Question for those that tow travel trailers

[Parks 788]

Well, the in laws trailer is out, so that solved that quandary.

Now I just wish that I could borrow someone's trailer for a day to practice parking it.

That's my biggest worry right now. Having to back it up. And unfortunately, the rv spot I have booked isn't a pull through spot.

I'll be honest with you. I've towed many a trailer in my time and currently own a 24' enclosed cargo trailer I use quite a bit. I also tow a lot for work. Anything from small compressors to the largest track skid steers made and most recently a 900 CFM compressor that is giant.

I have found that the longer the trailer and many times the heavier the trailer the easier it is to back up. Short trailers like single axle utility trailers for towing atv's, mowers etc, are shorter and can get get jack knifed very quickly and take a lot more and faster steering wheel corrections to back up properly. Longer trailers, especially tandem axle trailers require less steering wheel input and are much slower to jack knife allowing you time to correct without having to keep pulling forward to correct your backing mistake.

In the end, when backing have a reliable spotter standing in view of your drivers side mirrow and each of you on your speaker phone so you can communicate without yelling to each other. If you are still unsure of your clearance whilt backing up, GET OUT AND LOOK to verify your distances and space. I alos find it easier that if you are backing in an arch to have that inside arch on your drivers side meaning you are backing up in an arch going to the left.

 

[Foxfire5]

I echo what Terry Miller is say. The Ram 1500s have about the worst tow ratings of all 1/2 ton trucks. Depending on the trim level of your truck the tow rating could be higher or lower than the 7500# being stated earlier. Make sure you evenly load your contents and make sure your black and gray tanks are empty and your fresh water tank is only about 1/4 full. Because of your truck I'd go for the shorter trailer.

Definitely go with the shorter trailer.

 

[SoonerP226]

I have found that the longer the trailer and many times the heavier the trailer the easier it is to back up. Short trailers like single axle utility trailers for towing atv's, mowers etc, are shorter and can get get jack knifed very quickly and take a lot more and faster steering wheel corrections to back up properly. Longer trailers, especially tandem axle trailers require less steering wheel input and are much slower to jack knife allowing you time to correct without having to keep pulling forward to correct your backing mistake.

I can confirm that, as could my late father. The one time he had a trailer jackknife on him was when he was backing up his 10' single-axle utility trailer. The fact that it was pouring down rain didn't help.

One trick a friend taught me years ago is, when you're backing up, put your hands at the bottom of the steering wheel instead of the top or sides. It sort of naturally reverses your steering inputs.

 

[TerryMiller]

Just a mention as to the importance of knowing the weight capacity of one's tow vehicle. We were surveying roads near Bowie, TX today and saw a black Dodge dually pulling a pretty fair sized fifth wheel toy hauler with a motorcycle on a trailer behind the fifth wheel. About an hour later, we were out surveying Highway 81 and saw the same rig at the side of the road with flashers on and hazard reflectors set out.

As we drove by, we saw that the driver's side rear wheel was cockeyed from the rest of the vehicle. We don't know if they broke an axle or whether the wheel lug bolts might have broken. In either case, we were wondering just how much weight was on that rear axle.

 

[BallisticGuy]

I pulled my 33ft travel trailer with my 2019 Ram 2500 5.7 hemi. It wasn’t fun, but it did okay with the 12k tow rating. I sold it and bought a 20 Ram 2500 6.7 Cummins. I would recommend going with the smaller trailer.

The air bags are for ride leveling. They won’t help out towing. If you get a weight distribution hitch it will level everything out when you get it set up correctly. The helper bags (air bags) won’t be needed.

 

[beardking]

Well, all of my questions were for naught at this time. The wife and I decided to go with a hotel rather than a camper this year. With the gas prices and the extra equipment needed to make me comfortable towing a trailer, it just made more sense to get the hotel. Which kinda sucks because we really like the rv park that we stayed in last year. But I think it's best for us all around.

 

[wawazat]

Well, all of my questions were for naught at this time. The wife and I decided to go with a hotel rather than a camper this year. With the gas prices and the extra equipment needed to make me comfortable towing a trailer, it just made more sense to get the hotel. Which kinda sucks because we really like the rv park that we stayed in last year. But I think it's best for us all around.

To make the most of your downtime, it is probably a sound decision. Sometimes trying to force something to happen the way we want it to just adds a whole bunch of stress to a time we are supposed to be relaxing and enjoying the company of the people around us. I know I am guilty of that more than I would like to be.

 

[TerryMiller]

Well, all of my questions were for naught at this time. The wife and I decided to go with a hotel rather than a camper this year. With the gas prices and the extra equipment needed to make me comfortable towing a trailer, it just made more sense to get the hotel. Which kinda sucks because we really like the rv park that we stayed in last year. But I think it's best for us all around.

You might look into renting a VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) in the area where you want to go. We did that when we took a 3-week trip to Utah and Arizona a couple of years ago. With a VRBO, one has a full apartment or house to use and can do your own cooking instead of eating out so much. We stayed a week in Moab, UT, a week in Kanab, UT, and finished up our vacation in Williams, AZ using vacation rentals.

Even though we already own an RV and heavy truck, the wife and I have decided that when we go on vacation again we will go with VRBO if possible, and if not, we will also stay in hotels. With the price of fuel especially, that makes a lot of sense to us.

VRBO is its own "company," but one can search for vacation rentals in the area of interest with the computer.