First time towing

[Billchelle]

Picking up the new 30ft Greywolf on Friday. A bit nervous about towing any advice? Thanks!

[Rebel702]

Tell us about your tow vehicle and your hitch. Best advice is make sure all your questions are answered by the dealer before you leave. Particular attention to the hook-up process. If you can, camp close to the dealer for a shake down of the unit. Towing wise go at your own pace but keep it under 65. Check your truck tires for max pressure and inflate to that level. Try to find a large parking lot close by and practice forward and backward. Turning with a trailer is different than you are used to.

Congrats on the new trailer and Welcome to the forum.

[Oaklevel]

Biggest thing I can tell you from 35+ years of towing is it takes alot longer to stop than solo.....& keep in mind the turn radius is much greater .......... can't turn or back too sharply (trailer tongue can contact the bumper & do damage).....Did I mention it takes longer to stop....

When you hitch up check & double check..........

Just takes practice but never become over confident .........

Enjoy & have fun.......... Congrats on your new RV....

[5erDriver]

Hi. Congrats

All the above is good advice. Also don't assume that everyone else on the road knows or even cares that you are towing. Extra space and extra time with turning, lane changing and as mentioned, braking is key. Just as you are approaching that side road where a car is waiting to pull out and they wait and then do making you anchor up. You'll see what I mean. Kinda like riding a motorcycle. You only appreciate their position on the road as a motorist if you are also a rider.
Get in to a habit about hitching and un hitching for sure. Even make a checklist until it becomes second nature. There is a lot to remember and you can't miss anything.
You will learn fast
Most of all, enjoy your new camper!

[Truth B Towed]

Also, get your DW involved, she can be your second set of eyes as youdouble check you hook-ups...don't forget the chocks...first thing on...last thing off.

[Acableguy06]

Remember even though you are a big vehicle, people WILL pull out in front of you, so they don't have to follow you.
ALWAYS (G.O.A.L) Get Out And Look before backing up.
And if at all possible do not back in on your blind side. (passenger side). Its a lot easier to see on the drivers side. Its not always possible due to lots a variables, but I try to make it happen.
I have a rule when we get to camp. No one gets out of the truck when backing up, and everyone stays seated till I say they can get out. (my wife is the exception if I need extra eyes). I usually get the camper chocked and 120 plugged in and air turned on. Then let the family do their thing helping set up the rest.

[Platokidd]

Lot of good advice here for sure!
Have you ever towed anything before?
Where I live I have to watch out for low hanging trees and weave around them since my unit sit kinda tall.
Have your "A" game ready for the journey home from the dealer and enjoy the moment!
I remember towing my new unit home...rush hour traffic
Be safe

[Acableguy06]

Make sure you have towing mirrors!

[Triguy]

Originally Posted by Billchelle

Picking up the new 30ft Greywolf on Friday. A bit nervous about towing any advice? Thanks!

Here is what I suggest. I don't know if this will be your first time towing any trailer, so here are some basics...

Take turns wide.

Take it slow -stay below 65 on the freeway and give yourself 2-3 times the distance you would normally when following traffic.

Spot out an empty parking lot and practice. Learn how to a backup using side mirrors (There is a trick to place your hand on the bottom of your steering wheel at the 6:00 position) and turn your hand in the direction that you want your trailer to turn). Reverse slowly.

Pay attention to the height of your trailer when on roads with a low tree canopy.



Not related to towing but good practices for the pickup day and before your first big trip:

PDI - review the PDI Checklist in our library (found in the green menu bar above). Take it with you for the pickup.

Learn how to adjust your weight distribution hitch. A properly adjusted WDH has a great impact on towing. You will need to readjust some of it once you fully load.

Always check your trailer tires' air pressure before traveling.

Learn how to adjust your brake controller. You might need to do this on the road.

Plan to driveway camp once you get it home and before your first long trip.

[Taylorgso]

Be sure and check electrical connections before pulling out. Do a walk around and check turn signals and brake lights on the trailer. If your TV did not come with trailer brake setup you may need to replace flasher with heavy duty flasher. And yes, it takes a lot longer to stop. I would suggest you find a side street somewhere close by the dealer and do some test stops, including "standing" on the brake pedal to simulate a panic stop - this will give you an idea about how much longer it takes to stop. I often see RVs rolling down the highway following as closely as if they were in city traffic at 30mph! Also, remember the extra height and watch out for low bridges and tunnels.

[rycej]

I just went through this less than a month ago with our trailer. Couple things I figured out quick.

#1/. Pay attention to the hookup and unhook demo (especially if you have WD or sway bars involved).

#2/. Know what your truck sounds and feels like before you hook up. I made note of how hot the temp needle and such runs when just driving normal.

#3/. Who ever is helping guide you as you back up ... instruct them to just use key words like STOP or GO and not use an entire sentence when helping. Nothing worse than stopping a bit too late because someone is saying something like "if you keep coming back in that direction you might hit this little tree that is back here". Didn't happen, but almost did. lol

[Brother Les]

When driving down the road you should get to the point of always scanning your tow mirrors for what is behind you. By looking behind you in the mirrors you can see how your camper is tracking down the road and then you will know exactly the 'hood' points on you vehicle to keep the trailer in the middle of your lane.

You will slow up traffic....that is a fact of life so don't worry about it.... do not 'speed up'... do not 'change lanes to get out of the way'.... Nice and steady forward. know your blind spots and be very aware if 'someone' is in them. Plan your route that you will take. Driving 'down town' with a camper is not a good idea until you have many trips under your belt. The 'curbs' will eat your tires alive and will bounce your camper up in the air and a few 'bad' things could happen. When you need to 'change lanes', plan 3-4 times the length than you would in a 'car'. Say, on a 4 lane road in a town with stop lights with side roads, in a car you may need one 'light' to change a lane.... in a camper you may need 3 in order to 'get over'. People do not like to follow a vehicle that they can not see around. Let those around you know what you want to do.... signal, signal (check all of your lights before you leave, signal lights and brake lights... when they don't work, look at the connection, bulbs, fuses. I like to hook up my camper to the 'plug in' the day before a trip to make sure all of the lights work this will give you time to fix them if some don't. The last thing you want is to have the DW and kids sitting in the truck and you take an hour to get the running lights working) Take your time in changing from one straight lane to another. The back end of your trailer could 'clip' another vehicle if it swings to far to fast in a quick vehicle turn.

Be aware what is around you....... And Don't Hit it.... What you do 'hit' will not take kindly when you say, "I did not see you"
Just some thoughts.

[Arefbee]

Find a good checklist. Modify it to your needs. Use it always!

Take it slow. If you have to hurry, have your co-pilot make a call that you'll be late. You will never see the guy who is trying to rush you again and they are prolly just jealous you are doing recreation.

Always drive first, then navigate, then worry about OS like cell phone, scanning your radio into a death metal/rap/country station, where you packed the snacks, etc.

Backing up is a lot easier if you have your signals worked out before hand with your spotter. Practice with a toy trailer and have your partner work with you.

Once a the CG you'll find there is always someone willing to help. Heck the managers can usually get a rig into a site that average campers think was impossible, without much effort.

Most importantly - have fun!

[tanddc]

1) Take your time
2) Have someone ride with you the first time and make sure they are a calm person
3) don't just know how to adjust the brake controller, practice it in the parking lot first

Finally, don't even mess with hand signals for backing up, especially if your spotter is your wife (or a woman period). Men and womens brains work different and men are visual and women are vocal. Use cell phones or some other verbal means of communication (other than yelling).

[Platokidd]

Originally Posted by Billchelle

Picking up the new 30ft Greywolf on Friday. A bit nervous about towing any advice? Thanks!

With all this good advise, you outta be ready to go n get that bad boy toy! Picker up and bringer home! (all in one piece of course)

Congrats on the new toy

[Billchelle]

Thanks for all the info all! Got her home safe and sound!

[1A Camper]

All the above plus before pulling into any parking lot. Have a plan how am I going to get out of the lot. Backing up in a parking lot is not fun.

[asquared]

Few things now that you have her home....

Pick up a set of walkie talkies. Have your spotter speak to you on these when backing up. We use drivers side and passenger side to avoid confusion. As I back dh sill tell me things like tree 3 ft back drivers side. Realize the spotter doesn't know how long it takes to correct direction when backing so try to be a little ahead by using your side mirrors. You can practice backing just the TV using side mirrors only. Then take the whole rig to an empty parking lot (schools work well for this) and practice backing. Practice a straight line and backing into a spot. Get some cones and start with the spit being 5 or 6 spaces wide and then slowly narrow it down as you get the hang of it. The hand at 6:00 on the wheel always confused me so I just know that the trailergoes the opposite direction of the TV when backing. I always start slowly and back a few inches seeing which way things go.

As others have said drive slowly. Leave extra distance. Make sure your wdh is set up correctly. Don't over correct when driving. If you don't have tow mirrors get them. Have a good brake controller.... You want a proportional brake controller and not a time delay/based brake controller. Learn your blind spots. A good way to do this is in the empty parking lot have the dw maneuver the car around your rig. Watch to see when it disappears and reappears.

[Platokidd]

Originally Posted by Billchelle

Thanks for all the info all! Got her home safe and sound!

LQQKS good hooked up with that chevy
I would recommend changing out the stock mirrors for the the gm slide out mirrors. Have them on my truck , nothing better

Happy campin and good luck with the new wolf
Carl

[etcmss]

I also made my first trip towing a Flagstaff 831FKBSS (~6800#) with an equalizer sway bar and an F-150 Ecoboost. not a good experience.
I wasn't prepared for the lurching, constant bumps and the sway at 50 mph was unexpected. on a flat road I got up to 60 but I wasn't that comfortable, like on the edge of my seat constantly ready to react.
So is this normal?
some of us are new and this experience is helpful.
Gary