2manyprojects
Member
PSea, I see you're pulling your Dominator with your 4Runner, and have a similar match up in weight capacities How do you like this overall?
Black Series HQ Tips, Tricks, and Learning.....
- Thread starter kevin_j
- Start date
3.4l is going to struggle up hills. out here we have big hills leaving Phoenix to head north. 2nd gear is not uncommon. I have a manual. Not enough umph for me. Planning to put a supercharger on provided compression is good. The dominator was 3100Lbs empty w/ no annex packed, one less spare tire, no water, no propane, no annex, no personal items. I weighed it at a commerical scale (Luv's). The supercharger should bring the engine up to 4.0L engines (modern 4runners). I know someone who's pulling them w/ a Taco. Says it pulls no problem. So that's the goal w/ the supercharger.
2manyprojects
Member
FWIW have you considered re-gearing your differentials? I wasn't pulling much, but my '89 4Runner w/the notorious 3.0 really came to life when I switched from the stock 4.10's to 4.88's. I had changed tire size to 33x10.50x15's and delayed the gear change. When I finally did, it made a huge difference, especially with the auto trans. The newer Toy V-6's really improved, but so did the size and weight of the 4Runner. I'm still holding onto my '89, hoping to one day transplant either V-6 or small diesel power.
have not considered that. outside my wheel house. never looked into it. i went up one size on my truck to 32's (16"). interesting. now both my trailer and 4run use the same tire size. so one less spare to haul between the two.
good to know another 4run diehard. original owner of my '98.
2manyprojects
Member
Psea, are your wheels interchangeable? I was told the Black Sea trailers use a 6x5.5" bolt pattern, which is/was pretty common for Chevy and Toyota. I inquired with the salesman about being able to get other bolt patterns for the trailers, but he didn't seem to grasp my question and I didn't want to press him. Not a big fan of wheel adapters, but it would be nice to have common wheels and tires on trailer and truck. This is more common on the custom expedition trailers, and allows more flexibility in carrying spares.
yes, I have the oem three-"split spoke" rims. dominator (bought used) came w 265/75/16 KO2's but the rims weren't compatible. I bought 4 rims on Craigslist for $50 and had them powdercoated black. then had to buy some rough country spacers. I believe they're 1". only $50 iirc. the axle hubs are hub centric so my rims ride on the hubs just like on my 4runner. grabbed some used lug nuts from the biz that sold me the spacers. actually just took the wheels of today to check the spacers were still torqued right. all good. it allowed me to get rid of one of the trailer spares and drop 80lbs. working great. rims look brand new.
2manyprojects
Member
PSea that's excellent! I'm not a trailer-puller (as of yet), but have had extremely good luck with BFG AT's. Very durable, and have given good traction in most everything but heavy mud. I once spun so much clay mud onto my 4Runner with AT's on in South Dakota I had to use all my drinking water to clean a peephole on the windshield to drive back to camp, without ever intentionally leaving the gravel roads. That's another story, though...
The wheel situation will be a little bittersweet for me; I've literally given away extra 6x5.5" wheels and have more around, but my Chev Colorado mini-D'Max takes 6x120mm (4.7"). I'm still wondering why.
Any idea who the mfr or supplier is for the hub and spindle assemblies are, for your Black Series?
Oh, and feel free to contact me off-line if I can provide any more info on diff gearing.
The wheel situation will be a little bittersweet for me; I've literally given away extra 6x5.5" wheels and have more around, but my Chev Colorado mini-D'Max takes 6x120mm (4.7"). I'm still wondering why.
Any idea who the mfr or supplier is for the hub and spindle assemblies are, for your Black Series?
Oh, and feel free to contact me off-line if I can provide any more info on diff gearing.
lenny007
New member
Hi All, I just bought a new 2021 HQ-12, towing with a Tundra Crewmax, 4x4, 5.7L with Fox 2.5 adjustable coil-overs, lifted maybe 3 inches. Extremely pleased so far after our first weekend out. I noticed that when the tanks are 100% full (freshwater and drinking water) the tow was perfect, I didn't really push it on the highway maybe up to 70 max, but kept it around 60-65. Smooth as could be, extremely stable, zero sway. After the weekend, I decided that I would empty the tanks when I got back to my RV storage. The grey water tank was at about 50%, black water tank 45% full upon the end of the weekend. Immediately once on the freeway, I noticed it started swaying at about 62-64 MPH and got worse the longer I stayed at that speed. It was actually a little concerning. Any suggestions? I was thinking about adding Airlifts to the Tundra, and also I want to upgrade the tires on the trailer to a 10ply or something similar to what I run on my truck. Aside from this, we love it! Seems to be built solid, and I agree with some of the other posts, the bed needs to be topped with memory foam or something similar. Oh, and the TV speakers were the worst I have seen on a TV, not really a black series issue but cheap RCA? Anyone else experience this? One more thing, I think I may add the "poop tube sewer hose mod", I like the idea of keeping that mounted under the rig and out of the way. Look forward to more posts in the future.
Attachments
2manyprojects
Member
lenny, I'm waiting to take delivery on my ordered HQ-19, but have towed other trailers in the past. I'm no expert on sway issues, but consider that your full water tanks (65 gal X 8.3 lbs/gal H2O) puts about 540 lbs down low near the wheels, and keeping effectively moving the center of gravity of the entire trailer lower. When the water is removed, the overall trailer is lighter and center of gravity is higher, potentially making it more prone to sway. The location of the filled tanks relative to the trailer wheels can also lighten the tongue weight and add instability to the trailer.
Also keep in mind that while you have an excellent off-road articulating suspension on your truck, the lift raises the center of gravity and "softens" the rear axle's ability to resist sway from the trailer. Not saying your truck shouldn't be pulling the trailer, only that good compliant off-road suspensions make towing less stable and often reduce the tow rating of the vehicle (check out the Chevy Colorado vs. ZR-2, and Ram PowerWagon vs. 2500HDs).
Lastly, consider wind conditions each time you were towing. How much wind were you driving through; what direction relative to travel? This can have a big effect on stability.
You don't mention anything about your hitch; I'm assuming you're running the polyblock. You might consider some of the devices available that connect between the tongue and hitch which resist sway by creating resistance between the two. It's likely overkill for you, but equalizing hitches also often provide sway resistance in addition to transferring a portion to the tongue weight to the front axle. These can help stability on the highway, and then can be disconnected when/if you go off-road where travel is much slower and you want more articulation.
Also keep in mind that while you have an excellent off-road articulating suspension on your truck, the lift raises the center of gravity and "softens" the rear axle's ability to resist sway from the trailer. Not saying your truck shouldn't be pulling the trailer, only that good compliant off-road suspensions make towing less stable and often reduce the tow rating of the vehicle (check out the Chevy Colorado vs. ZR-2, and Ram PowerWagon vs. 2500HDs).
Lastly, consider wind conditions each time you were towing. How much wind were you driving through; what direction relative to travel? This can have a big effect on stability.
You don't mention anything about your hitch; I'm assuming you're running the polyblock. You might consider some of the devices available that connect between the tongue and hitch which resist sway by creating resistance between the two. It's likely overkill for you, but equalizing hitches also often provide sway resistance in addition to transferring a portion to the tongue weight to the front axle. These can help stability on the highway, and then can be disconnected when/if you go off-road where travel is much slower and you want more articulation.
mvbeggs
Adventurer
Lenny,
Welcome to the club.
Although I have an HQ-19, I have read that some have experienced sway issues with some of the single axle trailers.
You might want to check out this video posted by RV's of America. Black Series: Equal-i-zer & Sway control hitch. Weight Distribution Hitch Mod with McHitch (2020)
lenny007
New member
It's not too bad of sway at all, but I still didn't like it. I think the Dominator is about 1/2 the weight of the HQ12, I don't think my Tundra would have an issue with that model either. I have also pulled larger trailers with no sway, I think it's something with the tank placements and balance of the trailer. I will get to the bottom of it and post the solution. Thanks for the input.
lenny007
New member
Thanks for the input. I will check it out. Keeping it at 60 MPH, for now, is not too big of an issue, actually probably a good idea. I'm curious how it tows while completely empty. I will be experimenting this weekend and report what I find. Thanks again for the input and look forward to being part of the group.
lenny007
New member
Yes, that was my initial thought. When I had the coil overs installed, they said it would not hinder towing at all. Additionally, I added an Icon leaf spring to insure that towing wouldn't be affected. I really suspect something in the balance of the trailer with the tanks being at different levels is what is causing it. It was really completely stable when the tanks were completely full. I couldn't even tell I was towing. I guess the worst-case scenario is making sure to fill the tanks when towing when possible. I appreciate the feedback. Thank you.