Is 70 the age to stop towing

I’m 81 and I’ll quit pulling my 5th wheel when someone pries the steering wheel from my dead hands. The highways were built with my taxes long before those speeding young whippersnappers were born.
;)

fullmoonoversalem wrote:
I used to think that 70 was old too. Having had experience as a camp host for years, I find that who the driver is, the driver's health, personality, and patience, and experience is as much as a determinate of good driving as much as age.

If your physician says your healtlhy and you are physically able to drive and tow, you should be OK. What does your opthalmologist say aobut your eye health. Can you get somseone to "check you out" by riding along, following you, and observing you manipulate your vehicles?


When camp hosting (we also worked a boat launch) we watched loads of people back their trailers up. I think experience and ego are the biggest factors in a person's ability. I have seen 40 year olds take 20 min to situate their TT and an 85 year old guy, who got out, took a look at the site then backed up once and was situated. The big factor was experience with both of them. Unfortunately the 40 year old refused help with directing and backed up into a post smashing his brand new toy hauler back. Couldn't get the toys out to play with.

There are a lot of people out there to help you. Few will refuse if you ask.

I love it! It is more about skill and experience than age. I realize there is a point to quit but I think most people will know when that is. I am 74 and can still drive and back up just fine, but I do realize that I am getting older so I try and be extra careful. I don't put in the hours or miles that I did when I was young. I used to think that 550 miles was a perfect day and 800 was doable, now I think 350 is a big day! Ability, experience, and common sense is more important than age.

Supercharged wrote:
I think maybe if you drive a motorhome at 70 you are safe, but pulling anything behind it is not safe.

Right you are ... with some change in wording: "I think maybe if you drive a motorhome RV at any age you are safe if you still qualify for a drivers license, but if pulling a towable RV at any age you are not as safe".

:S

dodge guy wrote:
Its been just over 2 years since this thread began.

It should be retitled "Is 72 the age to stop towing?"

I was thinking I was in my twentys when I first posted this, time flies. I starting think before I get my RV out this year that maybe I'm getting to old. I would like to hear when is to old for me to.

I used to think that 70 was old too. Having had experience as a camp host for years, I find that who the driver is, the driver's health, personality, and patience, and experience is as much as a determinate of good driving as much as age.

If your physician says your healtlhy and you are physically able to drive and tow, you should be OK. What does your opthalmologist say aobut your eye health. Can you get somseone to "check you out" by riding along, following you, and observing you manipulate your vehicles?


When camp hosting (we also worked a boat launch) we watched loads of people back their trailers up. I think experience and ego are the biggest factors in a person's ability. I have seen 40 year olds take 20 min to situate their TT and an 85 year old guy, who got out, took a look at the site then backed up once and was situated. The big factor was experience with both of them. Unfortunately the 40 year old refused help with directing and backed up into a post smashing his brand new toy hauler back. Couldn't get the toys out to play with.

There are a lot of people out there to help you. Few will refuse if you ask.

Michelle.S wrote:
Guess we're now stuck in Florida and won't be able to return North this spring since I turned 70 after we arrived South.

Did you find the place in Florida you need so you didn't have to go back home. Turning 70 is not that easy.

samsontdog wrote:
I turned 81 today and there is no way in hell that I plan to stop towing my 30 ft TT all over the Southwest until the Good Lord tells me it is time

If you only go to Yuma and back, it might be time to fly and put the gigs away.

I am 77 years old and about to turn 78. My wife says my driving is good. Each trip at the end of the day I have her grade my driving on a scale of 1-10. 1 being the worse, 10 being the best. I pull a 39 foot Montana fifth wheel driving an F250 diesel Ford truck. If she ever gives me a grade of 5,I will quit.

With age comes wisdom. When in doubt (backing up), I stop, get out, walk around, reset the marker cones, and proceed until I get out to look again.
75 is the new 65....
But, since I'm less than one year away from 80 I might need to change the numbers?

I turned 81 today and there is no way in hell that I plan to stop towing my 30 ft TT all over the Southwest until the Good Lord tells me it is time