Can someone help with trailer braking?
- Thread starter TahoeLT10
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That's what this is all about, helping people think and make good decisions for their set-ups.
We learned a lot of this the hard way. We tow a Trailmanor which has a dry weight of about 3000 lbs. We took a trip with my family and sister up to Kamloops in BC. That 5.3 in our 2002 Tahoe worked pretty ******* the Coquihalla. When we got into Kamloops, I put our vehicle with us in it and our GVCW came to 10050 lbs. The GVCW limit for our Tahoe is about 12000. The weight on the rear axle was 3498 lbs, at the limit. This was before using the WDH. Being our first trip, my wife thought it wise to pack a ton of canned food, fill the freshwater holding tank with water (that was a good idea as we had to stay in a Walmart parking lot that night), plus 3 adults and 2 kids.
There's an example of how much things add up quickly!
We learned a lot of this the hard way. We tow a Trailmanor which has a dry weight of about 3000 lbs. We took a trip with my family and sister up to Kamloops in BC. That 5.3 in our 2002 Tahoe worked pretty ******* the Coquihalla. When we got into Kamloops, I put our vehicle with us in it and our GVCW came to 10050 lbs. The GVCW limit for our Tahoe is about 12000. The weight on the rear axle was 3498 lbs, at the limit. This was before using the WDH. Being our first trip, my wife thought it wise to pack a ton of canned food, fill the freshwater holding tank with water (that was a good idea as we had to stay in a Walmart parking lot that night), plus 3 adults and 2 kids.
There's an example of how much things add up quickly!
Picked up the new portable house today. One of my friends in the UK tells me this is an XL there. Lol.
I ordered the weight distribution hitch that you recommended, Larry, and it’s on the way.
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I ordered the weight distribution hitch that you recommended, Larry, and it’s on the way.
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Wife and I spent quite a few years I'm Germany and camping is definitely a luxury there with completely different standards.Picked up the new portable house today. One of my friends in the UK tells me this is an XL there. Lol.
I ordered the weight distribution hitch that you recommended, Larry, and it’s on the way.
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Indeed.
Like how they all pull them with a sedan. Lol
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avalonandl
Full Access Member
No need for WD hitch
If all you are pulling is the empty trailer, I'd agree. My post #82 explains the need for a WDH.
Derick
Full Access Member
Do know that you'll likely need an extended shank due to the high level of the hitch on the suburban. I think mine was like 89 bucks in ebay.
Yes, it requires about a 4 inch drop for this trailer to sit level behind the Denali.
This is something I was concerned about with the hitch I ordered. Nice to know there are extended shanks available - didn’t know that, so thanks!
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Coming back here after months to thank you dudes. We finished our 2000+ miles trip roughly 2 months ago and all went well. Wife loved it. I came to find out that I rather stay in hotels. However, camp site at Fort Pickens, FL was amazing!
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swathdiver
Full Access Member
Coming back here after months to thank you dudes. We finished our 2000+ miles trip roughly 2 months ago and all went well. Wife lived it. I came to find out that I rather stay in hotels. However, camp site at Fort Pickens, FL was amazing!
Beautiful. So how do you like the Tahoe for towing? Did you hit the scales to see what the whole kaboodle weighs?
Well, general consensus here was for me to get a truck to keep it safe so I towed it with F250. Despite ****** gas milage (around 10) it pulled ~7000lbs just fine. I really want to try the Tahoe for this job as I installed brake controller, upgraded my rear shocks to air shocks, got extended mirror caps, anti-sway hitch, and have the towing package. One thing my Tahoe doesn't have that I think would be great for the job, but not so great for daily driving, is 10 ply tires. Next month we're thinking of taking a short, 3 hours, trip so I am thinking about trying the Tahoe.
thompsoj22
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Welcome to RV'ing! The day dreaming bliss and the freedom of the open road is quickly brought to reality, The fact that you pull your 6000lb house with you every where you go, Up hill's at 40 mph and 3700rpm, Into a headwind at 60mph and 4000rpm, Tank slapping high speed wobbles when ever a truck passes you in a crosswind, Stressing over every entry/exit for fuel/quick stops to see a road attraction or taco bell for a quick bite, Pulling into your full hookup RV site at $50 a night because it has a pool and laundry, And all at 8mpg! We have a travel trailer also and here is what works best "for us" to make it worth the trouble of the above formentioned. We dont "Tour" with the rv, To restrictive, Slow, Expensive fuel costs. We do enjoy the rv for "campground" camping and staying in one place for at least 4 days to recover the costs of fuel,campground,food. What a F'ing rant! RV'ing is such a mental struggle for us, We dream about doing it but as you stated, Traveling using hotels is sooooooooooo much easier and cost effective, And "Towing your suitcases" from the car to the hotel room allows every family member to experience dragging their belongings themselves!!! LOL
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swathdiver
Full Access Member
You don't need 10-ply tires to tow with. P-Metric radials are also made for towing and can support the weight on our axles too. I prefer Load Range C tire myself, not as heavy as an E but more puncture resistant than a P-Metric.
I agree. Staying in hotels will always be easier than setting up camp or lugging a camper. But they don’t have hotels in the places we love to camp. National forests in Colorado, a farm field beside our favorite winery, or on the banks of the Shenandoah, so we boondock a lot. We also have a pretty small camper (18’), which is easy to haul and fits in a tandem parking spot while still hooked up to the truck. Perhaps best of all, there’s a dumping station 5 minutes from our house that costs $20, including a propane fill up. One other thing we like about camping is having all of our stuff already packed in it, ready to go. Beach chairs, our favorite coffee, hiking boots. But the bigger the camper and the greater the desire for amenities, the the more a hotel would start to look good.
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Costs of RVing depend. If you want to tow a 30+' full sized trailer with all the goodies and luxuries, then yeah, a hotel is probably cheaper.
There are other alternatives though.
We tow a Trailmanor which is not going to have all the luxury that the full sized trailer have, but it comes close enough for our family. It collapses down so you don't have nearly as much wind resistance, light weight construction, expands from a 20' trailer while towing to be equivalent to a 27' trailer (or 33' depending on the model), has a 3 piece (but small) bathroom. It is much better fitted than a tent trailer, but not as comfortable as a full sized trailer. We travelled from Vancouver BC to Anaheim towing with our 2008 Explorer (my Tahoe had a cracked head so I didn't want to tow with it that year). We probably averaged 15-16 mpg. I think we filled the gas tank twice in WA, twice in OR, and maybe 3 times in CA, I can't remember exactly. We are members of HarvestHosts, so we can camp for free on participating wineries, museums, golf courses, etc.
I'm trying to not make this a plug for TrailManor and HarvestHosts. There are other camping fun camping alternatives besides HarvestHosts. There are other lightweight folding trailers besides Trailmanor, although Trailmanor comes closest to the full sized among the folding trailers. I'm just trying to point out there are other alternatives to RVing that are cost effective and easier towing.
There are other alternatives though.
We tow a Trailmanor which is not going to have all the luxury that the full sized trailer have, but it comes close enough for our family. It collapses down so you don't have nearly as much wind resistance, light weight construction, expands from a 20' trailer while towing to be equivalent to a 27' trailer (or 33' depending on the model), has a 3 piece (but small) bathroom. It is much better fitted than a tent trailer, but not as comfortable as a full sized trailer. We travelled from Vancouver BC to Anaheim towing with our 2008 Explorer (my Tahoe had a cracked head so I didn't want to tow with it that year). We probably averaged 15-16 mpg. I think we filled the gas tank twice in WA, twice in OR, and maybe 3 times in CA, I can't remember exactly. We are members of HarvestHosts, so we can camp for free on participating wineries, museums, golf courses, etc.
I'm trying to not make this a plug for TrailManor and HarvestHosts. There are other camping fun camping alternatives besides HarvestHosts. There are other lightweight folding trailers besides Trailmanor, although Trailmanor comes closest to the full sized among the folding trailers. I'm just trying to point out there are other alternatives to RVing that are cost effective and easier towing.
intheburbs
Full Access Member
If you have the right setup, towing a travel trailer is not a "chore." Personally, I enjoy it. I look at it as a challenge. And again, with the right setup you're not getting buffeted/pushed by semis or crosswinds. I could easily log 500 miles a day towing the trailer. Not fatiguing or stressful at all. Here, the 2500 makes a HUGE difference.
Moneywise - is a trailer more/less expensive than hotels? I'd call it a wash. I'd say they cancel out - campground nightly charge vs hotel, eating out vs cooking, mileage towing vs mileage not towing. We've done both, though we'd usually rent a house vs a hotel.
With regard to using a trailer vs staying at hotels - the benefits of a trailer, to us...
1) Not having to deal with check-in/check-out times, rooms being ready, housekeeping, etc.
2) Not having to eat out EVERY MEAL. Homecooked meals are nice when you're on vacation. We pre-cook and freeze a lot of meals, then just heat in the microwave, cook some sides, and eat. We also brought a gas grill which would tap the trailer's propane tanks.
3) Not having to constantly pack/unpack suitcases/luggage/etc.
4) We can stop ANYWHERE and have a meal/use the bathroom/change clothes. This is a big deal with 3 small kids. The only things that don't work off 12 volts are the microwave and A/C.
My kids are now 20, 20 (twins), and 22. They've each told me that they clearly remember and treasure all of the trips we took on our vacations when they were younger - Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Colorado, Utah, Gulf Shores, Washington DC, Colonial Williamsburg, NYC, Boston, Florida/Disney. Hell, we've probably traveled to at least 35 states, if not 40.
Moneywise - is a trailer more/less expensive than hotels? I'd call it a wash. I'd say they cancel out - campground nightly charge vs hotel, eating out vs cooking, mileage towing vs mileage not towing. We've done both, though we'd usually rent a house vs a hotel.
With regard to using a trailer vs staying at hotels - the benefits of a trailer, to us...
1) Not having to deal with check-in/check-out times, rooms being ready, housekeeping, etc.
2) Not having to eat out EVERY MEAL. Homecooked meals are nice when you're on vacation. We pre-cook and freeze a lot of meals, then just heat in the microwave, cook some sides, and eat. We also brought a gas grill which would tap the trailer's propane tanks.
3) Not having to constantly pack/unpack suitcases/luggage/etc.
4) We can stop ANYWHERE and have a meal/use the bathroom/change clothes. This is a big deal with 3 small kids. The only things that don't work off 12 volts are the microwave and A/C.
My kids are now 20, 20 (twins), and 22. They've each told me that they clearly remember and treasure all of the trips we took on our vacations when they were younger - Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Colorado, Utah, Gulf Shores, Washington DC, Colonial Williamsburg, NYC, Boston, Florida/Disney. Hell, we've probably traveled to at least 35 states, if not 40.
I realized that I enjoy hotels more not because of the cost or difficulty traveling with the trailer as after few hundred miles I did and few backups/backins towing with F250 was very easy. We have a 9 yo and a 1 yo and they go NUTS! 33ft seems big until you stay in it for a month or two with two kids and a dog, who is probably the most behaved member of our family. I would absolutely love to do it and centrantly would enjoy it just with my wife, but with kids it is just too much. Also, I am more of a city life/social person and so is my son so staying at national parks is nice, but one or two days is enough for us as it is plane boring without people around. Staying I'ma hotel downtown New Orleans is a different experience and I seem to like it more.
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