When we first started, we didn’t know much about towing. While Jack towed boats, he had never towed an RV—certainly nothing as big as this. It’s like moving an apartment building! Did you see that? I can’t believe that just happened. Is that not the most massive thing you’ve ever seen? Yet, using the odometer in the trucks we’ve owned, we’ve racked up 257,000 miles, visiting most of the lower 48, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, and New Zealand. Nebraska and Hawaii, we’re looking at you!
Over the years, we’ve had several RVs, from Ginger Grand, Ginger Toy, and Ginger Outdoor to Ginger for three months. Memories don’t have to put you on the verge; you can do easy things, too. But that’s a motto in this family.
This is our 16th trip across America, and we thought that during this trip, we’d focus on tips for towing—specifically, how fast is too fast to tow? But don’t just take it from us.
“When I tow a fifth wheel, my heart limit is about 67 miles per hour. About 67 is where, if I go faster than that, I feel like I’m going faster than I should be. So, 67 is about where I stay. But if I’m towing my gooseneck with an excavator or a tractor on the back, the fastest I’ll go might be 57 or 60 at the most. When you have to secure something down with straps, binders, and chains, that feeling of sketchiness is always tingling in the back of your mind—’ Is a binder or chain or a strap going to come loose?'”
Again comes down to what I’m specifically towing. When it’s RVs, I don’t like going faster than 67 because it puts undue wear and tear on your tires. It generates more heat than you need.
“You know what I like about that?” I responded. “I think many people who are new to RVing assess how it feels when they’re towing. They get up to 75 miles per hour and say, ‘Hey, this truck is doing great!’ Or even an SUV, ‘It’s doing great!’ And they think that is the barometer for fast towing—without really considering what happens if a gust of wind comes, we just went over a pothole, or the freeway suddenly stops. That is a whole different situation.”
“Oh, you’re right,” JD said. “Most people are even skeptical if they’ve set up their trailer brakes properly or even how to do it properly. So once you start getting up to highway speeds—especially in these newer, more powerful trucks with these outrageous towing numbers—you know this as well as I do.
You always knew it was back there when you guys had your toy hauler. Even though you’re cruising and don’t necessarily feel it, the minute you have to hit your brakes or the minute somebody in front of you does something that makes you question if you’re too close, you instantly know you have that weight pushing on you.
And I know you guys did the disc brake upgrade, but even then, it doesn’t matter—you have a ton of mass behind you that will push on you. Maintaining 60, 70, or 75 miles per hour isn’t too difficult for newer trucks, but you’re surely going to wish you weren’t going that fast if you have to stop.”
Black Series Campers
Before we go to Ken Dog, I want to chat real quick about some towing tips related to tow haul, cruise control, and a brake controller. Since we’re talking about towing, it might be helpful. When I tow, I tow with the tow haul button on. This changes when the truck shifts and also uses engine braking when coming to a stop.
Regarding cruise control, when we had an HQ21 gasser, I didn’t use cruise control while towing very often—unless I was at speed on a flat road. If the road increased even slightly, gas trucks want to keep you at that speed, and the RPMs would fly up to 4,000. It was loud, and I didn’t like it—not to mention it was a colossal waste of fuel.
Diesel trucks, on the other hand, hardly downshift at all. It’s rare for my truck to downshift; even if it does, it tends to do it seamlessly. If I have cruise control on while towing at 65 miles per hour and we start going up a grade, it simply goes up that grade without hardly downshifting. So, I always use cruise control when we tow with a diesel.
However, adaptive cruise control can sometimes be problematic if you’re towing long distances—like right now. Let’s say we’re in the right lane, and I’ve got cruise control on at 65. If I happen to be behind a semi-truck and I don’t know the difference—I could be going slow across the country without realizing it. So, I’ve done to combat that by going into the computer here and displaying the digital speedometer. That way, it’s a little easier for me to see exactly how fast I’m going, and it prompts me to go, “Oh hey, look, we’re only going 55,” and then I’ll pass.
Last Tip About a Brake Controller
This setup is perfectly balanced, and we hardly ever have a sway issue. But if a huge gust of wind or road conditions were to initiate some sway, you must have a brake controller if you’re towing anything.
In my Super Duty and the Ford HQ21 I’ve had, they’ve always come with a built-in OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) brake controller. You can easily install an aftermarket brake controller if you don’t have one. But I cannot tell you how important it is to have one of these if you’re towing a trailer.
If there’s a sway event, the best thing to do is immediately go down there and depress your brake controller. That will straighten out your trailer quickly before it turns into something you can’t control. So, I want to ensure everybody knows that for towing safety.
The Danger of Speed While Towing
“You know, the other component is the whole time, speed, and distance quotient. When you’re speeding, you need time to stop, and that time means you’ll be covering distance before you can come to a complete stop—assuming you don’t get involved in some situation.
Most people are towing too fast with one hand on the steering wheel, talking, listening to a podcast, chewing bubble gum—not paying attention. That’s how you don’t allow yourself a chance to see debris or obstructions in your lane. Things fly by when you’re going so fast, and you get tunnel vision. You’re not driving as attentively as you should be.”
“And then there’s the thing where tires have speed limits, and you don’t want to exceed that. But if you take all that out of the way, it comes down to your comfort level and common sense.
In a motorhome, your feeling is very real to what’s happening on the road. I’ve towed trailers before, and I see that you’re in a comfortable truck while what you’re towing is having a much different experience than what you’re feeling inside the truck.”
“In a motorhome, you’re feeling everything. So, if you ask about interstate speeds, I was always around 65 miles an hour. Again, it comes down to your comfort level and the setup you have.
At first, I had a Jeep that I noticed in my camera was wobbling back and forth. I felt uncomfortable with that, so I wasn’t even doing 65 then. I made some adjustments, got more comfortable with my setup, could do 65 or 67, and still feel okay.
But here’s the thing—people who get too comfortable start thinking they’re Superman. That’s when you see people flying down the highway. I’m not trying to call anyone out, but if someone is doing 80 miles an hour in a motorhome while towing something, that’s just not safe.
People pull out in front of you, cars cut you off, and they don’t consider how long it takes us to stop. Once you experience that a couple of times, you start realizing, ‘Oh, I need to leave myself much buffer.'”
“Well, you know, there’s a big difference between 55 and 65. When we went to Alaska and rolled into Tok, the guy there said, ‘How are you doing?’ and I said, ‘I’m doing great.’ And he said, ‘Oh, I can tell you took your time getting here.’
He explained that when people leave their RV looking tired and worn out, they speed their way there. And it does—it changes your attitude.
Towing safely requires balancing speed, vehicle capability, and situational awareness. While modern trucks handle heavy loads effortlessly, exceeding 65-67 mph with RVs or equipment risks tire stress, sway, and dangerous stopping distances. Proper setup—including brake controllers, tow haul mode, and adjusted driving habits—is critical. Comfort, caution, and respecting mechanical limits ensure memorable adventures without compromising safety.
