for 45 mph, with a vehicle that should have ABS controlled braking, towing a trailer that should be braking itself.

Another consideration on worrying about the weight of the Elite relative to the F350 is how you have the brake controller set for stopping the trailer. Your Elite should be stopping itself, not "pushing" the truck when you hit the truck brakes.

We towed an 18,000 lb RE3 for five years with an F350 DRW, and I was never ever concerned about stopping. I did have the BrakeSmart controller for stopping the trailer. (I disabled the Ford controller, and installed the BrakeSmart) With the BrakeSmart, I would always have max trailer braking when I had max truck braking. During those five years, I had numerous max braking stops, and my trailer never pushed on my truck. So, for me, stopping just was never a concern for me with the F350!

Certainly, my optional disc trailer brakes, which are now standard, made a big difference with the trailer stopping.

My only concern with my 2005 and 2006 F350's was they really needed a little more hp/torque for the higher elevations. I could have solved that with a chip or programmer, but we didn't go to the mountains much, so I just never did the upgrade.

Bob, there is certainly no reason to tow and be unduly worried about your ability to stop. As you are doing, get a tow vehicle that satisfies your own feelings for "safe towing and safe stopping". The RV life is too good to let "stuff" interfere with being happy and content on the road

Robert!

09-24-2010, 01:04 PM	#3
rdunk Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 482	Bob, sorry about your problem - an "uncontrolled stop is always scary! However, I wouldn't put all of the blame, if any, on the F350. First off, you say "the road was wet". Well, wet pavement does require some driving caution on the driver's part. You mention sliding through the light from 500 feet - - that would almost equal the length of two football fields. That would seem like an awfully long slide for 45 mph, with a vehicle that should have ABS controlled braking, towing a trailer that should be braking itself. Another consideration on worrying about the weight of the Elite relative to the F350 is how you have the brake controller set for stopping the trailer. Your Elite should be stopping itself, not "pushing" the truck when you hit the truck brakes. We towed an 18,000 lb RE3 for five years with an F350 DRW, and I was never ever concerned about stopping. I did have the BrakeSmart controller for stopping the trailer. (I disabled the Ford controller, and installed the BrakeSmart) With the BrakeSmart, I would always have max trailer braking when I had max truck braking. During those five years, I had numerous max braking stops, and my trailer never pushed on my truck. So, for me, stopping just was never a concern for me with the F350! Certainly, my optional disc trailer brakes, which are now standard, made a big difference with the trailer stopping. My only concern with my 2005 and 2006 F350's was they really needed a little more hp/torque for the higher elevations. I could have solved that with a chip or programmer, but we didn't go to the mountains much, so I just never did the upgrade. Bob, there is certainly no reason to tow and be unduly worried about your ability to stop. As you are doing, get a tow vehicle that satisfies your own feelings for "safe towing and safe stopping". The RV life is too good to let "stuff" interfere with being happy and content on the road Robert!