Brought home new TT tonight. Drug the back end. :-(

[chrisj76]

Brought home a new 37 Foot Travel Trailer this evening. When pulling into the storage lot, it’s a pretty steep grade, at an angle I drug and bent the rear bumper and even the spare tire mount. I’ve seen wheels mounted below the trailers before, is this what I should be looking at?

I’ve had trailers before but never this long. Should I look for a bolt on set? Some of the reviews show these wheels don’t really hold up.

Thoughts? I’m lost.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by chrisj76

Brought home a new 37 Foot Travel Trailer this evening. When pulling into the storage lot, it’s a pretty steep grade, at an angle I drug and bent the rear bumper and even the spare tire mount. I’ve seen wheels mounted below the trailers before, is this what I should be looking at?

I’ve had trailers before but never this long. Should I look for a bolt on set? Some of the reviews show these wheels don’t really hold up.

Thoughts? I’m lost.

Anything you "Bolt/weld/add to your rear Frame will come in contact with the Ground/Road sooner than what you have now"! Wheels/skid pads added might add to Bending of the Frame! Youroo!!

[KyDan]

I mounted the spare below the front pass thru storage on a Rockwood Ultra lite.
Your answer is really- avoid dragging. You have a trailer not that much smaller than some house trailers. You'll have to be super cautious around any turn in or out that's got much of any grade.
I'm surprised it was the bumper as it's often the dump valves that get
damaged when a long rig meets a steep turn in. Hope it's not too bad!

[chrisj76]

Originally Posted by KyDan

I mounted the spare below the front pass thru storage on a Rockwood Ultra lite.
Your answer is really- avoid dragging. You have a trailer not that much smaller than some house trailers. You'll have to be super cautious around any turn in or out that's got much of any grade.
I'm surprised it was the bumper as it's often the dump valves that get
damaged when a long rig meets a steep turn in. Hope it's not too bad!

Thank goodness the dump valves are much further forward on this TT.

[muddyrode]

the problem with rear dolly wheels are the tend to try to lift the back of the trailer leaving the axel area suspended off the ground in that situation which could bend the frame

[Bob2019]

The longer the RV, the more any small incline will drag. Try gas stations. Best go into them at a slow angle. I have experienced tail drag on many RVs.

[2plus1]

Been there, got the T-Shirt. First increase the angle and go super slow regardless of traffic. The other advice you've received is spot on. Possibly carrying some 2X6 pieces to act as a ramp under the trailer wheels would work. Very often it's the stabilizer jacks that get bent 90 degrees, ask me how I know.

Paul

[robo44]

How about doing an axel flip? If you travel this road or similar a lot

[campers302]

Exactly what they are saying. You just have to learn by trial and error on how to approach a steep grade. With a TT that long it will be tough but you will get the hang of it.
The frames under these TT's today are pretty weak not like yesteryear when they were not worried about weight.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by robo44

How about doing an axel flip? If you travel this road or similar a lot

Unless the OP provides year, make and model number of trailer, we don't know whether it has torsion axles or conventional axles. Torsion axles can't be flipped.

[CoMaddMax]

The first time I took my trailer to a campground my leveling jacks stopped me dead in my tracks when they caught on 1/2 bump in the concrete pad and the incline wasn't that much. I raised all my levelers to their highest position and haven't drug since. Is you trailer level or is the front higher when you are on level ground? If it is lower the front. I also put bigger tires on my trailer to raise the whole trailer. Someone said if you put wells on the back it could it lift the tires off the ground and bend the frame... I find that very hard to believe, they may raise the trailer body, but not enough to lift the wheels off the ground. Have fun finding a solution, it's out there!

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Unless the OP provides year, make and model number of trailer, we don't know whether it has torsion axles or conventional axles. Torsion axles can't be flipped.

Do they put torsion axles on 37-footers? I somehow got the impression that they were used on smaller units?

[CGK]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

Do they put torsion axles on 37-footers? I somehow got the impression that they were used on smaller units?

Our TT is nearly 37' long, end-to-end, and it has torsion axles.

[Hoomi]

Before you do ANY modification to your trailer, if it's new and has a manufacturer's warranty, check and see if the mod will void your warranty. Some of the Wolf Pups like we bought come with a factory fold-down rack on the rear bumper. In one manufacturer's video showing this feature, the spokesperson comments against any after-market add-ons, stating that anything welded or bolted into the rear bumper or frame will void the warranty.

Your dealer should be able to answer this question for you.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

Do they put torsion axles on 37-footers? I somehow got the impression that they were used on smaller units?

Yes, yes they do.

[Old Pilot]

I have installed pneumatic castors on the back of every camper we have owned. They have saved us on numerous occasions when pulling off parking lots to crossing streams and gullies. On our current TT I have full swiveling 8” wheels. These protect my leveling jacks, dump valves, rear bumper, etc. First time out with our latest TT we were pulling across a small stream and all four wheels were off the ground, the rig was on the castors and hitch. When doing this GO SLOW!!!!

[rsdata]

Maybe dropping the hitch ball on the TV one notch will drop the trailer nose and raise the trailer tail an equal amount... if that does not interfere on the front clearance...

Or go from 15 inch tires to 16 inch wheels and tires... won't gain you much for probably a big expense..

finally a different storage location

[ARhappycamper]

Try to go across the dip at an angle.

[chrisj76]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Unless the OP provides year, make and model number of trailer, we don't know whether it has torsion axles or conventional axles. Torsion axles can't be flipped.

2021 Salem 29VBUD. I have no clue if a axel flip can be done. Would the dealer do that?

[chrisj76]

Originally Posted by rsdata

finally a different storage location

This is most likely going to happen. I’ll try it a couple times at an angle but it’s a steep hill, and I can’t justify tearing things up. I’ve had TT’s for 10 years and only once have I drug anything in the back. The length of this new one doesn’t help me at all.