Towing home a T1550 with a Avalanche?

[blackflamevt]

Ok let my questions begin I'll be picking up my 1988 T1550 this week and will be towing it with my 03 Avalanche. What should i be worried about if anything? Going to try and get it as level as i can with what i got now for a draw bar. Did i read it right that the tounge height is 17" for this model. I don't have a sway bar yet. I have towed my snowmobile trailer at high speeds with no problems and yes it does look like a brick.. I will be useing the highway for 15-20 miles.
Thanks
Steve in Ct

[Steve Collins]

Our good friend Norm Millard tows a 1550 with a Honda CRV. Your Avalanche should be fine.

Double check the bearings on the trailer before towing, especially if the TT has sat for any length of time.

[mventrice]

i tow with a 2003 ford explorer sport trac. with no problems. i sugest geting a weight distrubution hitch. i find that if i tow my t1550 with out it i get a bouncy ride. with the distrabution hitch i dont even know its behind me

[OPIE]

Originally Posted by mventrice

i tow with a 2003 ford explorer sport trac. with no problems. i sugest geting a weight distrubution hitch. i find that if i tow my t1550 with out it i get a bouncy ride. with the distrabution hitch i dont even know its behind me

Ditto - a little bouncy behind my Trailblazer WD helps a lot.

[pwb01]

A trailers tendenancy to sway has much to do with placement of the axle and the balance of the weight of the trailer. If you put the axle toward the back it won't sway but the tongue weight as a result would be way too much. Camp trailers reach a compromise and therefore usually require a sway bar while a snowmobile trailer may not. Look at a 5th wheel. The axles are toward the back and they don't need anti sway but there's a lot of weight on the 5th wheel placed on top of the TV's axle to handle it.

Another consideration is the wheel base of the tow vehicle. Imagine a small Jeep Wrangler pulling a 30 footer. It may have the horsepower but the tail would wag the dog if it started to sway probably even with a sway bar.

Once on a calm day I hit the highway after forgetting to tighten the sway bar. As trucks passed I swayed so badly that I slowed down until I could pull over and take care of it. It does make a big difference.

As far as a WD, bouncing = less ability to steer.

[mainah]

I just pulled my T1700 over a 1,000 miles with a Toyota Tacoma and it was the first real trip it pull perfectly with no sway bar or WD I'm not sure about yours but mine has two axles and I'm sure that will make a big difference over a single. The tounge weight should be close to 12% of your total weight that will make a difference in how well it handles. Also a pickup has less rear weight then a SUV and that helps.