Newbie!!!!!

Nice tt, I hope you enjoy your travels

Fellow newbie here, we bought our first travel trailer two weeks ago and I had big concerns about sway as I was pushing our 2002 Suburban to it's weight limits. I posted on this website and considered all the advice given on my post titled "anyone with experience towing with a suburban". The advice was valuable and I towed it about 836 miles from Idaho to our home in California.

We had no sway issues. A slight pull to the left of the entire rig as trucks passed but that was all.

I also gained a lot of confidence by weighing my rig and checking tongue weight. The local refuse site allowed me to use their scales for free giving me my Gross Vehicle Weight. I then weighed it per axle on CAT scales to calculate all my weights. My weights were a surprise and I definitely would weigh your rig.

After that we used a Husky weight distributing hitch, one friction type anti-sway bar, a Tekonsha P3 brake controller and LT tires on the suburban.

For me backing up is hard (either parallel parking or 90 degrees into a space is hard). It is a 30 foot trailer. It takes 15 minutes each time. Backing up at night is even worse. I've been doing it without someone directing me.

We never had instructions for our hitch and didn't put grease where we were supposed to. It now shows considerable signs of wear. We had a dealer set it up for us to make sure it was right but he must have assumed I would have know that. I expect to have to buy a new hitch at some point.

So we're now looking forward to our first proper trip. This weekend was cancelled due to snow in the Sierras.

Camp-n-family, the sway is what Im worried about. I went with a centerline WDH. Thoughts?

Any hitch should work, just some will do a better job than others. With a short wheelbase tow vehicle I would prefer to have something with built in 4 point sway control vs a friction bar type.

Either way, a big key to stable towing is proper hitch set up and trailer loading. Know how to adjust your hitch yourself. Most dealers just slap them on and don't spend the time to adjust them. Plus, when they install them the trailer is empty. You'll need to re-adjust when it's loaded. Load it to have the proper amount of tongue weight. Too much or too little can be problematic for sway. The aim is to have around 12% of the loaded trailer weight carried on the tongue.

Backing in the TT for the first time : great marriage tester !

I tow with a chevy suburban. Our last camper was a 19 footer (22+ with tongue and bumper). Never had an issue with sway. In fact I usually left the sway control stowed away as all it did was add that creaky sound and I was worried I'd back up with it on. We just bought a 26 footer (almost 29 feet total) and I drove it home without the sway. Got passed by an armor truck doing way more than legal, and he made me wiggle a bit. Tail is bigger than the dog now, and I felt it. Your mileage may vary, but I'm always glad to have the option.

Sway is a strange phenomenon, I rented a 25 footer with an equalizer hitch and I purchased a 25 footer with a Blue Ox hitch. Both weighted bout 5000 lbs. dry and neither had any problem with sway.

The first was pulled by an F-150 the second with an F-150 4x4 with a higher center of gravity. Both were rock steady and recovered nicely from truck and wind buffets.

Others people seem to have endless problems with sway. I suppose you will just have to see what you rig does.

Our first few trips we opted for pull through camping spots, but with a good spotter and practice it is not hard.

cbshoestring wrote:
Congrats on the new trailer. Very cold and snowing here, but camping season is just around the corner.:C

heckufaguy said: "If possible, arrive mid day and preferably not on a Friday at the campground. Rush hour camper arrival while you're backing in your camper is not fun

Learn to back up BEFORE arriving at the campground.

We once travelled across PA to upstate New York, arriving at the Friday rush to check in. We watched for 15 minutes, as the guy in front of us struggled to get into his site. With something like 8 campers behind him, he finally decided to "go around". I stuffed my trailer into our site, then backed up my brother-in laws (he rented it..blindside back-up....I knew I had to do it).

After getting the BIL situated, the wife and I set up our site. As I cracked a beer, I look up and that poor guy was STILL trying to back in. It was obvious that he was NOT experienced, and he and his spotter wife were fustrated. I do NOT speak spanish, but I am pretty sure the conversation was not lovey-dovey.

Luckily she spoke English, and "POINTING" is pretty much universal. The look on his face said....

I do not know you, I can not communicate with you, I
really do NOT want to bend this new trailer....oh crap,
I have to trust you.

I got him backed in, by standing at the front of his truck, telling him to watch me (and only me) and turn the wheel the way I point.

She was very thankful....he was exhausted.

Thank you for being a good person

This is great, thank you all for the advice! I plan to do some practicing at a local school after I pick up the TT.

cbshoestring, I don't want to be that guy! Ive already thought about that! There fore I am going to spend a good deal practicing. Drivers ed all over again!

Heckofaguy, I have been searching youtube and forums on good DIY leveling kits.

Camp-n-family, the sway is what Im worried about. I went with a centerline WDH. Thoughts?

I really appreciate all the feedback and the advice and encouragement is making more excited about our purchase!

Thanks

Congrats on the new trailer. Very cold and snowing here, but camping season is just around the corner.:C

heckufaguy said: "If possible, arrive mid day and preferably not on a Friday at the campground. Rush hour camper arrival while you're backing in your camper is not fun

Learn to back up BEFORE arriving at the campground.

We once travelled across PA to upstate New York, arriving at the Friday rush to check in. We watched for 15 minutes, as the guy in front of us struggled to get into his site. With something like 8 campers behind him, he finally decided to "go around". I stuffed my trailer into our site, then backed up my brother-in laws (he rented it..blindside back-up....I knew I had to do it).

After getting the BIL situated, the wife and I set up our site. As I cracked a beer, I look up and that poor guy was STILL trying to back in. It was obvious that he was NOT experienced, and he and his spotter wife were fustrated. I do NOT speak spanish, but I am pretty sure the conversation was not lovey-dovey.

Luckily she spoke English, and "POINTING" is pretty much universal. The look on his face said....

I do not know you, I can not communicate with you, I
really do NOT want to bend this new trailer....oh crap,
I have to trust you.

I got him backed in, by standing at the front of his truck, telling him to watch me (and only me) and turn the wheel the way I point.

She was very thankful....he was exhausted.

Congrats! "Camp driveway" as they say is a great start. Things I learned the hard way my first time out with the TT.

1. Lynx blocks...fun, cute, but not nearly enough when they stick you on the site that slopes. Spent my day looking for 'square' firewood pieces to put under the stab jacks.

2. When you have the option of which end you put where, on a sloped spot remember you do not want to be shimming up the door side of your camper. A wife with short legs will remind you of this every time she goes in and out, if you do.

3. Never set any part of your hitch setup anywhere other than where it belongs or in the storage of the camper. Lost my first WDH cotter pin going from the driveway to the street.

4. If possible, arrive mid day and preferably not on a Friday at the campground. Rush hour camper arrival while you're backing in your camper is not fun.

Enjoy, Cant wait for spring to get out again!