Travel Trailer Towing Experiences?

[RobertN]

Ya, I think that is what will get me. We're going to take a new to us 5th wheel out to visit cousins in Texas in a couple weeks. It is only about 7000lbs 27', no heavy slides. But it is tall and has a lot of frontal area.

I got 11.5 a couple weekends ago towing it to the coast.

I got the Dodge diesel with 4.11's; I take a mileage hit because of the low gears, even empty. It's an '01; could only get 3.55 or 4.10's that year. Some day I would like to swap to 3.73.

Weight is one thing like I said before when it comes to climbing grades, accelerating, and stopping. The bigger issue is wind resistance.

Chris

 

[LBrown59]

Just 3 things I'd be concerned with; Brakes, Sway Control, and Load Distributing Hitch. Is it safe to assume you already have all of those? Of course, I've lived in RVs all over the USA and 4 provinces of Canada. My first conventional travel trailer was a 1972 Holiday Vacationer 24RB, although it actually measured 25' 3" in length. And in July, 1972, I pulled it to Alaska when we still had over a thousand miles of dirt and gravel roads each way. It was quite an adventure. I was pulling it with a 1971 3/4 ton standard cab Chevy, 2WD, 350 cu. in., automatic.

In 1971 I had a new 1971 Ford 3/4 ton pick up with a new 8' slide in cab over camper in it.

 

[LBrown59]

Because, when you hit the brakes on an icy or snowy road, the trailer is going to skid/slide, and probably push the tow vehicle along with it.

If you are chained up on the braking axles, you should maintain better traction and control.

I guess I never considered that because dad and mom parked the trailer for the winter .
VACATION time was over till spring.

 

[LBrown59]

I vote for renting the 4K trailer.

Ask about separate insurance in case of a trailer breakdown such as a tire blowout, axle bearings, brakes, or spring replacement in case they weren't taken care of or were just ready to fail, or that nasty tree branch you didn't see that ripped a gaping hole in the siding.

The reason I say this is because it happened to me. I borrowed a trailer for a short trip to get a pickup truck I had bought. Towed it empty 170 miles to where the truck was. Loaded the truck on the trailer, chained it down and started for home. I got about 1 mile when I heard a loud squealing noise. I looked in the mirror and saw one trailer wheel leaning. I pulled into the nearest parking lot and determined that the wheel bearings had gone. Fortunately I had a jack and tools with me so I took it apart and with pieces in hand I unhooked the trailer and set off for a trailer or auto parts store. I was lucky it was a Saturday and found a trailer store within a few miles. He had the bearings, races, a tub of grease and the seal I needed. After a 2 hour delay for repairs I was hooked up and on my way again. *It was then I vowed never to borrow a trailer again.

You would have still have had the same problem even if you owned the trailer.

 

[npaden]

For what its worth my co worker just got back from the big aviation gathering in Oshkosh Wisconsin. He has a 2005 Yukon Denali and a Light weight 26' travel trailer that is around 4,000# and he only got 8mpg. I think for you trucks age and the hills and wind resistance you will be lucky to average 7mpg. My neighbor has a 8,000# travel trailer that is 28' long and they pull it with a 2006 F-150 4x4 and only travel around Indiana. They also get 8mpg which just goes to prove my point that its not so much the wight as it is the wind resistance.

Weight is one thing like I said before when it comes to climbing grades, accelerating, and stopping. The bigger issue is wind resistance.

Chris

They must have been pulling that trailer at 80mph or something? The Chevy's seem to get about 2 mpg better than the Fords so I was thinking I would at least get the 10mpg that I get when pulling my fully loaded 7,000lb trailer with my tractor on it. I generally pull it closer to 70mph on average. My truck is a 2005 and has gotten 20mpg on the highway before and probably averages about 17mpg at 80mph in the western states. I was planning on pulling at 65mph and really thought I could get close to 12mpg pulling the 4,000lb trailer.

If I'm only going to get 7mpg I might as well pull the 7,000lb trailer if the wind resistance is going to be the issue more than the weight.

 

[George2615]

You would have still have had the same problem even if you owned the trailer.

No, I doubt I would have had the same problem since I service the brakes and bearings on my trailers every year. I would not hesitate taking one of my trailers on a 500 mile trip feeling confident I would not that same problem. At the time I borrowed the trailer I did not own one. The guy I borrowed from had not greased his bearings or checked them since the day he bought 6 years before I borrowed it. One thing I can assure you is that when I borrow something the owner usually gets it back in better shape than when he lent it out.

 

[Diamondpilot]

In 1971 I had a new 1971 Ford 3/4 ton pick up with a new 8' slide in cab over camper in it.

Ok.

Chris

 

[CurlyDave]

I put a set of air bags on my 2000 F-150 and it has made a world of difference in towing.

I frequently tow very close to the max rated capacity and even with a load distribution hitch, there would be a lot of tail sag in the truck. The air bags cured that, and everything feels much better.

The set I got were $200 on the internet and I installed them myself in about 6 hours. A local tire shop wanted $400 installed.

Even with the light trailer, I would highly recommend them.

Check with the trailer rental place before you solidify your plans too much. Hunting is a very powerfully dirty activity. You do not want to get hit with a clean-up fee after you get back.

 

[Diamondpilot]

They must have been pulling that trailer at 80mph or something? The Chevy's seem to get about 2 mpg better than the Fords so I was thinking I would at least get the 10mpg that I get when pulling my fully loaded 7,000lb trailer with my tractor on it. I generally pull it closer to 70mph on average. My truck is a 2005 and has gotten 20mpg on the highway before and probably averages about 17mpg at 80mph in the western states. I was planning on pulling at 65mph and really thought I could get close to 12mpg pulling the 4,000lb trailer.

If I'm only going to get 7mpg I might as well pull the 7,000lb trailer if the wind resistance is going to be the issue more than the weight.

Actually, no. My co worker is 66 and about as conservative as they come. He gripes at me for going to fast all the time. My neighbors are around 75 or so and I have never rode with them pulling the camper but have been with them to the lumber yard and places like that and I thought we were never going to get there.

What gear do you have in your truck? GM builds a lot of them with short gears like 3.42 to get the mpg claims. Anything less than 3.73 and you are going to hate life in the mountains.

At the end of the day towing one load versus another can be totally different. I tow day in and day out and sometimes a 4,000# load can be tougher than a 12,000# load depending on what it is. For example, towing a boat that weighs 7,000# is much easier than towing a camper of the same weight.


Chris

 

[npaden]

Yep. 3.42. I just double checked my owners manual and max tow rating is 7,400lbs with the 3.42 rear end. We actually do have a few hills around here and the 3.42 isn't that bad. You can't run with the cruise on though, or it tries to shift you down into 2nd gear in a heart beat.