Tow training for DW

[jamesu]

Been a member here for a long time. Been towing for a long time. We want to see the USA with our trailer, but since I do 100% of the towing, I'm not sure I'm up to the task.Tthe last trip to Reno in September totally wore me out now. When we got home I told her, "That's it. I'm done towing long distances anymore. Let's sell this outfit and buy a B-Class so you can help drive too."

New B-Classes are expensive, more than I want to pay in our retirement. I told DW I'll agree to buying a shorter TT if she agrees to help with the towing. QS: (1) Are there classes my wife can take that will make her into a competent TT tower? I'm not comfortable having her practice in a WalMart parking lot in the middle of the night or while driving on the open road with our set up. (2) Would it be easier for her to tow a 5th wheel rather than a TT?

Any good advice is appreciated. Merry Christmas.

[drsolo]

ForestRiverTeach wrote:

It frankly scares me to see couples where the wife is terrified to drive the rig. I can't imagine what she'd do if something happened to her husband and she was left to tow everything home.

There are a lot more options than being forced to drive the "rig" home. The first comes to mind is pay to park it someplace and fly herself and hubby home. I have run thru/planned my options if something happens to my RVan while I am traveling solo and it all starts with a call to triple A. I had to do this last year when my serpentine went while driving on the freeway in Florida. I even have the plan outlined on my tablet.

Imaging disaster and planning ahead seems to be one of women's forte.

[drsolo]

bguy wrote:
I have found that using cruize control take a lot of the urgency out of driving with the TT. Gives me plenty of concentration for the steering and the mirrors. And slowing down makes a difference as well.

Cruise and driving under the speed limit so the traffic flows around me and so I dont have to be passing and speeding up, slowing down. I especially want the big trucks to get by me fast. I see all the shredded steel belted retreads on the side of the road (sometimes on the road too) and I have always wondered/worried about one of those big tires blowing while I am next to it. Well this trip the truck was passing me, ahead of me on the left when there was this very loud BANG, the driver side tire blew and bits of tire were hitting my RVan. As I slowed down he pulled back into the lane ahead of me and got off to the right side of the road. Thankfully it wasnt a passenger side tire and he didnt lose control of the truck.

[profdant139]

RVcircus mentioned that night driving is a problem. One solution is to avoid night driving! We try not to tow at night because it is hard to set up camp in the dark. But I understand that sometimes you have to drive at night, and the really bright headlights of certain types of vehicles are very harsh -- those laser blue newfangled things. Remember when headlights were yellowish incandescent bulbs? Those were the days.

[bguy]

I have found that using cruize control take a lot of the urgency out of driving with the TT. Gives me plenty of concentration for the steering and the mirrors. And slowing down makes a difference as well.

[ForestRiverTeac]

'tiredTeacher wrote:

DownTheAvenue wrote:
... skills involved in driving any vehicle are not gender related. Any person can drive any vehicle provided they have the desire.

As evidenced by all the women long-haul truckers.

Teach

Amen, amen, and amen.

It frankly scares me to see couples where the wife is terrified to drive the rig. I can't imagine what she'd do if something happened to her husband and she was left to tow everything home. The stress of having to deal with a disabled (or worse) husband would be stressful enough. Add to that not knowing how to hitch up or tow would just make matters worse.

I find it rather demeaning that women are told today that they shouldn't worry about towing their trailer. And I get pretty exasperated with those who say they're afraid. Heck! They (most often) have birthed a baby! If they can do that, towing a trailer is a cakewalk!

[RVcircus]

profdant139 wrote:
Maybe let's approach this a different way -- what is it about towing that you find tiring? I used to be the same way -- then we finally dialed in our hitch arrangement to minimize the bucking of the trailer. We also dialed in the tongue weight. We got a better tow vehicle. I got used to the extra alertness that trailer towing requires, and now I even enjoy it (since it makes driving so much more interesting than regular driving). We learned that there is a limit -- about 8 hours a day, or 400 miles. We do what we can to avoid heavy city traffic.

Putting all of these things together, I now find towing to be enjoyable, if not relaxing (it isn't). And I am no longer tired at the end of a long day.

PS --DW is a great driver but prefers to navigate. She works the smart phone and the audio system and arranges meals and so forth -- I just drive.

Driving at night wears on me. The lights really do a number on my eyes and quickly take a toll on me.

[_tiredTeacher]

dadmomh wrote:
Still working on that backing part, but by the summer I promise to have it at least acceptable...

Most folks don't realize that they can practice this skill all the time. At the mall, grocery store, wherever, make it a practice to back into parking spaces. Use your side mirrors, don't turn and look over your shoulder. Once this becomes second nature, adding the trailer into the equation won't be as daunting.

Teach

[PAThwacker]

dadmomh wrote:
Have you asked your DW if she would like to learn? If she says, "NO!" then this may not be a huge success. She needs to want to do this and certainly nothing has been mentioned to think she can't. At the risk of repeating, which I am, BOTH should be able to tow just in case.

Re the boat trailer....I had a harder time towing our bass boat because it seemed harder to see in the side mirrors. To me, towing the HTT/TT is easier....kind of hard to miss noticing it. Drive "further down the road" so you don't get surprised, know what's coming as much as possible. Allow yourself a wide berth in turns. Still working on that backing part, but by the summer I promise to have it at least acceptable....DH can back into most anything and be 100% parallel...he's good!

The bass boat/jon 1448t is harder to tow. I want her to learn to tow that boat, learn to back it up, and even launch it. Master that and the tt is a joke.

[Community Alumni]

All of the classes around here seem to focus just on the Class A crowd. I have one of those folding 4x8 trailers that worked well for this purpose. It's great for teaching someone spatial awareness, backing, and other basics for those that are just starting out. Maneuvering trailers that short can be an exercise in patience, frustration, and self control lol. Once the person has mastered that, handling larger trailers is somewhat of a breeze. The only thing you can't simulate is the feeling of weight wanting to move you around. That's just something you just have to experience first hand in the driver's seat.

[dadmomh]

Have you asked your DW if she would like to learn? If she says, "NO!" then this may not be a huge success. She needs to want to do this and certainly nothing has been mentioned to think she can't. At the risk of repeating, which I am, BOTH should be able to tow just in case.

Re the boat trailer....I had a harder time towing our bass boat because it seemed harder to see in the side mirrors. To me, towing the HTT/TT is easier....kind of hard to miss noticing it. Drive "further down the road" so you don't get surprised, know what's coming as much as possible. Allow yourself a wide berth in turns. Still working on that backing part, but by the summer I promise to have it at least acceptable....DH can back into most anything and be 100% parallel...he's good!

[Caveman_Charlie]

Dennis Smith wrote:
I will never understand why both people doesn't learn to drive What happens if your on the road and someone gets sick, breaks a leg etc. If the wife doesn't drive your stuck leaving the unit some where. My wife drives as much as I do, she don't like to back in but she can do it. Its no harder then driving a car, just longer and it bends in the middle. My wife can set up and tear down the unit also. You never know what is going to happen in life. Be ready for it.

I do generally agree with your post. But, I have met a couple of people in my life. (Maybe 3 out of thousands) That just can't learn how to drive. For some reason they just can't do it. We weren't all born the same and some people have different types of abilities and disabilities.

[Dennis_Smith]

I will never understand why both people doesn't learn to drive What happens if your on the road and someone gets sick, breaks a leg etc. If the wife doesn't drive your stuck leaving the unit some where. My wife drives as much as I do, she don't like to back in but she can do it. Its no harder then driving a car, just longer and it bends in the middle. My wife can set up and tear down the unit also. You never know what is going to happen in life. Be ready for it.

[RVcircus]

I agree with those that say to teach her like anyone else. She's a women, not a child. I remember taking a small utility trailer when I was in my 20's and needed to unhook and push it into the driveway. That was embarrassing enough that I decided to learn how to back it up. Over the years I've gone from 10', 16' 20' utility trailers, boats, chippers, and now the travel trailer. Start her with simply pulling the trailer down the road and then move into more technical aspects. Go slow and be patient.

[Tvov]

I don't know about "condescending", but I grew up driving tractors with trailers and my business is landscaping - trucks and trailers all day long.

My wife grew up volunteering in medical clinics and became a registered nurse. She simply had no experience with trucks, never mind trailers.

That is why I had to "teach" her how to tow... I don't think it is condescending to want to show someone how to do something new.