1st Time Pulling TT Home
We are picking up our very first TT tomorrow and my husband is SO NERVOUS to pull it since he has never pulled anything behind his truck before (it is a 28' TT). We bought the new brake system (comin...
Forum Discussion
It's now Sunday afternoon, my hubby's blood pressure is down, and the TT is on the driveway. Phew!
We got to the the RV lot and bought our distribution sway bar from them and had to pay $114 for them to install but we wanted it done right being first-timers. Also at their store, we bought our Viper sewer hose (they came down $20). I didn't know this didn't come with TT (though hubby did). After our walkthru, hubby driving it around w/tech (just in the parking lot), and signing papers, we left. I felt so bad for hubby as every time we approached an intersection where he had to turn one way or the other he freaked out if there was a car opposite us where we were turning. He did a great job. After we finally got on the interstate I think he breathed a little bit easier.
Next battle was needing gas. We did fill up before we picked up the TT but we had to drive 3 hours from home to the RV dealer and w/pulling the TT, we were running low. First place we pulled in the pumps were the ones facing toward the building. Hubby freaked out trying to figure out how he was going to pull out since there was not much distance from the pumps to where you had to turn in front of the building. He tried to get in one but to keep the TT far away, the truck was too far from the gas hose. Aggravation! He started to pull ahead to the pump now freed up but at an angle he couldn't do it. Aggravation again! We drove around to the back of the building (which was a truck stop too) wondering (we are newbies and I guess idiots) if you could get "gas" where the trucks get diesel after seeing motorhomes filling up and not sure if they used gas or diesel. Nope (you are saying "duh, obviously"). We left that station with no gas but after pulling out, the gas light comes on in the truck. We head down to a station 5 miles away and THANK GOD they had parallel pumps to the building so it was easy to pull in and out.
Next adventure - parking on the driveway. Ok, this was not meant to be. After several attempts in a neighborhood subdivision and nearly jack-knifing each time, I came up with the idea to drive through our front yard, pull truck onto the front (near house) of driveway and swing trailer around (without hitting the corner of the house). It worked. By this time is is pouring down raining, 6 p.m., and we do not unhitch but go in the house.
Sunday morning we drive to Camping World to buy our BAL X-Lock chocks (extended for our TT) and ended up coming out with a cover (got a deal for $259), the chocks, and some odds and ends, way to much.
Then it was back home and time to unhitch from the truck. Hubby put the chocks on - no problem. Undid the distribution sway bar - no problem. Unhook trailer from truck - problem! We could not get the ball to come out of the hitch. We tried over and over and over cranking up and down and up and down and the truck just seemed to rise but the ball would not release. Finally, in desperation, hubby suggested we unpin the trailer hitch shank bar from the truck and drive the truck out of the shank. It worked. So now the shank is still attached to ball hitch. Neither of us realized that the ball hitch, when unlocked, slid back to release the ball (again, newbies at this) and we ended up getting it off. Oh my - what an ordeal.
Hubby leveled the TT and we FINALLY got to go inside it, look around, sit down and relax with the radio on. We plan to take it out in two more weeks for a weekend. I hope we can do better then. :)
We got to the the RV lot and bought our distribution sway bar from them and had to pay $114 for them to install but we wanted it done right being first-timers. Also at their store, we bought our Viper sewer hose (they came down $20). I didn't know this didn't come with TT (though hubby did). After our walkthru, hubby driving it around w/tech (just in the parking lot), and signing papers, we left. I felt so bad for hubby as every time we approached an intersection where he had to turn one way or the other he freaked out if there was a car opposite us where we were turning. He did a great job. After we finally got on the interstate I think he breathed a little bit easier.
Next battle was needing gas. We did fill up before we picked up the TT but we had to drive 3 hours from home to the RV dealer and w/pulling the TT, we were running low. First place we pulled in the pumps were the ones facing toward the building. Hubby freaked out trying to figure out how he was going to pull out since there was not much distance from the pumps to where you had to turn in front of the building. He tried to get in one but to keep the TT far away, the truck was too far from the gas hose. Aggravation! He started to pull ahead to the pump now freed up but at an angle he couldn't do it. Aggravation again! We drove around to the back of the building (which was a truck stop too) wondering (we are newbies and I guess idiots) if you could get "gas" where the trucks get diesel after seeing motorhomes filling up and not sure if they used gas or diesel. Nope (you are saying "duh, obviously"). We left that station with no gas but after pulling out, the gas light comes on in the truck. We head down to a station 5 miles away and THANK GOD they had parallel pumps to the building so it was easy to pull in and out.
Next adventure - parking on the driveway. Ok, this was not meant to be. After several attempts in a neighborhood subdivision and nearly jack-knifing each time, I came up with the idea to drive through our front yard, pull truck onto the front (near house) of driveway and swing trailer around (without hitting the corner of the house). It worked. By this time is is pouring down raining, 6 p.m., and we do not unhitch but go in the house.
Sunday morning we drive to Camping World to buy our BAL X-Lock chocks (extended for our TT) and ended up coming out with a cover (got a deal for $259), the chocks, and some odds and ends, way to much.
Then it was back home and time to unhitch from the truck. Hubby put the chocks on - no problem. Undid the distribution sway bar - no problem. Unhook trailer from truck - problem! We could not get the ball to come out of the hitch. We tried over and over and over cranking up and down and up and down and the truck just seemed to rise but the ball would not release. Finally, in desperation, hubby suggested we unpin the trailer hitch shank bar from the truck and drive the truck out of the shank. It worked. So now the shank is still attached to ball hitch. Neither of us realized that the ball hitch, when unlocked, slid back to release the ball (again, newbies at this) and we ended up getting it off. Oh my - what an ordeal.
Hubby leveled the TT and we FINALLY got to go inside it, look around, sit down and relax with the radio on. We plan to take it out in two more weeks for a weekend. I hope we can do better then. :)
