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.

[jim1521]

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.

[sgfrye]

ScottG wrote:
Some would have you think that pulling a tradition trailer is unsafe, fatiguing and has you in a constant fight with a rig that's all over the road.
That couldn't be further from the truth.
A good hitch provides for a perfectly secure and enjoyable drive. Your not being pushed around with every large vehicle that passes or blown out of your lane with every little breeze. Not unless you go super cheap on a hitch.
Further more, when you get to a site and have to back in, a traditional trailer is easier to maneuver when backing.

So if you find a nice TT , buy it. Your not going to be sorry.

Agree. I can back our 33 foot TT on a dime and be setup to camplevel in less than 30 minutes

[sgfrye]

Grateful Camper wrote:
You will be fine in that. I have a 32' tt being towed by an f250. It tows better than my pop up did behind a tahoe. I use an equalizer hitch, and have no major sway issues.

Good info here. Your 2500 will tow with no problem.. I tow a 33 foot TT with a Ford 250. You always have to adjust your tow mirrors to watch for corners and curbs. WDH and sway bar control make towing a breeze..

[ScottG]

Some would have you think that pulling a tradition trailer is unsafe, fatiguing and has you in a constant fight with a rig that's all over the road.
That couldn't be further from the truth.
A good hitch provides for a perfectly secure and enjoyable drive. Your not being pushed around with every large vehicle that passes or blown out of your lane with every little breeze. Not unless you go super cheap on a hitch.
Further more, when you get to a site and have to back in, a traditional trailer is easier to maneuver when backing.

So if you find a nice TT , buy it. Your not going to be sorry.

[Walaby]

I agree.. you will be fine with that setup. I tow a 37 ft (tip to tail) TT with my Ram 2500. Not a problem. Pay attention to turns and you'll be fine.

Mike

[tomkaren13]

Sounds like a good choice. Only difference is the cornering thing and the size of the campsite.

[Grateful_Camper]

You will be fine in that. I have a 32' tt being towed by an f250. It tows better than my pop up did behind a tahoe. I use an equalizer hitch, and have no major sway issues.

[jerem0621]

Set your hitch up right and you will have no issues. Your truck is more than capable of towing that trailer. Most sway events are caused by too light of a tongue weight. Make sure the trailers tongue weight is 12-15% of the trailers weight and you will likely not experience sway.

Dispite some folks belief. Fivers can sway as well, they just don’t have a natural disposition to sway since they have very heavy pin weights...typically 25% ish pin weight.

I ran two sway bars with my 31 ft trailer. It worked great. One bar was fine but the second one really locked it in behind the trailer.

Thanks!

Jeremiah

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Mickeyfan0805 wrote:

Kyedog wrote:
Turtle

Not sure what you mean by cheats. Can you explain that to me?

I think he is referring to the manner in which longer trailers 'cut the corner' when turning. The shorter the trailer, the more apt it is that the trailer wheels follow the same path as the TV wheels. Longer trailers, on the other hand, have such a distance between the tongue and the wheels that the wheels will take a shortcut from where they are to where the TV is going - meaning you need to make sure you leave sufficient room for the inside of the turns while also leaving enough tail-swing room on the blind side of a sharp turn. These are the types of 'angle' issues that are exacerbated with a longer trailer. They are very manageable, but are the reasons you need to be a little more selective about where you take it.

This is exactly what I was talking about. Mickey did a great job of explaining it.

Another thing you want to be careful of is what I call swing radius. (Some call it tail swing). Here is a great video on tail swing or swing radius. Please watch this. Now we can't adjust our axels like big rigs can but it still shows how big of a problem you can get into if you're not careful with a longer trailer.

Just remember: The shorter the wheel base the more tail swing it will have; the longer the wheel base the more it will cheat in corners.

[IdaD]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
About sway. If you have proper tongue weight and if set up properly it will not sway and will pull every bit as good as a 5er. If not, things can get ugly. Do you due diligence and you will be fine.

I agree you can get TT's to tow just fine, but compared to fifth wheels they are still hampered by geometry and lower hitch weight - just is what it is. That said I still think there's no reason OPs new combo can't tow just as well if not better than the previous combo given the upgraded truck.

[Mickeyfan0805]

Kyedog wrote:
Turtle

Not sure what you mean by cheats. Can you explain that to me?

I think he is referring to the manner in which longer trailers 'cut the corner' when turning. The shorter the trailer, the more apt it is that the trailer wheels follow the same path as the TV wheels. Longer trailers, on the other hand, have such a distance between the tongue and the wheels that the wheels will take a shortcut from where they are to where the TV is going - meaning you need to make sure you leave sufficient room for the inside of the turns while also leaving enough tail-swing room on the blind side of a sharp turn. These are the types of 'angle' issues that are exacerbated with a longer trailer. They are very manageable, but are the reasons you need to be a little more selective about where you take it.

[Kyedog]

Turtle

Not sure what you mean by cheats. Can you explain that to me?

[ScottG]

Just went from a 26' to a 34'. Other than the weight, it's not much of a difference really and it's easier to back.

[parcany]

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.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

It depends.

For me it was waaaaaaaay different. I went from a 26' to a 32' TT. Still not use to it. I towed the same trailer for over 20 years and this new trailer is WAY different. Harder; no, just different.

My new trailer tows WAY heavy. And I have to be careful about how much it cheats when I make a right or left hand turn. The new trailer cheats a lot more.

The bottom line for me is when you do something for 20 years and change it; it takes some getting used to.

About sway. If you have proper tongue weight and if set up properly it will not sway and will pull every bit as good as a 5er. If not, things can get ugly. Do you due diligence and you will be fine.