Advice for Long Distance Towing

[ChristyFord]

My husband, toddler, 2 dogs, and I will be taking a 2 week road trip cross-country (Augusta, GA to Seattle, WA) with an SUV and TT. I've read mentions of how this kind of trip should be handled differently than a weekend trip to the lake. What kind of things do we need to know and keep in mind in this case?

Note: my husband and I have no experience towing a TT yet, so lay it on me!

[STBRetired]

If you have your brake controller set correctly. the trailer brakes will take care of the trailer and your tow vehicle brakes take care of your tow vehicle. NMDriver did not mean to imply that you stand on the brake pedal, but rather that you apply significant pressure so that you slow down quickly, not a panic stop. Remember to downshift at the beginning of the downslope, not after you start to gain speed. I usually will firmly brake t slow my rig down 10 - 15 MPH then let off and let it build the speed back up again, then repeat the process. That gives the brakes some ime to cool off between applications.

[ChristyFord]

NMDriver wrote:
Take a spare, spare tire. Buying tires that fit in a small town can be difficult and expensive. Finding a shop to mount a tire is pretty easy.

If you are not familiar with the western states and the distance between services, you should use Gas Buddy, as a previous poster mentioned, to plan your fuel stops. Fuel can get pretty costly when the only station for 50 miles is setting the price.

Deer, elk, critters in general, can make driving around sunset and sunrise an eye straining experience. If you are tired from a long day of driving it may be best to just stop a hour or so before sunset.

You may be tempted to let the dogs run loose somewhere along the way. I would advise against it. Spending hours waiting for them to come back from a rabbit chase can be worrisome.

I do not know which route you are planning but take it easy on the down slopes and if you do need to use your brake pedal hit it hard, let off and hit it hard again to slow down. Over heating is the danger. No riding the brake or trying to slow down slowly on a down grade.

You will be going through some beautiful country and pass some great places. Hope you enjoy the trip and enjoy Alaska.

Hitting the brake hard while towing a trailer sounds terrible! I think that goes against what I've read so far (which I understand isn't the same as experience). Seriously?!

[NMDriver]

Take a spare, spare tire. Buying tires that fit in a small town can be difficult and expensive. Finding a shop to mount a tire is pretty easy.

If you are not familiar with the western states and the distance between services, you should use Gas Buddy, as a previous poster mentioned, to plan your fuel stops. Fuel can get pretty costly when the only station for 50 miles is setting the price.

Deer, elk, critters in general, can make driving around sunset and sunrise an eye straining experience. If you are tired from a long day of driving it may be best to just stop a hour or so before sunset.

You may be tempted to let the dogs run loose somewhere along the way. I would advise against it. Spending hours waiting for them to come back from a rabbit chase can be worrisome.

I do not know which route you are planning but take it easy on the down slopes and if you do need to use your brake pedal hit it hard, let off and hit it hard again to slow down. Over heating is the danger. No riding the brake or trying to slow down slowly on a down grade.

You will be going through some beautiful country and pass some great places. Hope you enjoy the trip and enjoy Alaska.

[STBRetired]

ChristyFord wrote:
To clarify, it's a one-way trip so 2 weeks should be leisurely enough. We're moving to Alaska, which is why we're bringing our dogs along.

Since you aren't in a hurry, take some time to visit attractions along the way. Allow extra time to get through the mountains. If you are taking the rig from your other post, your GC will be working pretty hard to make the climbs. Weather can be pretty iffy from Tennessee on if you are leaving now. You can get stranded for days on SD and MT if the weather gets bad.

[IdaD]

Mickeyfan0805 wrote:
You will average what you will average on covering distance. Some trips we average as low as 45mph, my last trip from WI to FL I was over 60mph average. It depends on your driving stamina, your crew, traffic, weather, etc...

Exactly. I'm not sure why some are wanting to assume OP will travel the same way they do - there are many factors at play.

[ChristyFord]

To clarify, it's a one-way trip so 2 weeks should be leisurely enough. We're moving to Alaska, which is why we're bringing our dogs along.

[wski]

Traveled from Florida to Iowa (approximately 1100 miles) after three days with two overnight stops, we finally arrived. We traveled in the daytime and planned our stops accordingly. Believe me when I say after 8 to 10 hours of traveling, you will welcome an overnight stop.

[Mickeyfan0805]

You will average what you will average on covering distance. Some trips we average as low as 45mph, my last trip from WI to FL I was over 60mph average. It depends on your driving stamina, your crew, traffic, weather, etc...

So...

Determine how much 'on the road time' you could handle each day and base off of that. If 8 hours is your max, you better stay at 350-400 miles per day just in case. If you are comfortable at 10-11 hours, you could be at 500. I have no problem doing 600-650 miles in a day - but that's what I am comfortable with, many aren't.

Furthermore, don't back yourself into a corner. Things WILL happen. You will get locked out the car (been there!), you will blow a tire (been there!), you will have a problem with your hitch set-up (been there!), or any of a hundred other things. If you scheduled yourself so tight that you have no room for issues, you will truly feel the stress when things go awry. On our last trip I did 1,300 miles in less than 22 hours of travel time - but I got to my destination 48 hours before I HAD to be there, just in case! Same on the return trip.

In other words - go with what you are comfortable with, give yourself some room for error and delay, and you will have a much more comfortable trip!

[ppine]

It is hard to average the same amount of miles pulling a trailer as you do with a car or truck without towing. Two weeks across the country could be a lot of fun. Do not hurry. Get to the Rocky Mtns and slow down. Take a rest day here and there.

Some practice in a big parking lot will help a lot. Have someone help you make sure you have sway control, good tires, etc.

[ScottG]

As others have mentioned you will avg 50 MPH - it just works out that way.

When will you be visiting our fair state and where exactly are you going?
Do you have reservations yet? Our State parks are nearly 100$ booked many months in advance. (Our entire summer is reserved to get the better spots).

Cheers,
Scott

[BarneyS]

Based on more than 30 years experience towing a travel trailer, if you travel 62-65mph on the freeway you WILL average 50mph for the day. If you stop longer or more frequently you may average less but traveling at that speed with minimum stops for fuel will give you the 50mph average. Those that claim higher averages must never stop because they have huge fuel tanks and iron butts & bladders!
Barney

[bikendan]

First will be what is your combo and what towing equipment is installed.
Like do you have a WDH and sway control? Does the SUV have passenger tires or LT tires?

Comfortable towing relies a lot on properly spec'd tow vehicle.

But not knowing what vehicle and TT you have doesn't help answer your questions.

[transamz9]

SoundGuy wrote:

ChristyFord wrote:
My husband, toddler, 2 dogs, and I will be taking a 2 week road trip cross-country (Augusta, GA to Seattle, WA) with an SUV and TT. I've read mentions of how this kind of trip should be handled differently than a weekend trip to the lake. What kind of things do we need to know and keep in mind in this case?

Take as little as you can ... if there's anything you later discover you absolutely can't live without there's always a Wally World somewhere. :W Believe it - take too much and you'll quickly tire of handling all that "junk" ... been there, done that.

JMO, we're dog people as well but on trips like this, leave 'em home ... they won't enjoy it, you won't enjoy it, and you'll be severely limited in going wherever you want whenever you want. Dogs love camping trips, not endless driving trips.

Depends on the dogs. My two Pugs will out last any person. Pugs sleep 18hrs on average.

[SoundGuy]

ChristyFord wrote:
My husband, toddler, 2 dogs, and I will be taking a 2 week road trip cross-country (Augusta, GA to Seattle, WA) with an SUV and TT. I've read mentions of how this kind of trip should be handled differently than a weekend trip to the lake. What kind of things do we need to know and keep in mind in this case?

Take as little as you can ... if there's anything you later discover you absolutely can't live without there's always a Wally World somewhere. :W Believe it - take too much and you'll quickly tire of handling all that "junk" ... been there, done that.

JMO, we're dog people as well but on trips like this, leave 'em home ... they won't enjoy it, you won't enjoy it, and you'll be severely limited in going wherever you want whenever you want. Dogs love camping trips, not endless driving trips.

[azdryheat]

Take it one day at a time.