Need advice - towing on the ALCAN highway

[okieinalaska]

I am moving from Alaska back to Oklahoma to be close to my family in a few months. The short sad story is my husband of 20 years passed away unexpectedly in 2011. I love it here but my kids need to be near family and it's time to go.

I have a 17 foot enclosed trailer I am loading up with the last of our belongings. (My kids are flying down) A friend is going to be flying up to help me drive it home but due to time constraints I need to get it all packed and ready to tow before he gets here.

He had me get a Prodigy brake controller for my truck but doesn't know anything about weight distributing hitches. I called around and the only brand i have found for sale so far is a Husky rated (I think) 8,000-12,000 lbs. Sway control kit is extra $.

A second issue is my dad and I are looking into buying a used 2004 Jayco Jayflight 27BH in OK and the kids and i will be staying in it temporarily as well as camping and taking trips before school starts. It's in great condition and I think a good price $6,500.

I have towed a trailer before but it was a 1957 Shasta (just sold it last week) and was only 12 feet long so this will be a different experience for me. 🙂

BTW, I don't know if there is a scale nearby, I am near Anchorage.

Tow Vehichle:
2005 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab LS K1500 4x4, V8, 4.8L, rear axle ratio 4.10, HD Towing package, locking differential rear axle
7,000 GVW
Owners manual says Max tow amount is 8,400 and GCWR is 14,000
Truck has a cap on the back so I imagine that adds to the 7,000 gvw.


Enclosed trailer:
Eagle brand by Jenkins
18 foot v nose
GVWR 7,000 (I don't have an empty weight and it's already 1/2 packed)


This will be waiting for me in OK:
Jayco Jayflight 2004 27bh
29 feet long, empty weight 5,000 lbs, GVWR 7,500

It looks to me like I will be ok for both trailers? On the Jayco I will have to be careful not to go over the GCWR. I would like to get a weight distributing hitch that I can use for both trailers that would be easy to switch back and forth as needed.

I saw that many people recommend Equalize and Reese but I haven' been able to find those here. Also the one trailer place is booked up till end of July with work and wouldn't be able to attach it. (there is another place I could go but I'm not to keen on them) The guy I talked to said it was easy and I could put it together and adjust it then bring it back in and they would tighten the bolts. I would have to drill holes in the frame though to attach it. Is this something I could do? I am very handy with tools it just scares me to have to drill holes in the frame. I haven't called 6 Robblees yet, they may have the other brand of hitches.

Anything else I should be aware of? First order of business is to get to OK in one piece. Second is to be able to tow the Jayco once I get there. 🙂

Thank you for any advice you can give.
Happy Tuesday, 🙂
Amy

[okieinalaska]

One more question, another friend suggested I beef up my rear end, I informed him I do that everyday but he told me he meant my truck. He suggested I add additional leaf springs. Is that necessary with a wdh? A good idea in addition to?

Thanks,

[carringb]

I edited my comment above. It should have said "over hang" not overhand. Basically, the closer the mass is to the axles, the more stable the trailer is. That's why boats pull so much better than the same size TT. It's also why heavy stuff should be loaded in the center of a cargo trailer. Putting it at each end, even if balanced, will make it pull worse than if the heavy stuff is over the axles.

[okieinalaska]

Thank you all for your replies and Bill thank you for the link. 🙂
I called the other shop in town and they have the Curt wdh and sway control kit and they can install it for me end of the month. I am good at following instructions, just was worried about drilling holes in a metal frame. But I'd rather not have to do either so that's the way I'm going. 🙂

What is shorter overhand? That's good to hear about 60% weight in front, I think I am on the right track then.

When I get to OK I will worry about the jayco travel trailer. If it only sits and we live in it for a bit that's fine. Still better than us moving in with my parents and brother! Also, most of OK is pretty darn flat so I guess I'll just have to try it out and see how it does.

Couple of questions to be sure I understand...
If you use a wdh does it increase the amount of tongue weight your hitch can handle because it spreads the load?

Also, with the travel trailer tongue weight I would be close to payload capacity in my truck is that what you are saying?

Bob, that is how we got here, my husband was a Coastie for 20 years and he was retired one year before he passed, he was only 44. We thought we were here to stay forever. Sad to go but ready for the next chapter to. -And after 13 Alaska winters I am ready for something else.

Thank you, 🙂

[Trackrig]

Here's a list of the public weight scales in Anchorage.

Anch weight scale clicky

Bill

[carringb]

The Husky will probably be fine for both, and I doubt you'll even need sway control for the cargo trailer. Just add it later when you pull the TT. The cargo trailer will be inherently more stable because of the shorter overhang, as long as you load it 60% front, 40% rear.

While I think both the Dual Cam and Equalizer are even better, a basic WD setup like the husky is much easier to transfer between trailers.

The one think to watch out for is payload on your truck. That Jayco will be nearly 30' long, and the hitch weight won't leave much capacity for carrying thing/people in the truck. Don't be fooled by the "dry" hitch weight. Once batteries and propane alone are added, it jumps quick, even before loading stuff in the trailer.

[The_Texan]

Will it tow it? Yes.....Will it stop it? Yes....Will you be happy at those weights with that truck? Very doubtful. We traded a 2005 GMC with the 5.3L and 3.73 gears for our current truck and I would not have been happy towing those weights with it. You will find that your truck actually weighs around 5600#-5800#, which does not leave much payload. Yes, you will need a WDH, if not for the utility trailer, then for the travel trailer. However there is more to a WDH than just installing it and hooking it up. It has to be set up PROPERLY, or it will be as dangerous as not having one.

Good luck in your venture and I know what you mean about hating to leave Alaska, after the years I spent there in the military.