Newbie to TT

[cccougar]

Just traded in a 2009 Jayco 28 QB Greyhawk for a 2016 Forest River Heritage Glen 272 BH. Very excited and nervous-have never towed anything before. TV is a 2014 Dodge Ram 1500.

A few questions- the tt dealer will be installing trailer brakes- any questions I should be asking them about this install?

I'm still trying to understand the weight guidelines. The dry weight of the tt is 6400 lbs and the towing capacity of the TV is 8300. What else should I be looking at?

In two weeks we pick it up and have our walk through- what type of questions should I be asking?

Thanks for any insight.

[Terryallan]

cccougar wrote:
Just traded in a 2009 Jayco 28 QB Greyhawk for a 2016 Forest River Heritage Glen 272 BH. Very excited and nervous-have never towed anything before. TV is a 2014 Dodge Ram 1500.

A few questions- the tt dealer will be installing trailer brakes- any questions I should be asking them about this install?


In two weeks we pick it up and have our walk through- what type of questions should I be asking?

Thanks for any insight.

Ask What kind of brake controller it is, and if they tell you it is "TIME" based controller. Tell them to get it out of the truck NOW!!!!!!. You want a Prodigy, or P2. At any rate you want a inertia based proportional brake controller.

Also practice before you hit the road, drive around the lot some before you leave. And in truth. It is going to be real close to your towing capacity, Time you load the truck, and then the TT. You could be over.

[cbshoestring]

cccougar wrote:

In two weeks we pick it up and have our walk through- what type of questions should I be asking?

Make sure you fully understand how everything works----and that it does work. Got a 3 way frig...have them Demo ALL the settings, insuring they work. Not sure how the poop hose works, have them show you. Take all slides, out and in. Hook it to water, see that it works. Both city and from the pump. ETC....ETC.....ETC....

Do NOT just stand there like :h or you may later be at a camp ground like :S. As you drive of the lot you should be :B, NOT :?

[cbshoestring]

cccougar wrote:
the tt dealer will be installing trailer brakes- any questions I should be asking them about this install?

I had a brake controller installed by a dealer ONCE. He screwed it to the lower portion of my dash like he could care less where it went...looked like :E

On your 2014 Ram, it is plug and play. The wires are under the steering column, simply plug it in. My suggestion would be to install it yourself (save some money), or hang out in the garage with him to make sure he installs it where you want it.

My personal preference with the RAM, is for the intergrated brake control installed by a dealer. Expensive install (I think mine cost $400.00) compared to an after-market ($100.00-$150.00) but it works with your brakes. The harder you push...the stronger the signal sent to the trailer. The computer allows them to work as one. No delay, and no lag. It has it's own spot on the dash and it shows up on the HUD

[MarkTwain]

cccougar wrote:
Just traded in a 2009 Jayco 28 QB Greyhawk for a 2016 Forest River Heritage Glen 272 BH. Very excited and nervous-have never towed anything before. TV is a 2014 Dodge Ram 1500.

A few questions- the tt dealer will be installing trailer brakes- any questions I should be asking them about this install?

I'm still trying to understand the weight guidelines. The dry weight of the tt is 6400 lbs and the towing capacity of the TV is 8300. What else should I be looking at?

In two weeks we pick it up and have our walk through- what type of questions should I be asking?

Thanks for any insight.

The dry weight is almost useless when trying to determine if your truck can tow your RV. If you are like 90% of RVers, your "important RV junk" i.e. food, clothes, shoes, toys, books, CD's etc etc. that you add when preparing to go on a trip is approx. 600lb. to a 1000lbs. Most of us also run with about a 1/4 of our H2o tank full to use when you are traveling to your destination i.e potty stops etc etc.

[JaredWPhillips]

Be looking at the cargo capacity of your 1500 truck. 640 pound hitch weight on your camper, empty. Add water, fuel, gear, etc, plus whatever you have in your truck bed, and you'll have some weight on your truck. A properly-set weight-distribution hitch is necessary, as well as anti-sway bars. 32' trailer is a lot for a half-ton truck. You can pull it, but make sure trailer brakes are setup properly, or you won't be stopping it. Also, a good crosswind could get that 32' parachute swaying and throw your truck off the road. Not likely, but its possible with any trailer, and getting above 30' with a half-ton truck (in my opinion) increases the chance of something happening.