How many miles have you towed in one day?

[Frank55]

We are planning a trip to Yellowstone next August. I want to go about 550 miles the first day. My wife says thats too far. What do others think?

[slapshot12]

Around 500 is my limit. I've done more, but it isn't fun.

[Wishin]

The most I have done was last June, we went 806 miles in 12 Hrs 20 Min. Cruise was set at 70 mph the entire time with quick stops for food to go and gas. My family of 5 (wife and 3 kids) were fine with it, but nobody shares the driving with me and it was a bit much for me. Might have been better but we had steady 20-25 mph winds the entire day.

550 miles is perfectly fine with me. These longer days for us happen at the beginning and ends of long trips for us so we can spend more time in the states further away that we never normally get to see.

[ssthrd]

Pulling a trailer...... About 500 miles from Las Vegas to Twin Falls, Idaho trying to beat a blizzard. Took 12 hours and drove the last 120 miles north from Wells in a snow storm. Shoulda stayed in Vegas!

Driving a car....... about 1100 miles from Dryden, Ontario to Brampton, Ontario. Took 18 hours. Drove 1000 miles from Vancouver to Prince Rupert. Took 17 hours. Flying low!

I agree that you do what you have to do sometimes to make things work.

[jerem0621]

I did a few miles short of 600 miles in one day trying to get back home. It was a long long day. It was a solid 13 or 14 hour day.

On the same trip, on the way down, we did one 350 mile day and then finished the rest the next day. That was a much more relaxing way to travel towing a TT.

Have fun!

Jeremiah

[EnzoColorado]

600 miles, our first very day towing ever. Bought the TT in Omaha and towed it back to Colorado Springs in one day, took 12 hours.

[ppine]

We were road warriors when we were young and drove 600-700 miles a day with old cars that didn't go very fast. Sometimes we drove 1,000 miles. Now I am retired and it is too tiring. I like lighter trailers and can go 500 miles, but much prefer 300 miles or less in a day. I really like the 300 miles or done by 3 o'clock rule.

[silverfz]

It can be done if its the first day of a vacation and the camper is ready to roll in the morning. The area also counts. driving from boston to dc might be 450 miles but it will take 15hrs if you are lucky in all the traffic going through MA,CT,NY,PA via 95.

[Jbrowland]

All58Parks wrote:

Jbrowland wrote:
I understand the need to maximize vacation time and get to the destination. Many of us have done that.

The answer for ME is...as long as my wife and kids wants me to drive. We've been married for a long time now. 😉

I'm only in my 40's and travel with my entire family as well. I'm not old. Their safety and yours while on the road is always my main concern and no amount of vacation time saved is worth the risk. I'll always pick losing 6 hours in Yellowstone over killing my family or someone else. Most of the RV accidents I have seen or read about were in part due to drivers who didn't want to stop for various reasons or refused slow down. RV's are built with matchsticks. One small accident and they burst apart. Every time I feel rushed I picture one of those accidents with my family or yours and I slow down. Sounds negative and I apologize for painting such a bleak picture but it works for me.

But that's just me...on the road...with the rest of us.... 😉

I'm not sure that it's fair to equate driving long distances to driving unsafely.
.

My apologies if I seemed to single anyone out. That was not my intention. As I said In my post, that’s what works for ME. I understand we all have different stamina thresholds and I readily admit that mine is very low when driving an RV.

It wasn’t me who equated driving long distances to driving unsafely though. That’s statistical fact.

I also have personal experience with this topic. My dad was a long hauler for over 30 years. I frequently went on trips with him during the summer when I was younger. I saw more horrible accIdents than I care to think about. Perhaps that’s why I am overly cautious. And again, I admit, that’s me.

All that said, it sounds like you have this all under control and I trust you will do what is best for you, yours, and the rest of us. Good luck with the trip(s) and may you and your family have safe travels always. 🙂

[Lantley]

All58Parks wrote:

Jbrowland wrote:
I understand the need to maximize vacation time and get to the destination. Many of us have done that.

The answer for ME is...as long as my wife and kids wants me to drive. We've been married for a long time now. 😉

I'm only in my 40's and travel with my entire family as well. I'm not old. Their safety and yours while on the road is always my main concern and no amount of vacation time saved is worth the risk. I'll always pick losing 6 hours in Yellowstone over killing my family or someone else. Most of the RV accidents I have seen or read about were in part due to drivers who didn't want to stop for various reasons or refused slow down. RV's are built with matchsticks. One small accident and they burst apart. Every time I feel rushed I picture one of those accidents with my family or yours and I slow down. Sounds negative and I apologize for painting such a bleak picture but it works for me.

But that's just me...on the road...with the rest of us.... 😉

I'm not sure that it's fair to equate driving long distances to driving unsafely.

I never, ever speed. My maximum towing speed is 65 mph, even when the speed limit is higher. We stop frequently to stretch, grab a snack, use the facilities, etc. I stop in the evening before I start feeling drowsy. And I always adjust my speed for weather conditions and traffic.

Yet, when we want to get somewhere, my family will happily put in a 750 mile day.

Safely.

There are rules that commercial drivers must adhere to.
They are only allowed to drive for so long then they MUST rest it is not up to their discretion to stop as they see fit.
Rest is a mandatory requirement

[Bedlam]

There is a correlation between driving time and safety. This why commercial drivers must keep logs and are limited how long they can drive each day. Each person does have a different stamina, but you cannot discount the amount of seat time and rest of the driver.

[FLgator01]

I normally drive 12-14 hours a day. But I told my wife after the last trip I won't be doing that anymore. We are looking at purchasing a Class C in the near futures for a Tripp across the country with grandkids and I told the wife we will try to keep it down to no more than 8 hours a day with frequent stops.

[All58Parks]

Jbrowland wrote:
I understand the need to maximize vacation time and get to the destination. Many of us have done that.

The answer for ME is...as long as my wife and kids wants me to drive. We've been married for a long time now. 😉

I'm only in my 40's and travel with my entire family as well. I'm not old. Their safety and yours while on the road is always my main concern and no amount of vacation time saved is worth the risk. I'll always pick losing 6 hours in Yellowstone over killing my family or someone else. Most of the RV accidents I have seen or read about were in part due to drivers who didn't want to stop for various reasons or refused slow down. RV's are built with matchsticks. One small accident and they burst apart. Every time I feel rushed I picture one of those accidents with my family or yours and I slow down. Sounds negative and I apologize for painting such a bleak picture but it works for me.

But that's just me...on the road...with the rest of us.... 😉

I'm not sure that it's fair to equate driving long distances to driving unsafely.

I never, ever speed. My maximum towing speed is 65 mph, even when the speed limit is higher. We stop frequently to stretch, grab a snack, use the facilities, etc. I stop in the evening before I start feeling drowsy. And I always adjust my speed for weather conditions and traffic.

Yet, when we want to get somewhere, my family will happily put in a 750 mile day.

Safely.

[tinner12002]

550 miles is easily doable if you get and early start. Like others have said, don't think I'd want to do that everyday when on vacation. We usually leave around 7:30ish from central IN when we go to the Talladega race and drive straight through and have plenty of time to setup and that's about the same distance.

[Jbrowland]

I understand the need to maximize vacation time and get to the destination. Many of us have done that.

The answer for ME is...as long as my wife and kids wants me to drive. We've been married for a long time now. 😉

I'm only in my 40's and travel with my entire family as well. I'm not old. Their safety and yours while on the road is always my main concern and no amount of vacation time saved is worth the risk. I'll always pick losing 6 hours in Yellowstone over killing my family or someone else. Most of the RV accidents I have seen or read about were in part due to drivers who didn't want to stop for various reasons or refused slow down. RV's are built with matchsticks. One small accident and they burst apart. Every time I feel rushed I picture one of those accidents with my family or yours and I slow down. Sounds negative and I apologize for painting such a bleak picture but it works for me.

But that's just me...on the road...with the rest of us.... 😉