Long Trips in RV

[gmacklem]

I tend to make long trips in mine. I have made several 2,000+ mile week long trips. That is one of the things I like most about RV'ing, it encourages you to get out and see the country.

[MacDR]

Just returned from a Wisconsin to Florida trip.. I only drive during the day and I drive speed limits.. 2300 miles round trip.. we average about 450 miles a day comfortable with 2 stops For either fuel or Bathroom breaks.. I always do a walk around at each stop just to check on things, do diligent maintenance and keep and eye on your tires and you will be fine, my 5ver tires have about 18,000 miles in them and they look new after 4 seasons.. but I will probably replace them this fall..

[Havasu Bill]

I didn't see where you mentioned the type of trailer you are pulling. A couple of suggestions:
1. Take it to your tire store and have them check the date, wear and type. I upgraded my tires right after purchasing my 5er for peace of mind.
2. Add a TPMS, they are cheap insurance.
3. Grease the bearings or have them greased by a professional. Most, if not all, axels come with very little lube from the factory. Mine took almost a full tube for each wheel. Somehow FR and dealers get away with this. Not good if you are taking a long trip with your new trailer. There are videos on line showing how to do it and you need to jack your rig up to be able to spin the wheels while pumping in the grease.

Good luck!

[Denny B]

Just got back from a long road trip with our 2016 2304KS Rockwood mini lite. Chicago to Arizona through Utah and Colorado and back home. Visiting 7 National Parks and 3 or 5 state parks in the process. Other than picking up a nail backing into the camp site in the crappy (extremely dusty, and, IMHO, not all that well maintained) KOA in Moab Utah, we had no problems. The tire minder went off as I was setting up. (DO get yourself TireMinder for your rig) Good SAMs roadside assistance came out and changed the flat tire with the spare. A local tire company fixed the flat and swapped it out with the spare on our way out of town. Long story short, go out and enjoy America in your camper. You will find many fellow campers genuinely interested in helping you with good advice

[drelec]

We have a Prime Time Crusader 270 RET. First trip was from Ohio to South Carolina and back. Second trip was OH to Alaska and back, 15,000 miles/ 3 months. Had TV oil changes in Seattle, WA and Anchorage, AK. Only issue was one of the original tires was bald over 25% of the circumference due to broken belt. Tire manufacturer covered 90% cost of new tire. Since then we had a bearing failure in CO on trip to CA, limped to Glenn's auto repair in El Norte, CO for repair. A bearing failure in WV on trip to FL, same wheel as first failure, used Good Sam Roadside assistance to send mobile repair. Got TPS system to monitor temperature and pressure for piece of mind. This year had a tire blowout in Nowata, OK, TPS gave loss of pressure warning immediately so we were able to pull over in about 100 yards. Only damage was to plastic skirting. Called AAA for spare installation and purchased two new tires in Nowata, OK. When the AAA driver put on the spare he found the hub was loose and wobbled. Tire mechanic where we bought the tires popped off the grease cap and the cotter pin was intact, so the person who did the bearing re-pack, less than 6 months ago, backed off the castle nut too far!

[Campahedu]

Originally Posted by hammer40330

Is it common to pull a TT 600-800 miles? I have pulled one around 1500 miles round trip but I worry the whole time and don't know if that is a commonly thing to do and if I should worry. The family wants to go to Florida this year in our new TT about 700 miles one way. I worry about breaking down etc... if you have issues with RV is it rather easy to find assistance or a place to work on them? I have Good Sam but worry this may not be enough if I breakdown on the road. Does it worry / concern others who may pull this far?

I've only been doing this TT thing for 3 years and, like you, don't consider myself mechanically inclined. I too have Good Sam (and have used it for my car!). Like previous responders have said, get a good TPMS for tire pressure. From Maine, I've gone to Minnesota, all over Maine, and to South Carolina (twice). No mountains like out West but plenty of hills. I say keep it UNDER 65 and enjoy the trips! (Keep in mind if you get tired AT ALL, rest at a Cracker Barrel, Wally World or truck stop.) ENJOY!!

[m35a2]

A good thing to to when pulling a trailer is to check the temperature of the hubs when you stop. I carry a laser thermometer but just touching it with your hand for a few seconds is a good "rule of thumb" test.

If you can't hold your hand on the hub for 10 seconds, that wheel is getting too hot and something is wrong (probably bearings)

I guess if your trailer has hubcaps it would be hard to do this test. Do any of the tpms syatems also measure temperature?

[Ree]

Originally Posted by hammer40330

Is it common to pull a TT 600-800 miles? I have pulled one around 1500 miles round trip but I worry the whole time and don't know if that is a commonly thing to do and if I should worry. The family wants to go to Florida this year in our new TT about 700 miles one way. I worry about breaking down etc... if you have issues with RV is it rather easy to find assistance or a place to work on them? I have Good Sam but worry this may not be enough if I breakdown on the road. Does it worry / concern others who may pull this far?

We too. have a travel trailer to travel! Common sense and monitoring ALL of your equipment is necessary. We all have the same concerns as you do.

We bought one of the temperature guns from Harbor Freight and stop every couple of hours for a break and monitor the tire temps on the TT. Wife's (me) job. See a temp difference, check pressures and always record on a paper, so you have a reference. My memory does not always serve me right. We make drawings of the tire positions, so no doubt what the temps were. We record the tire pressures on the outside of the drawing and brake temps on the inside of the drawing.

We made a trip from FL to Colorado through Merkle, TX last year, over 5000 miles and enjoyed every minute, EXCEPT Louisiana's roads. Even on I-10 the roads shook us apart. Hard to even have a conversation in the truck, so LA is slow going, but interesting scenery and friendly people.

We hardly ever drive over 60 to 63 MPH anyway!

Get your trailer on the road and enjoy the sights God has put there for your enjoyment. Be Safe

[pdqparalegal1]

Originally Posted by hammer40330

That's exactly what I worry about Tires and Wheel bearings. I am not much of mechanic could not change bearings maybe could change a tire but I hope I never have to on the side of road. Lol

The most fun you will ever have is changing wheel bearings an seals beside the road with a bent screwdriver and a piece of 2x2 lumber and a rusty claw hammer.
Luckily, only one tends to go out at a time.

[Blackrock]

I did the Alaska trip last summer @ 12,550 miles up n back. I will probably put on another 5K this year easy and maybe more. That's why they put wheels under them.

[timfromma]

Originally Posted by Blackrock

I did the Alaska trip last summer @ 12,550 miles up n back. I will probably put on another 5K this year easy and maybe more. That's why they put wheels under them.

That trip is definitely on my retirement bucket list.

[McCormickJim]

Last Summer, my TT shake down cruise was 3,000 miles. I liked it so much that I did it again 6 weeks later.

This Summer my Georgetown 31L5 shake down cruise was, you guessed it, 3000 miles, bu this time with two grandchildren in tow (inside). It was a blast. And yes, we had RV issues to deal with. So what?

What you can count on when you use (abuse?) an RV is that something will break or not work. Go with it. That's part of the life. So long as you can have as much fun fixing it as you have telling the story when you get back, it was a great adventure.

[jdstrubel]

We have AAA with RV and we've used it a few times to change a tire. My husband is very HANDY... but one time both he and my Dad broke sockets when trying to change the tire... got down to the very last lug and they had no more tools so we called AAA. That's why I pay the yearly fee... might as well get some good use out of it. AAA is very good - their customer service - letting you know who is coming - even let you know what they are driving.... heck if I had a SMART Phone instead of a DUMB phone they might even send a pic of the repair person.... Safe travel... (Hand to the Lord) we've only had 3 flats in the 14 years we've been traveling. Go ENJOY yourself... life is too short.

[m35a2]

Originally Posted by timfromma

That trip is definitely on my retirement bucket list.

That's funny .. retirement is on my bucket list !

[m35a2]

Originally Posted by McCormickJim

Last Summer, my TT shake down cruise was 3,000 miles. I liked it so much that I did it again 6 weeks later.

This Summer my Georgetown 31L5 shake down cruise was, you guessed it, 3000 miles, bu this time with two grandchildren in tow (inside). It was a blast. And yes, we had RV issues to deal with. So what?

What you can count on when you use (abuse?) an RV is that something will break or not work. Go with it. That's part of the life. So long as you can have as much fun fixing it as you have telling the story when you get back, it was a great adventure.

That's the perfect attitude to have.

Things will go wrong with an rv or camper just the same as with a house, a car, a boat, or just about anything else.

Life's too short to sweat the petty stuff.