Hi Folks,I have been reading through this site ravenously and have learned many things so far.I am currently a boater who after 16 seasons with my current boat is looking to start something new, a new adventure and since i love the outdoors my GF and I have decided on a TT.It sems that RVs, TTs and Boats share some of the same characteristics and headaches and joys so we are hoping the transition should not be too much of a culture shock for us nor a change we cannot adapt to.I am looking to sell the boat this summer and do the TT thing soon after that.My first questions have to do with tow vehicles. I searched through the FAQ areas on the site but did not see anything about sway bars and helper springs on a tow vehicle. I have seen all manner of things on the subject with regard to trailers themselves but there is no mention of helper springs or sway bars on the tow vehicle. Is this because they are just not all that helpful? Might they hurt the overall set up? I used to tow a lightish boat years ago and the rear sway bar and helper spring set up was very beneficial. Will a set up like that help or even take the place of a WD set up on a trailer that weighs less than 6500 lb? Currently I have 2000 F150 with a 5.4 liter gas motor. I plan on upgrading to a Chevy 2500 Diesel in the future.I want to thank you all in advance. I will have many more questions as time goes by and I get a TT.Bawugna

Welcome. We sold or 26' pearson sailboat and now have a 21' TT, towing with an 06 F150 4.2 V6. No problems yet other than adding the tow package that was missing, which is mostly cooling. There are a lot of similarities. We have no regrets. Hope you get lots of good info here.I know I have. Moved to FL from Stroudsburg :) no regrets there either.

Suggest you first choose the TT then, look at tow vehicles with the capacity to safely haul/tow the TT of choice. Get the correctly sized TV and you won't need helper springs to begin with.

We also jumped into a TT after 20+ years of boating last year and love it! We have a 29' TT (8,000 GVW)with a 2013 Silverado 2500 CC DM TV and an Equalizer WD hitch. The Equalizer includes sway control but does not do much for weight distribution as the TV barely squats with the TT hooked up. When we first purchased the TT I had 1500 Silverado and quickly determined I needed a bigger truck. Not only did I exceed GCVW, but I felt like the TT was pushing me around. Best of luck and hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Why not do both... I've seen many smaller houseboats that were set up to be either a travel trailer or houseboat. One popular model in the 1970s was the Sea Camper I still see many of these advertised on the web.There are new versions...I saw a couple a the California RV Show two years ago. Don't remember who made them. But back to your questions...I agree with the right tow vehicle you won't need helper springs but many "Camper Special" or tow packaged equipped pickups have helper springs as part of the package. Another popular add on are air bags instead of helper springs.Sway bar may be needed depending on the stability of your trailer and hitch setup.

dennisgt60 wrote:Suggest you first choose the TT then, look at tow vehicles with the capacity to safely haul/tow the TT of choice. Get the correctly sized TV and you won't need helper springs to begin with.x2bumpy

A newbie thinking about getting a TT | Good Sam Community

Bawugna
Explorer
Jun 02, 2014
I want to thank you all for your advice and expertise. I have some time before I make the move.....Want to enjoy one more season of Sharkin and striper fishing before selling the boat........I will start my search in earnest in the fall. Until that time, I will continue learning and researching what is needed to make this an easy transition.

To the person who suggested doing both.....you have never boated with me nor have you spent a Spring season fitting out with me, I am a bit of a perfectionist and it is starting to get old on me. Boats are different from anything else.

To all the other former boaters, I hope to follow in your path and enjoy some relaxed camp fires and canoe paddling and FW fishing.

If it seems I dropped off the site after the question, that is because we went on a Road trip from the Phila Metro area to far Northern Minnesota and did a woodsy fishing trip. I am pretty sure I passed every RV manufacturer in the country while in transit!
wintersun
Explorer II
May 17, 2014
Many people are towing with a heavy duty truck and these usually can handle a trailer in stock form. Only addition might be air bags to get the truck height right for the trailer with a 5th wheel.

With the trailer you will have a lot more living space than with any boat that can be trailered. Don't overlook basics like cu ft of fridge and size of holding tanks and room for multiple batteries.
campigloo
Explorer
May 14, 2014
Congrats on the new adventure! Your truck should handle that trailer kinda ok. I had a similar set up several trailers ago and it pulled/stopped it but it didn't like it. A WDH will be a necessity. I also recommend two friction sway bars. They are cheap and pretty effective. When you look at pulling these things, the brick inspired aerodynamics will have a very large affect on your TV. Don't expect anything more than about 7mpg. Equalizer has a good web site showing you how to setup and adjust your hitch. It will probably take a couple of tries, but it's not hard to adjust either. Airbags are really expensive for a truck you may not keep very long. Just don't get in a hurry and you should be ok. One thing about the route you're taking, when you do get the 3/4T you will really appreciate it!
APT
Explorer
May 14, 2014
All half tons required a weight distributing hitch over 600 pounds of tongue weight, some 500 pounds. 600 pounds means about 4500 pound loaded RV, and 3500 dry. So pretty much every double axle TT needs a WDH when pulled by a half ton vehicle.

A WDH accomplishes 2 important things: restore weight that is taken off the front axle and remove weight from the rear axle of the tow vehicle. This increases stability and driver comfort. Rear suspension aids such as Timbrens, add-a-leaf, overload springs, and air bags do neither of the two things a properly adjusted WDH does. Therefore, my opinion is that these rear suspension aids at best complicate WDH adjustment and mask overloaded situations.

My recommendation is to "plan on upgrading to a Chevy 2500 Diesel in the future" prior to choosing a travel trailer. You can spending a lot of time looking for a good match for your current truck, but it will likely come with some compromises. A 3/4 ton diesel truck will open you up to almost any TT. Many people say buy your second or 3rd RV first. It gets expensive to replace the TT, especially if you buy new every 3 years or less! So if you know you will end up in a 3/4 ton, get the right truck now and enjoy the travel time instead of pushing the limits or damaging a perfectly good for someone else half ton.
BubbaChris
Explorer
May 14, 2014
We committed to a trailer before I finished all my homework on TV needs. The result was a change in TV so we'd have enough to be safe and meet our needs.

My biggest takeaway from my homework was to put a very high priority on the TV's yellow capacity sticker as a guideline. The marketing departments of the truck companies are interested in publishing big numbers (which may not translate well to travel trailers). The yellow sticker gives you real-world maxes of what you can put onto the truck (people, cargo, and tongue weight).
Dick_B
Explorer
May 14, 2014
Slightly off topic but we also sold our sailboat and got into RVing. We have found it is easier on our senior bodies and the season is much longer. We never could have towed our sailboat to Florida in the winter!
Bumpyroad
Explorer
May 13, 2014
dennisgt60 wrote:
Suggest you first choose the TT then, look at tow vehicles with the capacity to safely haul/tow the TT of choice. Get the correctly sized TV and you won't need helper springs to begin with.

x2
bumpy
the_bear_II
Explorer
May 13, 2014
Why not do both... I've seen many smaller houseboats that were set up to be either a travel trailer or houseboat. One popular model in the 1970s was the Sea Camper I still see many of these advertised on the web.

There are new versions...I saw a couple a the California RV Show two years ago. Don't remember who made them.

But back to your questions...

I agree with the right tow vehicle you won't need helper springs but many "Camper Special" or tow packaged equipped pickups have helper springs as part of the package. Another popular add on are air bags instead of helper springs.

Sway bar may be needed depending on the stability of your trailer and hitch setup.
cbwallace
Explorer
May 13, 2014
We also jumped into a TT after 20+ years of boating last year and love it! We have a 29' TT (8,000 GVW)with a 2013 Silverado 2500 CC DM TV and an Equalizer WD hitch. The Equalizer includes sway control but does not do much for weight distribution as the TV barely squats with the TT hooked up. When we first purchased the TT I had 1500 Silverado and quickly determined I needed a bigger truck. Not only did I exceed GCVW, but I felt like the TT was pushing me around. Best of luck and hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
dennisgt60
Explorer
May 13, 2014
Suggest you first choose the TT then, look at tow vehicles with the capacity to safely haul/tow the TT of choice. Get the correctly sized TV and you won't need helper springs to begin with.