Drop Down Hitch
Hey everyone, My wife and I are going to be buying our first travel trailer in a couple of days. We are obviously new to all of this but have done extensive research on tongue weight, towing capacity...
Forum Discussion
Zero info to make a decent recommendation and just this opinion...
"SUV" covers a lot of ground and hoping you have a true SUV (derived from a pickup frame) and too many 'think' their CUV is a SUV. CUV's are derived from 'cars' and most all are monocoque (unibody).
So if you have Forester, it is a CUV derived from the Sienna minivan and if older Forester, they were derived from a Camry. Edit...sorry, Forester is a Subaru, meant Highlander. Other CUV's confused with SUV's are CRV (Civic), RAV (Corolla), etc
Then the types of SUV's from plain to fully loaded. Meaning, does it have auto ride height ?...that can make it harder for a newbie to setup.
Full time (AWD) or true 4x4? Some full time has a viscus 3rd member, which has some problems towing heavy and in the mountains or twistie's...working that 3rd member to overheat.
There are other things you will need, or should look into.
#1 is side mirrors if the trailer is full width.
#2 the tow package and if you don't have it...you might add an AUX ATF cooler as a min (assuming you have an automatic tranny), but there are more 'stuff' that comes with an OEM "tow package".
#3 DO NOT tow in OD or double OD, but best to check your glovebox manual on that
#4 Glove Box manual towing section. Read it several times and then again to familiarize yourself with your TV's towing metrics. Biggest point is how the TV should 'drop' after it is setup and on that, mainly the front TV axle/fender
#5 Get an IR heat gun to check everything before you leave home. Again when you get there (even during the drive). As HEAT is the biggest enemy of towing. Be sure to check all four tires and several places on each tire. Know those places and repeat those places each time you check temps
#6 TV's heat rejection system and if the radiator hasn't been flushed in over 5 years, do so BEFORE leaving. Check the serpentine belt & idler (assuming a used or older TV)
#7 Know your TV tires PSI range for driving empty to fully loaded & towing. On that, get a good tire pressure guage.
#8 JRscooby's recommendation is very good for trailer orientation on setup
Good luck ! Post back on how it went
"SUV" covers a lot of ground and hoping you have a true SUV (derived from a pickup frame) and too many 'think' their CUV is a SUV. CUV's are derived from 'cars' and most all are monocoque (unibody).
So if you have Forester, it is a CUV derived from the Sienna minivan and if older Forester, they were derived from a Camry. Edit...sorry, Forester is a Subaru, meant Highlander. Other CUV's confused with SUV's are CRV (Civic), RAV (Corolla), etc
Then the types of SUV's from plain to fully loaded. Meaning, does it have auto ride height ?...that can make it harder for a newbie to setup.
Full time (AWD) or true 4x4? Some full time has a viscus 3rd member, which has some problems towing heavy and in the mountains or twistie's...working that 3rd member to overheat.
There are other things you will need, or should look into.
#1 is side mirrors if the trailer is full width.
#2 the tow package and if you don't have it...you might add an AUX ATF cooler as a min (assuming you have an automatic tranny), but there are more 'stuff' that comes with an OEM "tow package".
#3 DO NOT tow in OD or double OD, but best to check your glovebox manual on that
#4 Glove Box manual towing section. Read it several times and then again to familiarize yourself with your TV's towing metrics. Biggest point is how the TV should 'drop' after it is setup and on that, mainly the front TV axle/fender
#5 Get an IR heat gun to check everything before you leave home. Again when you get there (even during the drive). As HEAT is the biggest enemy of towing. Be sure to check all four tires and several places on each tire. Know those places and repeat those places each time you check temps
#6 TV's heat rejection system and if the radiator hasn't been flushed in over 5 years, do so BEFORE leaving. Check the serpentine belt & idler (assuming a used or older TV)
#7 Know your TV tires PSI range for driving empty to fully loaded & towing. On that, get a good tire pressure guage.
#8 JRscooby's recommendation is very good for trailer orientation on setup
Good luck ! Post back on how it went
