my wife's first tow

[boatman]

DW has never towed the 5r but she did tow our 21' deck boat last year for the 1st time following me towing the 5r. Because of an accident on the Interstate we had to be rerouted onto the narrowest curvy 2 lane black top I have ever driven on, She never touched a line I told her she had nothing to worry about if she could navigate that road she could drive on any road. She's still afraid of the 5r but she's gaining confidence with the boat.

[MCTroy]

DG usually does all the outside cord for hook up while I pack inside. Occasionally we switch roles. I have trouble getting the jacks loose if they are right but can hook up everything else. Image DH crunched a container odd dog chow with a slide but otherwise does ok. And yes, I can tow the rig. I use the gear ratios in the Ram more than DH for stopping etc. He is king of backing though. I get impatient. It is good for both to know how to pack up or unpack along with towing.

[Wolverine 1945]

I can't even get my wife to pull our 0turn mower out of the barn !!!
LOL !!!

[Volvodriver]

TV-27 foot tandem axle road tractor-12 speed
5th wheel-42 foot (41' 11" brochure) Sandpiper 35ROK
5th year of full timing
DW driving-so far 0
Expecting DW to drive-not in my lifetime
Does DW help with everything else (set up, tear down, etc.) Yes

Dave

[kollinr]

Originally Posted by kittlecat

Damann, my hat is off to you! I am a single woman in her early 50s and after going through a divorce, had the option of re-learning to tow, backup, set up and take down a pop-up myself, or give up camping. That wasn't an option. I had the benefit of having learned to drive at the age of 14 while living on a farm and towing horses in a 4-horse trailer. That helped me with my confidence considerably albeit many years later.

At present, I am on TT #3 in 6 years. I had to decide at the time my son graduated from high school and moved to another state what I was going to do about my love of camping and the loss of my camping companion. My sister (also in her early 50s) suggested I graduate up from a pop-up to a TT. I was aghast until I thought about it. Then I jumped in with both feet to educate myself on everything TT as I had no prior experience owning one.

The good thing is my TT is not that much larger than the horse trailers I used to haul loaded with 4 horses (I have a 30' TT). Backing up is exactly the same whether you have horses or a TT on your bumper. I have to manage the hitching, towing and then backing up at the campsite alone, but manage I do. In fact, I often receive compliments from men at campgrounds who are amazed at how well I can back my TT up. Alone. It sometimes means getting out of my truck several times to make sure I am not hitting anything (I haven't yet), but I do it in all different kinds of weather, times of day, etc.

I am super proud of myself for my ability to camp alone successfully and do so safely and happily. That is not to say I have not had some scares, but that happens to everyone who tows a trailer at some point. Like you, I watch videos, talk to a friend we call our 'camper whisperer' and practice! I would never say I can't when it comes to my camper, I just might need a little time to think about it, process it mentally and then implement whatever needs doing. I got this!

While I only do very minor repairs to my TT by choice, I am fortunate enough to have a friend who is able to help and an excellent RV dealer who is also very helpful. I say "yay, us!" for women campers/drivers!! We are women, hear us roar, and we can do this!

Life is full of adventure, so live it with no regrets! I do this by camping both alone (well, with my cat, too) and with a group of fabulous family and friends.

Should something happen to me, I hope my wife has the courage to keep going like you. I'm trying to teach her a little at a time about towing, set up and take down, but she has no prior experience. Keep it up and enjoy!

[Wileykid]

My ex-wife will sometimes come on a trip (still friends). Never worry about her driving when we had a class c, or now my tt. She use to drive a 50'+ bus and one of those articulated ones for the city we lived in. Heck, those busses scared me.

Mark

[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by Wileykid

My ex-wife will sometimes come on a trip (still friends). Never worry about her driving when we had a class c, or now my tt. She use to drive a 50'+ bus and one of those articulated ones for the city we lived in. Heck, those busses scared me.

Mark

Camping with the X wife ???
What a great idea for a new Thread !!!

[Bill and Margo]

DW here. Would like to drive the truck with the TT except I am a bit handicapped as I only see out of 1 eye. I have no depth perception and can't tell comfortably where the truck or trailer is in relationship of a curb/wall/another car, etc. I can do all the hook up, set up and tear down without a problem. Hubby only needs to drive and back in. I can do it in a pinch but really slow with lots of stopping and looking. I have told hubby I will drive rest area to rest area but would pull over to the side of the road and switch for anything else. I will do what I can if I am comfortable with it.

[spock123]

If something bad should happen to me on the road she would call my son or call the bank and let them come get the fifth wheel. She would fly home, DW doesn't drive the 3500 attached to the fifth wheel.

[thebrakeman]

"My wife is deaf".
I was thru most of the original post when I realized that was a serious comment, and he wasn't making fun of the DW's inability to listen well.
Shame on me!

[kcmusa]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

"My wife is deaf".
I was thru most of the original post when I realized that was a serious comment, and he wasn't making fun of the DW's inability to listen well.
Shame on me!

Well she does have a cochlear implant, but relies on lip reading most of the time.
What I did not make clear in the original post was when the engine went racing she had turned to get the puppy in the back seat and floored the gas. I freaked and did what i could to get her attention, just a small dent in my passenger door.