New tower, nervous about towing, tips?

[DrLewie]

All good advice. The only thing I would add is to get comfortable using the mirrors, especially the one on the passenger side. You'll need to be able to judge the location of the rear of the trailer so when you change lanes you'll be certain there's clearance from other vehicles.

When RVing, getting there is part of the fun. I found that there was more stress in the anticipation about towing a long trailer than actually doing it.

[RiderBloke]

Originally Posted by DrLewie

All good advice. The only thing I would add is to get comfortable using the mirrors, especially the one on the passenger side. You'll need to be able to judge the location of the rear of the trailer so when you change lanes you'll be certain there's clearance from other vehicles.



When RVing, getting there is part of the fun. I found that there was more stress in the anticipation about towing a long trailer than actually doing it.

Ditto! I get nervous for days before but after a few hours down the road I am much better. I've done 5,500 miles actually towing now but I'm starting to get nervous about the next tow in a week!
In the theater groups we used to say the person who doesn't get nervous before they go on will not do very well.


Sent from my iPhone somewhere on the face of the earth using Tapatalk

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by thebrakeman

Hmmm. Deserted parking lot. Camper. Spouse!

If the trailer's rockin', don't come knockin' !!!

[PenJoe]

You have gotten some good tips. One thing that has not been mentioned is entering/exiting service station pumps. You should always survey the station before entering. Some service stations are very tight and not really conducive to vehicles pulling a trailer. If it appears to be too tight, move on to the next station.

When entering a service station, plan your exit as well as your entry. Pick a lane where you can move to the most forward pump. You will need a wide turn entering a pump lane and a wide turn coming out of the majority of stations. Make certain that the trailer tires clear the pump protection pylons when entering/exiting. Do it slow and deliberate.

Another thing that has not been mentioned is that you will be towing a tall load which means that you have to watch for low hanging branches or other obstacles that could damage the trailer.

Trailer towing or driving a big rig is not gender specific. DW has drive motor homes and pulled trailers for many years. Even though she is comfortable doing it, she has never forgotten to be cautious.

[Mark Ulmer]

Originally Posted by juhesihcaaa

My husband has been towing various vehicles basically his entire life. All I've towed is our 8ft popup once, and a 14ft v-hull boat less than a dozen times.

This 24ft Surveyor is making me a bit nervous. Not only am I very inexperienced at driving a rear-wheel vehicle (we've only had our truck since May), but towing something this long is a totally new experience for me.

So, do you have any tips for a new tower?

Most of the time, my husband will be doing the driving but we want to take longer trips that he won't be able to drive the entire way. I need to be comfortable doing it.

Are there any tips or tricks in trying to relax or be more comfortable with towing?

Take lessons. I highly recommend the RV Driving School. I signed up for lessons with them when we bought our first TT a couple of years ago. I had never towed before either. It cost a few hundred bucks, but was worth every penny. The lessons gave me peace of mind and confidence that I knew what I was doing. They have instructors located in many places around the country.

[Steve29rlx]

Get comfortable with truck first.

[robbdrell]

When you're on the road and happen to find you self on a relatively quiet country road, let the wife take over. My wife started this way. In addition to the parking lot backing mentioned above. Go 35-45 until gets feel of driving and getting the hang of turns and looking in bottom mirror when turning to see trailer wheels so you don't run over anything. My wife does an hr here and there on such easy roads. She even does some interstate when not too much traffic just to get the feel of highway driving. We never go over 60 here.

[wuffwuff]

I have to agree with the above post that states looking ahead at the center of your lane will keep you where you need to be. Looking down the hood and aligning will keep you from seeing what is in your path. Having spent several year in a Semi where you set near the center line and cross aligning with a hood ornament etc will cause you to ride the right white lane line. After my trucking days I work 30 years in New Car sales, where I would hear that the hood was to long and couldn't see the road. You should never be looking over the hood at the road to center your vehicle, that will decrease your good assured clear distance down the road (IE: stopping distance).