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Tahoe trip with new trailer. Warning: many photos!

rangerbait
Explorer
Explorer
I've posted bits and pieces of our new trailer acquisition saga over the past few months, which included buying too much trailer for our Nissan Armada (turns out "tow capacity" is a meaningless marketing term :-)), then subsequently trading said Armada in for an F350 diesel.

Well, the time finally arrived for our first real trip of the season...a 5 day excursion at Lake Tahoe! My parents live about an hour from there, so they met us at the campground with their tent trailer. What a great trip we had! Between the towing power and payload of the truck, and the outstanding performance of the ProPride hitch system, the towing experience was an absolute pleasure. We got some major cross winds in a couple locations, not to mention all of the big-rig passes, and not even the slightest hint of sway. Night and day difference from towing our old 27' TT with the Armada and Pro Series WD hitch.

Picking the trailer up from the shop...the fridge wasn't working on AC power, so it was in for the formality of diagnosing a failed controller card. Warranty replacement on its way.



Leaving the fog belt for sunnier skies!



First potty break...San Luis Reservoir





All set up after a short 8 hour drive up the hill...good thing we left at 5am!



Beer-thirty!



Not hating this view



Everyone slept great in the new trailer



Looking up to the Flume Trail high above Lake Tahoe



Grandma and DS2 at Sand Harbor



What an incredible day at Sand Harbor









Papa and DD are best buds



Checking out the campground pool, and flight testing the new water wings ๐Ÿ™‚



Really impressed with the new setup...it suits us perfectly!



A little street hockey to get the day started



The smoke from the nearby Markleeville fire started entering the Tahoe Valley



Wait! I just want to ride you!!



A Tahoe Lobster!



Our last night in camp...it sure was a great time!



All packed up and ready to hit the high gears! I'm really glad I went with the long bed; the extra room for nonsense outweighs the turn radius woes.



This view of Lover's Leap means our Tahoe fun is over ๐Ÿ˜ž



At 62' long, finding a parking spot can be a challenge



It was a scorcher coming through Sacramento...we left Tahoe in the mid-70's, and it was 59 degrees by the time we got back to Monterey, 300 miles later. You have to love the California Micro-climates! This photo does not do justice to the amount of pollen on the dash.



The dry and scenic Central Valley



My lovely co-pilot



The last big climb of the drive home: Pacheco Pass. I was able to maintain 70 up the hill, no problem.



Back in town after a 9.5 hour drive home, and everyone was still in good spirits! Mission: accomplished.

2014 Heartland Trail Runner 35' TT + ProPride 3P
2012 F350 SRW Power Stroke Diesel FX4 Long Bed
Mom, Dad, and 4 Rugrats!
Monterey, Ca.
44 REPLIES 44

chracatoa
Explorer
Explorer
Nice, did anyone ask questions about the hitch? Anytime I leave it in the TV people stop and ask questions.

I love Tahoe and Monterey, I used to live mid-way near Sacramento (I miss the California sun but I don't miss the heat).

I have never been there with my trailer though...
2011 Toyota Sequoia Platinum 4WD 5.7L V8 (next one will be a 3/4, someday)
2012 Jayco Flight Swift 267BHS (5963lbs dry, 6850 wet)
Propride hitch (I had a Reese dual cam round bar WDH for 4 months)

hogcard
Explorer
Explorer
I would kill to have some Cioppino shipped to me from Monterey Fish House

allen8106
Explorer
Explorer
Hate to be the Negative Nelly here but a word of caution for towing at speeds of 70 mph. Most RV tires are only rated for 65 mph. Assuming you have stock RV tires you could be in for a rude awakening in the near future towing that fast.
2010 Eagle Super Lite 315RLDS
2018 GMC Sierra 3500HD 6.6L Duramax

2010 Nights 45
2011 Nights 70
2012 Nights 144
2013 Nights 46
2014 Nights 49
2015 Nights 57
2016 Nights 73
2017 Nights 40
2018 Nights 56
2019 Nights 76
2020 Nights 68

stsmark
Explorer
Explorer
Yes the microclimates of California, the bride and I were in Mendocino last week for anniversary (36) it was 60 at noon in Mendocino and by Booneville, about 25 miles away it was 104.

What a great trip, Tahoe in summer, 5 buddies and I pooled our money after the Navy and bought the Shell station at the Y in Tahoe City in the late 70's. Waterskiing, and dirt bikes in Desolation Wilderness just about everyday after work.

rangerbait
Explorer
Explorer
samhain7 wrote:
What's with the warrning about all the photos? The photos were the best part!! Love'em!,,


Thanks! I figured there might be users out there with dial-up or pay-per-byte services that would want a heads up. Some of those mobile WiFi devices (Jetpack, etc) can cost a fortune. I had one issued to me for my job with unlimited service, and it was awesome to be connected into the enterprise intranet to do work while barreling down the highway...I looked into getting my own when I transferred, but it was cost prohibitive for what I wanted to do.
2014 Heartland Trail Runner 35' TT + ProPride 3P
2012 F350 SRW Power Stroke Diesel FX4 Long Bed
Mom, Dad, and 4 Rugrats!
Monterey, Ca.

rangerbait
Explorer
Explorer
bcsslc wrote:
I have a 2014 ram 3500. The rear is a bit softer than I thought it would be, some of this is because I put a leveling kit on the front end. Any way the air bags allow for a wide range of adjustment. Comes in handy when traveling at night by keeping the headlights pointing on the road instead of at everyone else that is come at you. Also if you need to move the trailer short distances 100 miles or less I don't use the wd. I only use my equlizer wd for sway control (manly windy conditions or long trips).it also soothsayer out the ride.


That makes sense. I think if I were towing something heavier I might look at adding bags, but the rear of the F350 feels plenty stiff for the 1,300-ish pound tongue weight of my setup.
2014 Heartland Trail Runner 35' TT + ProPride 3P
2012 F350 SRW Power Stroke Diesel FX4 Long Bed
Mom, Dad, and 4 Rugrats!
Monterey, Ca.

bcsslc
Explorer
Explorer
I have a 2014 ram 3500. The rear is a bit softer than I thought it would be, some of this is because I put a leveling kit on the front end. Any way the air bags allow for a wide range of adjustment. Comes in handy when traveling at night by keeping the headlights pointing on the road instead of at everyone else that is come at you. Also if you need to move the trailer short distances 100 miles or less I don't use the wd. I only use my equlizer wd for sway control (manly windy conditions or long trips).it also soothsayer out the ride.

rangerbait
Explorer
Explorer
bcsslc wrote:
Very nice setup. I have something similar , I added airbags to the truck and made a world of difference on those long trips.


Interesting...what did air bags do for you? The rear of the truck barely sags without the WD functionality of the ProPride hitch, and maybe half an inch with it...I never considered air bags.
2014 Heartland Trail Runner 35' TT + ProPride 3P
2012 F350 SRW Power Stroke Diesel FX4 Long Bed
Mom, Dad, and 4 Rugrats!
Monterey, Ca.

bcsslc
Explorer
Explorer
Very nice setup. I have something similar , I added airbags to the truck and made a world of difference on those long trips.

samhain7
Explorer
Explorer
What's with the warrning about all the photos? The photos were the best part!! Love'em!,,
Final notice from MasterCard. Good! I'm sick of hearing from them.
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2016 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins, E2 WD w/sway
2015 Starcraft Autumn Ridge 289BHS

hl_remington
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for trip report and photos

rangerbait
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Explorer
CC Crabman wrote:
Was that Cheech Marin?


Haha...that was my dad. He's 100% German, but, fun fact, my mom thought he was a brother when she started dating him in the early 70's. Somehow I ended up super white...I suspect foul play ๐Ÿ˜‰
2014 Heartland Trail Runner 35' TT + ProPride 3P
2012 F350 SRW Power Stroke Diesel FX4 Long Bed
Mom, Dad, and 4 Rugrats!
Monterey, Ca.

CC_Crabman
Explorer
Explorer
Was that Cheech Marin?

ycswat
Explorer
Explorer
Awesome photo's. Camping is all about making memories, nothing better than quality time with the family. Thanks for sharing.

Rob

marcsbigfoot20b
Explorer
Explorer
Now I'll bet you really hate that 55 mph speed limit for trailers in "Kaliformia".