I just purchased a 1998 Aljo 30 foot Travel Trailer. While I have RV'ed in the past in a motorhome, I never drove. My ex was in charge of driving. I think my Toyota Sequoia is adequate to pull this trailer. The other thing is the TT does not have a generator. How big of a generator do I need to run the A/C and electricity if I am not plugged in?? It will be me and my twin 9 year old girls camping and have no clue what I will need. Also, the TT has a slide out as well. Will it be hard to drive? I've never towed anything let alone a 30 foot trailer. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

You may have your hands full with a Toyota Sequoia as it may be barely adequate. You need to have some kind of a lift hitch such as a Reese Dual Cam asa the dual cams are for anti sway. Check your book for towing capacity and then weigh it and the trailer by weighing each axle and then all axles added give you the Gross Weight, do this after you load up. I know someone who pulled with a Tundra and complained it was too light for towing. As for a generator 5000 Watts and Honda or Onan as others aren't reliable or are too noisy. Even Hondas are loud.

First of all I want to commend you for taking this challenge and not letting the fear keep you from doing what you want. You are half way there. I would suggest that you take it out and go to a parking lot with someone experienced with towing who is willing to ride a long with you for basically a training run. Thirty foot sounds like a long unit for a first time pull but we've owned a 19', a 22', a 25, a 32' and now a 35' and DH says that the longer they are, the easier to back. I've towed all three with him with me coaching me and to this day, when turning he reminds me to take it wide. That's what you need - a tutor. You can do it! As for the generator - you'll need at list something like a Honda 3000, or 3500 watt to handle AC. Of course, if you camp in cooler weather, you won't need it and if you have hookups.

Check with some local Rv dealers. They sometime offer TT towing lessons. Make sure you Toyota can safely tow this TT. YOu'll have to learn how to hook the TT and make sure it sits level with the Toyota. Your local Rv dealer should be able to answer all your questions. Best of luck.

Hello, we purchased our very first TT a 35 ft towed by our truck and Googling the specs for your TT and your Sequoia, it looks like you are good to go on towing, but it will be good to double-check to make sure. The generator will be dependent on what you will need it for, i.e. running appliances, charging battery etc., 1000 watts can help run your lights, charge batteries up to the 3500 watt gens with a 30 amp connector so you can plug your TT in. This will run a 13K a/c on your TT and some smaller items. You can google the generators as to the different makes, honda, champion etc., and it shows you how to add up the wattage/amps for each item in your trailer to match up with the power rating of the gen. For us, the champion 4000/3500 watt gen is good match for us, it has a 30 amp connector and is not too loud when in use and allows us to run our a/c if need it. and for other appliances/battery charge and its price. Not sure how the Sequoia handles when towing. We have the weight distribution setup to help with swaying problems and for the most part, it has been a lifesaver, ( you can go to youtube and search trailer towing, there are lots online). Towing safety is also on youtube, we try to ensure we do not overload our trailer/truck when towing on the road, tires are checked, and check for weather that day. We are full-timing but we have a storage for our things which we will not carry when traveling, so if your only camping, then your typical camping items/clothes,food, etc., should be good to go when storing in trailer. first time driving we were nervous. Plan ahead your route, so you will be familiar if possible with the roads and traffic. good GPS/smartphone app (co-pilot etc.), is a must, but be aware that if you use a regular GPS, it will plan a route for a car and not RV. (you can youtube/google RV GPS). we practiced first before heading out on the major roads, to get a feel for the turning radius and the feel of the xtra weight towing. When we felt comfortable, we went on the bigger roads, avoiding smaller roads with smaller turns and then on to the highway and pulling in rest stops to regroup, practice parking etc. of course we went on sunday so not much traffic. backing up is the hardest, if you don't have a pull-through, you might want to practice this with your girls or have someone help guide you in if you have to reverse. hope this helps, we love it and though we have traveled with it, we still have butterflies at the beginning of our trip but then settle down once on the road. have fun and ask again if you have other questions.bill & jodi

Go to the Good Sam web site and look for the list of all the RVers on a list from all over the U.S. find a GS RVer in your area, give them a call and tell them what you need. All the RVers on the list have agreed to volunteer to give other RVers assistance. Or just call GS and ask them where to find the list

Newbie and petrified of towing TT | Good Sam Community

36 Replies

Doug33
Explorer
Jul 14, 2013
Remember that the generator adds weight to your rig, especially with the fuel needed to run it. Also, most campgrounds have prohibition hours for running a generator. Most do not allow running at night, so do not expect to have a generator to power the air conditioner over night.
jerem0621
Explorer II
Jul 14, 2013
mcasanovas1 wrote:
One more question. Where do I find information on what kind of adapter is needed for tow package. I think my sequoia has the 4 pin connector (adapter??). Are they standard or are there different ones?

Do not tow the travel trailer with your Sequoia yet.

You need parts... I am going to be as specific as I can...You need to buy some parts for your Sequoia. Here is what you need. NOTE: None of these links are affiliate links, I get nothing for recommending them.

Brake Control- You need this to control the breaks on the trailer. I recommend the Prodigy P2.

Prodigy P2

You will also need this to convert your 4 way flat to a 7 way AND get power to the trailer brakes (from your brake control) to your trailer brakes.

Universal Installation Kit

You will also need towing mirrors in order to remain legal. I had mirrors similar to the ones I am going to recommend before I bought my truck with built in tow mirrors.

Slip On Tow Mirrors

You will also need a Weight Distribution Hitch for your trailer and sway control. There are basically two types.. both work well when used correctly.

1) Weight Distribution with add on sway control bar. (This is what I run and prefer)

Here is the best "deal" in WD and add on sway control and its from PPL Motorhomes and includes almost everything you need to get going. What I like about this is that they include the trailer ball installed.

Pro Series 1200 lb WD hitch, with sway control

since your trailer is over 25 ft long you will need a second sway bar. Again from PPL (and for under $40.00)

Reese Pro Series Sway bar

2) WD with built in sway control. There are many but if I were to purchase one right now with a built in sway control it would be the Blue Ox Sway Pro. Its more expensive but it is a GREAT design.

Blue Ox Sway Pro

You will have to get the correct trailer hitch ball for the Blue Ox as it is not included.

The next thing I am going to recommend you do is find out if your SUV has a factory heavy duty transmission cooler. If it does not, pleas add one like This One to keep your transmission happy and in one place.

Good luck and we will help in any way that we can.

Thanks!

Jeremiah
Terryallan
Explorer II
Jul 14, 2013
mcasanovas1 wrote:
One more question. Where do I find information on what kind of adapter is needed for tow package. I think my sequoia has the 4 pin connector (adapter??). Are they standard or are there different ones?

The tow package is way more than a adapter. Your gonna need a transmission cooler installed, and have it wired for a brake controller. That's a lot of money to spend on a TV that is going to be overloaded with that trailer.
mcasanovas1
Explorer
Jul 14, 2013
One more question. Where do I find information on what kind of adapter is needed for tow package. I think my sequoia has the 4 pin connector (adapter??). Are they standard or are there different ones?
APT
Explorer
Jul 14, 2013
The TT will weight every bit of 6500 pounds loaded for a long weekend trip, and your receiver, GVWR, and probably rear axle will be overloaded if you have a family of 4+. You should look into a more capable TV, with at least 1500 pounds of payload and more like 8k+ tow rating,
mcasanovas1
Explorer
Jul 14, 2013
I wanted to add the info on my Sequoia. It's a 2002. If I did research correctly, the towing capacity on it is 6,500. The TT weight is 5,450. Is that sufficient? Also, someone mentioned the tires which were replaced 8 months ago.
mcasanovas1
Explorer
Jul 14, 2013
Wanted to add that my brother is going with me in his Truck to bring it home. I should have come here first but being a first time TT owner, I didn't think about it. :(
mcasanovas1
Explorer
Jul 14, 2013
Thanks to everyone and their advice. I pick up the trailer tomorrow and I will let you all know how it goes.
Wishbone51
Explorer
Jul 14, 2013
SprinklerMan wrote:
Go rent a uhaul trailer for the weekend and take it everywhere you go , practice backing , turning etc . A small trailer , they are harder to back up . When you feel confident start practicing with the big one .

+1 on that.. long before I had any kind of trailer, I practiced backing up with a riding lawn mower and it's trailer.... It jacknifed so fast due to the short wheel base ... Once I got good at that, backing up any trailer with a truck seemed luxurious. :)
APT
Explorer
Jul 13, 2013
You need to get that TT weighed. The Sequoia has low payload and hitch limit. 1200 pounds maybe, subtract the weight of family, rest is loaded TW.