Pulling 30' TT

[Kyedog]

I am going to upgrade to a larger RV. I have been towing a 24' Rockwell Mini Lite with my GMC 1500 for the last 2 summers. I travel about 8 to 10,000 miles a summer, staying out about 5 months. It was just getting to cramped. So I went out and bought a GMC 2500HD with the intention of getting a 30' 5th wheel to go with it. Just got back from RV show and after really looking at 5th wheels I don't like them as much as I thought I would. They are to tall for my storage place and the bedroom felt closed in. I then looked at 30' travel trailers and found a couple I really loved.

My question is how much harder will it be to pull a 30' TT as apposed to a 24'. I used equalizer sway bars on my 24 footer.

[Mr_Beebo]

Bought a 32' KZ last summer. Tows as well if not better than our old 23' Rockwood. Good tires and weight distribution always make a difference. The only negative I can think of is fueling. Gas pumps facing the station are always difficult to get out of because they always seem to be crowded when we need to gas up. And the crowds usually have no idea what is going on around them or how to park. Gas islands parallel to the store work best if you can find them.

[legolas]

And I never have any issues with sway unless there are higher winds

[legolas]

Since you moved up to a 2500, good idea by the way, I dont think youll notice to much difference unless you get a really heavy 30'....I have a 30' Koala it only weighs 5700lbs dry and I dont go over 6500 when loaded. Yow it with a 2008 Silverado 2500HD and don't notice that much of a diffeerence oover the 24' Aerolite I had. Got rid of the Aerolite for the same reason you mention...after 2 months in the Grand Canyon the 24' felt to small. I think youll be fine...Enjoy

[Hannibal]

We went back to a 32.5' travel trailer from a 32' 5th wheel. I have no regrets. The truck actually rides better with the TT. No chucking on concrete highways. No clunking starts and stops. We have no sway as we have a simple loading rule. We can load anything we can carry as long as it's in front of the axles. We towed it the first year without sway control. No sway but a little push pull when trucks passed if there was a cross wind. Earlier this year I bought a barely used Equalizer 4 point 10k off of eBay. No more wiggle from passing trucks. The TT is easier to back into a campsite as well with it's leverage point making it more reactive to the TV.
One of our 5th wheels, a rear kitchen, swayed quite a bit. Couldn't feel it in the truck but I could see it in the mirrors. Cured me of rear kitchen floorplans.

[LVJJJ]

In my 30 years of towing experience, longer trailers sway LESS than short ones, of course they have to be loaded right and hooked up with an Equal-I-zer hitch

[jim1521]

dodge guy wrote:

jim1521 wrote:
I was new to towing. I had just purchased a new trailer for my 24' boat (I had previously kept the boat in a wet slip so never had to tow it). The length of the trailer is just under 30'. One Sunday morning I towed the boat/trailer to a rest area on I-75 near my home and practiced parking/backing up, etc. I was struggling a bit when a guy driving an 18-wheeler came over and asked me if I wanted some tips. He told me to forget about how long the trailer is. "Concentrate on the rear axles of the trailer. Wherever they are, that's where the trailer is going. Don't worry about the back of the trailer." We talked about "mirror management" (how to manage blind spots, when to use the lower mirror, when to use the upper mirror, etc.), how/when to make the right-hand turn, how to use which lane to make a turn, how to manage traversing intersections, etc. This guy had miles to go that day, but spent nearly two hours helping me out. It was greatly appreciated.

I now tow a 37' Grand Design Reflection TT. It sometimes feels like I have a boxcar behind me, but I just pay attention to where the rear axles are.

My advice would be to go to a rest stop and practice.

most of that is true except not worrying about the back of the trailer. the back of a TT will want to swing the opposite direction and wide, so that needs to be remembered when backing up and turning. It would be very easy to put the back of the trailer into a post or tree if you only worry about the wheels.

Let me clarify my earlier point. What he was referring to was to not back up using the back of the trailer the reference point, but to use the axles as the reference point instead. Definitely need to pay attention to where the back of the trailer is going, just don't use the back of the trailer to make that determination; use the rear axles instead.

[ScottG]

The smallest of adjustments can make a huge difference.
I kept making changes and thought I finally had it. We left for a trip and my DW set one of the snap-up brackets while I did the other.
The truck kept getting pushed around in its lane. When we got to our CG I found that my lovely bride had set her side 1 link looser than my side.
Going home was a different story. TT handles like it's one with the truck - rock solid now.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Kyedog wrote:
Wow great advice. I still need help. When I bought my first TT the technician at the RV dealer where I bought the Trailer set up my hitch. Obviously the TT was not loaded down with all my stuff. was that the wrong way to have set it up.

It depends. It depends on how good the tech is at setting up trailer hitches. It also depends on how much stuff you put into your trailer and how much that stuff weighs.

I'm still playing with the hitch on my new TT. It's still not the way I want it and I will more than likely have to buy a new longer shank hitch to get it 100% where I want it. Once it's set, it's set and it will be that way for the life of the trailer.

[ScottG]

Kyedog wrote:
Wow great advice. I still need help. When I bought my first TT the technician at the RV dealer where I bought the Trailer set up my hitch. Obviously the TT was not loaded down with all my stuff. was that the wrong way to have set it up.

I've had a couple of hitches set up by good dealerships and they blew it each time. Not even close.

After they're done goofing with it, bring it home and go through the hitch directions. Then fine tune the install for best performance.

[Mickeyfan0805]

dodge guy wrote:

most of that is true except not worrying about the back of the trailer. the back of a TT will want to swing the opposite direction and wide, so that needs to be remembered when backing up and turning. It would be very easy to put the back of the trailer into a post or tree if you only worry about the wheels.

This was my exact reaction to that advice as well. With a full semi the distance between the hitch and the wheels is much longer and the tail swing is less intense. I have measured mine, and if I turn sharp enough, my tail can swing 3-4 feet in the opposite direction - that is something you have to pay attention to. I never park within 3 feet of a gas pump, make sure I have enough forward clearance to get out of a parking spot before I have to turn, take corners in traffic very wide to avoid swinging into parallel traffic, etc...

Don't get me wrong - I don't find towing the trailer daunting at all. I have never had a sway issue, can haul 600+ miles in a day without blinking, take it through heavy trafficked areas (Chicago) on a regular basis, etc... There are just a few things, when you are parking/backing/turning/etc, that you need to be aware of.

Some time in an open parking lot will give you a sense of all of that in a hurry. You will be fine - just know what your trailer will do and account for it.

[Kyedog]

Wow great advice. I still need help. When I bought my first TT the technician at the RV dealer where I bought the Trailer set up my hitch. Obviously the TT was not loaded down with all my stuff. was that the wrong way to have set it up.

[dodge_guy]

jim1521 wrote:
I was new to towing. I had just purchased a new trailer for my 24' boat (I had previously kept the boat in a wet slip so never had to tow it). The length of the trailer is just under 30'. One Sunday morning I towed the boat/trailer to a rest area on I-75 near my home and practiced parking/backing up, etc. I was struggling a bit when a guy driving an 18-wheeler came over and asked me if I wanted some tips. He told me to forget about how long the trailer is. "Concentrate on the rear axles of the trailer. Wherever they are, that's where the trailer is going. Don't worry about the back of the trailer." We talked about "mirror management" (how to manage blind spots, when to use the lower mirror, when to use the upper mirror, etc.), how/when to make the right-hand turn, how to use which lane to make a turn, how to manage traversing intersections, etc. This guy had miles to go that day, but spent nearly two hours helping me out. It was greatly appreciated.

I now tow a 37' Grand Design Reflection TT. It sometimes feels like I have a boxcar behind me, but I just pay attention to where the rear axles are.

My advice would be to go to a rest stop and practice.

most of that is true except not worrying about the back of the trailer. the back of a TT will want to swing the opposite direction and wide, so that needs to be remembered when backing up and turning. It would be very easy to put the back of the trailer into a post or tree if you only worry about the wheels.

[dodge_guy]

A TT will only tow as well as it is set up. My TT tows rock solid behind my X.

you want 12% of the ready to travel weight for tongue weight, tires inflated to proper pressure and a good WD hitch with sway control. I`m running a Reese Dual Cam. I have towed up to 14 hours in one day with no issues other than being tired from driving 14 hours.

[intheburbs]

parcany wrote:
We got a 35 foot long Jayco being towed with a Ford Excursion. This combo tows down the road great. I do have 1 sway bar when people say for this big if a trailer it should have 2. I have been through a lot of wind and it tows great. Just make sure the truck and trailer is matched together. and pack accordingly.

What about none? 😉