New to towing. Should I?

[Hannah]

I have driven my 22 foot motorhome 15,000 safe, fun miles in the last year. Buying it was my retirement dream and I am living the dream. I have found that, while I thought I'd stay in one place 2-3 nights and move on, I like staying in place for 2 weeks. So I need to make adjustments and need advice. I do not want to tow a car behind my motorhome and would like to have a vehicle when I am camped. I have a nice car that just sits in my garage while I travel. Am thinking of trading it in for a Ford 150 with the back up assist feature. Then would trade in my motorhome for a 22-24 foot travel trailer. At the risk of sounding politically incorrect, will I be able to tow, level etc a travel trailer. I am a female who travels alone with my little dog. I have learned so much from the experienced travelers on this forum and truly want your advice. Thank you.

[JohnF]

Hannah from Savannah,

I think you can.

[Rbertalotto]

Sure you can. I find pulling a small (19') trailer with a full size pickup truck to be real easy and convenient.

[Terier]

I am a female that travels solo and have no problem towing my TT. I haven't had a problem with leveling but will ask for help if need be. Towing is pretty easy - the trailer will follow but you will need to watch the back end when turning. Towing & leveling skills will come with experience by doing.

[AquaMan]

There are quite a few TTs out there that you would be able to tow with a properly equipped F150. I personally am not that impressed with the back up assist knob in the Ford trucks, and see it as a gimmick that will be short lived. That said, backing a trailer only takes a little practice and patience. If you can back a trailer with a knob, you can back a trailer with the steering wheel, IMO. Travel trailers are fairly easy to set up, and there are some accessories that make things even easier, for a single person, male or female.

[ependydad]

I have nothing to add that wasn't said above, so I'll throw this out there:

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by ependydad

I have nothing to add that wasn't said above, so I'll throw this out there:

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by ependydad

I have nothing to add that wasn't said above, so I'll throw this out there:

Reminds me of Big Butter Jesus:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWF8_rZnwLA

[Bluepill]

Not to get off topic or be contrary to your question, but I just am wondering why you are not considering towing a small car behind your current MH. In my experience, having a TOWED vehicle that is smaller and lighter than the TOWING vehicle is more stable than the other way around.

If you do choose to tow a TT with a truck, be very very sure that you have the weight capacity figured out. It is more than a simple calculation, and salespeople cannot be trusted to calculate it for you. We have some very knowledgeable folks on the forum who can help if you post specifics.

Check this thread as an example. The last post is by Smokeywren - He really knows his stuff. Try to get an answer from him.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f45/true-...-265186-2.html

Best of luck on your continuing adventure.

BP

[Kels4g]

We tow our TT with a Chevy Silverado 1500 so it is possible.

To consider:
The bars and hitch that you use to tow can be/get heavy. Are you able to lift them safely and while in an awkward position (squatting)?

Also, it is much easier to back up a motorhome and a towed than it is to back up a truck TT because the towed vehicle would be unhooked and there's no point of pivot. Also, the length of a truck/TT is much longer than a similarly sized motorhome.

[RussPastuch]

We've bought the smallest F150, with no rear seats and a 5 1/2 foot bed, that would pull the 26 TT.

Good on gas and no problem towing.

Get the electric jack and electric legs and you won't have to do much more than mix the drinks

[kevinstennes]

Originally Posted by Hannah

I have driven my 22 foot motorhome 15,000 safe, fun miles in the last year. Buying it was my retirement dream and I am living the dream. I have found that, while I thought I'd stay in one place 2-3 nights and move on, I like staying in place for 2 weeks. So I need to make adjustments and need advice. I do not want to tow a car behind my motorhome and would like to have a vehicle when I am camped. I have a nice car that just sits in my garage while I travel. Am thinking of trading it in for a Ford 150 with the back up assist feature. Then would trade in my motorhome for a 22-24 foot travel trailer. At the risk of sounding politically incorrect, will I be able to tow, level etc a travel trailer. I am a female who travels alone with my little dog. I have learned so much from the experienced travelers on this forum and truly want your advice. Thank you.

Absolutely! I think you're more than capable of doing so and feeling confident at the same time. If you get a F-150 properly equipped and tow a 22-24' trailer, I would think you would be in your comfort zone, particularly with your experience driving the motorhome. Besides, you'll be happy with the F-150 even when not towing. I have a 2012 and a 2015 and I love them both!

[Hoffwmn]

You will likely do fine with hooking/setting up. You may need to find a friendly local to help you back into your site. My only other comment is, as another woman, I like the safety of being in a motorhome instead of a towable. If at any time we don't feel safe, we just get in the driver's seat and drive away.

[stantyszka]

Originally Posted by Hannah

I have driven my 22 foot motorhome 15,000 safe, fun miles in the last year. Buying it was my retirement dream and I am living the dream. I have found that, while I thought I'd stay in one place 2-3 nights and move on, I like staying in place for 2 weeks. So I need to make adjustments and need advice. I do not want to tow a car behind my motorhome and would like to have a vehicle when I am camped. I have a nice car that just sits in my garage while I travel. Am thinking of trading it in for a Ford 150 with the back up assist feature. Then would trade in my motorhome for a 22-24 foot travel trailer. At the risk of sounding politically incorrect, will I be able to tow, level etc a travel trailer. I am a female who travels alone with my little dog. I have learned so much from the experienced travelers on this forum and truly want your advice. Thank you.

Yes you can! I traded in a compact car and bought a half ton pickup truck and a 6000 pound 39 foot travel trailer. I had a lot to learn but I challenged myself to do it. Get a power tongue jack and power stabilizers and take your time. Hitching a trailer and leveling a load takes some practice but you should be able to do it. You are already driving a motor home so the rest will be easy. Do it!

[SARDogDad]

I have a 30ft that I have hitched with the backup video camera. Just practice backing up to something first, so you get a feel for how the image on the screen matches what is actually happening behind your car. Ford has a very-easy-to-"read" video image. You'll be fine!

[Harkerr]

Make sure you get a good hitch with sway control. Might want to try hitching a TT before you decide. Towing a small car is a good option with your current rig.

[RafenJulie]

What about a smart car in a toy hauler that will also provide a porch/patio...

[goduc]

If you travel alone then towing a small car or truck behind the MH would be a PITA sometimes. If you find a pull thru site then fine. But if you have get a back in site and are alone then you have to unhook the toad and park it, then go get the MH and back it in, then go get the toad and drive it back to the MH site. Not impossible but it's way, way easier with two people to do all that.
I can see the truck TT setup as easier for one person. Get a nice backup cam, skip the Ford backup assist. My wife can't back up our 5er by herself very easy, only because she only does it once in a while. It's fairly straight forward, all you need is half a dozen trips all you'll get the hang of it.


Main thing you want to do is find the TT 1st. Then match the truck to it. Not all trucks are the same. Some have higher tow ratings and some have really low payload ratings. There's a door sticker on the truck that lists the payload. Once you get your TT and know the weights of it you can then figure out what truck will work best.

[spudston]

We are on our 6th travel trailer so I guess you could say we are biased. We like the ability to use the truck for side trips when camped, only one powered vehicle to maintain, and if the truck needs service while on the road we have a place to stay. There is a learning curve to towing so practice on short trips and ask lots of questions. A couple of suggestions: If you are concerned about the weight of the hitch consider the Andersen. It is much lighter than any other that I know of. Also look for a power tongue jack that can be rotated 90 degrees so the tailgate of the truck will clear it. I have a Barker that does this and it was necessary with my GMC truck to rotate it. Good luck and

[pgandw]

I'll throw out a different solution. Go small and light and less expensive. Get an A-frame for the camper, and a minivan or a 150/1500 or an SUV for the tow vehicle. All very manageable for one person.


The FR A-frames come with pretty much everything needed as standard - except a mattress topper. We added a second battery besides the mattress topper.


Down side of the A-frames is lack of a separate bathroom and shower (there are models that have them but I have not been impressed). If you can make do with a port-a-potty stored under the dinette and pulled out when needed and/or use campground facilities, you are good to go. If you want the private bathroom, an A-frame is not a good answer.

my thoughts, your choices
Fred W (up to 3 of us plus mini-daschund)
2014 Rockwood A122 (yes, we use campground facilities)
2008 Hyundai Entourage (minivan)