Trailering Noob Advice

[dirtsniffer]

pm'd #paranoid

[ExtraSlow]

PM'ed back - lol.
Anyway, on trailers that are around ten years old, condition make a big difference. if you are buying something with brand new tires and some obvious upgrades or recent documented maintenance, you can save yourself a lot of headaches. Or if the unit doesn't have those things, it's easy to handle them yourself, but you need to know that going in. Five tires, two batteries, and recertifying two 30# propane tanks can make the first summer pretty expensive. Although if you save a couple grand on the unit, that pays off too . . . .

Luckily most stuff on a trailer can be handled yourself. they are easier to work on than trucks.

[suntan]

There's no such thing as a un-repaired RV once it leaves the lot. Maybe even before. Drive near Wild Mountain RV Service in Springbank. Old, new, big, small... Mostly water leaks somewhere...

[HiTempguy1]

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just sayin' LOL

Yes, in regards to a theoretical 4k trailer, not the much heavier ones you guys started talking about. I don't even think they make WD hitches that light, so one, its a waste of money, and two, it can actually have a negative affect on handling. At that point, put lightduty airbags in if the rear is sagged to much and run 10 or 15 psi in them.

Also, one of the best towing/riding/handling vehicles I've ever ran was a 1993 K1500 with lightduty airbags with 20psi in them towing a 7k lb trailer. Rock solid, zero sway, great ride. Basically, follow the manufacturers recommendations, if at a certain weight they say you need a WD, get a WD. Size it right. Done.

[ExtraSlow]

I don't think he's going to end up with a 4000lb trailer. The one he sent me was GVWR of 6000lbs, and my rule of thumb is that until you have it fully loaded and have run across the scale, assume it'll be at GVWR.

Check all the auctions too. A few trailers have show up in the searches I've been doing for trucks.

[dirtsniffer]

Here's hoping it's not 6000 lb loaded. That would probably be outside what I could tow.

Some of these trailers listed I see as 'half ton towable' are hilarious.

[ExtraSlow]

Anything under 13000lbs is "half ton towable according to the marketing materials and salespeople.

[spikerS]

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Anything under 13000lbs is "half ton towable according to the marketing materials and salespeople.

Right?

My truck is rated for something like 10,300 lbs, but I don't think I would be comfortable towing anything over like 7500-8000 tops.

[ExtraSlow]

The heavy end of half ton tow ratings is a little misleading because usually half tons will run out of payload way before.

With 800 lbs of gear, and 12% tongue weight from a 10,000lb trailer, your truck needs to be rated for 2000lbs of payload. As far as I know, no half-ton crew cab 4x4 is rated for that much.

Moving around your load, leaving a few things behind, setting up you WDH really carefully CAN have you pulling that much in a safe and controlled manner, but it's a chore to get to that point.

And I'll reiterate that weight isn't even the biggest issue. I'd rather pull a 10,000 lb 26' trailer than a 6000lb 30' trailer.

[dirtsniffer]

Ended up picking up a 2006 Jayco hybrid. "3500 lbs" dry 4500 GVWR. Weighed empty really close to the 3500 lbs. Came with a solar set up and weight distributing hitch.



Didn't go all out with weighing it, but first try with the set up had me retain almost all of the weight on the front axle.

[ExtraSlow]

Very cool. Those little hybrids are a nice choice and should tow beautifully. When's the first trip?

[ExtraSlow]

There's also another forum with really helpful information for that brand of trailer. I don't think I'm supposed to link to other forums, but lays just say it's the forum for Jayco owners.

[dirtsniffer]

I think we will be waiting until the second week of June. Not sure where to yet. Maybe south east of Calgary where it's a little warmer.

[ExtraSlow]

Check out the camping thread for campground suggestions. Also note all reservable provincial site will be full for every weekend all summer, so if you want those start reserving asap.

[dirtsniffer]

thanks, planning on booking a few trips this weekend. Also looking at getting the 3 burner camp chefs stove from Costco with the larger griddle from cabelas (on sale right now). Also trying to figure out what tools and equipment i should always have with me and whether or not i need the ramps to do side to side levelling. saw these in the trailering thread. Not sure how much cheaper i could accomplish the same thing for.

https://andersenhitches.com/Products...r-leveler.aspx

Andersen Camper Leveler 3604 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001GC2LVM/..._dOq5AbS5FN5N7

[ExtraSlow]

The camp chef stoves are amazing. And I just bought that two burner griddle from Cabela's. I've never seen a better price.

The first tip is to find out what tools you need to remove your spare tire. On my first trailer, it took a different socket size than the light nuts.

[dirtsniffer]

just ordered some stablizer pads. some levellers from camco, the camp chef griddle. Going to costco in the morning to get the camp chef denali, apparently it may be cheaper in store.

I forgot to look at the trailer when I bought it to see if there was a quick connect for the propane. Guess I will find out soon enough. I assume that the tubing is easy to find for the grill. How hard would it be to add that connection if it is not there?

Also the trailer was winterized, and I do not know what I should be doing to get it ready for the season.

Thanks for all the help

[ExtraSlow]

Dewinterizing is simple. Just run water through all the lines until you don't see pink. Or longer. Flush the lines you plan in drinking from really well.

If the trailer has no quick connect, just use a spare 20lb propane tank for the first few trips.

- - - Updated - - -

Let me know how much that camp chef is. I may have a neighbour who needs one.

[speedog]

Seems as good place to put these two pictures I took of a truck/trailer setup I saw this afternoon at the Deerfoot City Canadian Tire. Two women in the truck, no sign of anyone else but the setup looks quite bad to me and I'm not a trailer guy by any means. Ram 1500, I have a second picture but the back of truck as really weighed down and the front of trailer as well - the hitch point was no more than 7 inches above the pavement.

[speedog]