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Towing big pop up: Change rear diff fluid?

leowis1

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March 19, 2011
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City, State
Ambler, PA
Year, Model & Trim Level
2002 Eddit Bauer 4.0
Hi. I have a V6 2002 Explorer with a towing package with 112k miles. I just bought a Coleman Bayside pop up camper that weighs around 2600# empty. I just towed it 160 miles with no problems. I change the transmission oil every year. But I never changed the differential fluid. I am experiencing no problems or strange noises.

Should I get the diff oil changed to be safe? Or are these two topics totally unrelated? Thank you.
 



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Out of curiosity, what year is your Bayside? I had a 2000 Coleman Mesa, which at the time, was basically a Bayside without the slideout dinette. At 2600 lbs dry, I'm betting it's of that same vintage. Baysides have a lot of options as standard from the factory. Be aware that it's true "empty" weight is much more than the 2600 lbs "dry" weight.

To your question, I would check your owner's manual. I think the recommendations are going to change from differnet generations, powertrains, and duty cycles. It could depend on whether you have been towing all of this time, or only now starting to tow.
 






Its a 2001. I new to towing and want to treat my vehicle and other motorist with great respect. I did hit sway a few times driving home. It scared me. I order a anti-sway bar and will install it when I get it.

Any other towing tips you can offer?
 






Coleman popups tend to be heavier than other brands, mostly because the entire line uses closed-channel tube framing, while others use C-channel for anything but the heaviest popups. The Bayside has always been the porker, and like I said, you should not believe that 2600 is your empty weight. By the time you load it up, you are likely right at the GVWR (3250 IIRC), and likely more.

Standard TW recommendation is 10-15%. But because the Bayside (and Mesa) has that large front storage trunk, they design the layout to be tongue-light assuming you will actually load the trunk with stuff. Since many people only put light stuff in there, your sway problems are probably due to having less than 10% TW. A sway controller is good insurance against wind gusts, passing semi-trucks, and the emergency lane change. But it's no substitute for proper loading. You need to to have the camper weighed (axle weight and tongue weight) and be sure you have at least 10% of total weight on the ball (preferably more). Once the weight distribution is good, the sway should be largely gone. Then the friction sway controller will be peace of mind for the unexpected.

Your Bayside has electric brakes. Do you have an electric brake controller in the Explorer? If not, you are severely overworking the truck's brakes. I highly recommend the Tekonsha Prodigy, P2, or P3 brake controllers. Original Prodigy may not be available anymore (replaced by the similar P2, which is currently the best bang-for-the-buck). P3 is functionally the same as P2, but has a more expensive, user-friendlier LCD display/interface.
 












I do have a break controller and it works well. When I experienced sway, I would tap the break button a few times and the trailer would straighten out. The front cargo bin was empty when I bought it.

I did buy an adjustable towing receiver. Should the pop up be level before or after I load up the cargo bin with weight?

Regarding the oil change in the diffs... Is it more important to do the rear diff than the front one? What kind of oil does it take? I'm afraid to let the Firestone/Pep Boys guys put in the wrong oil.

Thank you!
 






I forgot to mention... When I bought the truck around 18,000 miles ago, the dealer took apart the transfer case and replaced a filter in there. Does this count as the differential oil getting changed?
 






They have to drain the diff to work on the innards. If they are reputable at all, they would not have refilled with the old fluid. It's reasonable to assume they refilled with fresh fluid.

As far as towing/leveling, you want to be level within +/- 1 inch while moving down the road. Level in the empty condition doesn't mean much. And if you have to choose between being + or - of level, choose being slightly tongue-down.

But again, being level does not mean you have proper weight balance. You could have zero tongue weight and still be perfectly level. Being level helps in stability, but not near as important as having at least 10% of total weight on the ball.
 






I forgot to mention... When I bought the truck around 18,000 miles ago, the dealer took apart the transfer case and replaced a filter in there. Does this count as the differential oil getting changed?

The transfer case and the differentials are different parts so no, rebuilding the transfer case will not change the diff. fluid.

~Mark
 






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