Forum Discussion
MitchF150
Oct 16, 2014Nomad
There is a lot more to towing a large, heavy trailer than just the "numbers"..
Just going by the number of different posts you've had concerning this and all the answers you have gotten, no wonder your head is spinning.. :) (you have information overload and it's all just blah, blah, blah at this point!)
What you need to do now that you have the tow vehicle and you have the travel trailer is to load it up, take it out and start learning how it's going to respond to each other... It's like introducing two new people together... Sure, their "profiles" and what you know about them make them seem like a good match, but until you sit them down and let them get to know each other, who knows how they are going to be with each other..
Same thing with your truck and trailer.. Now you also have to train YOURSELF in how to make the two get along..
That's knowing how long it takes to stop. How much pedal you have to give it to get up the hills. How to take turns a bit wider and always watching the mirrors and on and on... :)
Even thou I had been RV camping my whole childhood with my folks and have towed all sorts of trailers from coast to coast, when I got my first TT in 2002, it was a whole new world to me and I had to learn how my truck reacted to it and I also had to learn my trailer... I camped in the driveway for a whole weekend before I took it out for the first time! That really opened my eyes on what I needed to do and take, but being in my driveway, I was able to remedy it easily. I also took short trips initially to get the feel of it and was tweaking the hitch setup for the first several trips to get it "dialed in".
So, if you are still with me, notice I haven't given you any more 'numbers' to crunch... :) Just take what you got and see how YOU like it and adjust what you can and know it's NOT going to be the same driving as it is when you are not towing.. Your truck is going to work hard and you have to learn what it likes and does not like and adjust accordingly.
Good luck with it and be sure to tell us of your first adventure! :)
Mitch
Just going by the number of different posts you've had concerning this and all the answers you have gotten, no wonder your head is spinning.. :) (you have information overload and it's all just blah, blah, blah at this point!)
What you need to do now that you have the tow vehicle and you have the travel trailer is to load it up, take it out and start learning how it's going to respond to each other... It's like introducing two new people together... Sure, their "profiles" and what you know about them make them seem like a good match, but until you sit them down and let them get to know each other, who knows how they are going to be with each other..
Same thing with your truck and trailer.. Now you also have to train YOURSELF in how to make the two get along..
That's knowing how long it takes to stop. How much pedal you have to give it to get up the hills. How to take turns a bit wider and always watching the mirrors and on and on... :)
Even thou I had been RV camping my whole childhood with my folks and have towed all sorts of trailers from coast to coast, when I got my first TT in 2002, it was a whole new world to me and I had to learn how my truck reacted to it and I also had to learn my trailer... I camped in the driveway for a whole weekend before I took it out for the first time! That really opened my eyes on what I needed to do and take, but being in my driveway, I was able to remedy it easily. I also took short trips initially to get the feel of it and was tweaking the hitch setup for the first several trips to get it "dialed in".
So, if you are still with me, notice I haven't given you any more 'numbers' to crunch... :) Just take what you got and see how YOU like it and adjust what you can and know it's NOT going to be the same driving as it is when you are not towing.. Your truck is going to work hard and you have to learn what it likes and does not like and adjust accordingly.
Good luck with it and be sure to tell us of your first adventure! :)
Mitch
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