POLL: How many ladies out there driving/towing and set up the rv's? - Page 2

kamp k · 04-21-2011, 09:54 AM

My DW does everything from hitching up to winterizing and de-winterizing and everything in between, but the one thing she won't do is tow. This is a good thing for me because it means she still needs me for something, so I always get to go camping with her, lol.

hockeytownmom · 04-21-2011, 10:31 AM

I hitched it, tow it, level it, and set it up!

Iggy · 04-21-2011, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hockeytownmom

I hitched it, tow it, level it, and set it up!

Well my wife and I have both chores we do when we get into a campground.
Wife
Will set leveling blocks under wheels as I move forward or back
After that she installs the tire brake locks and unlocks the stove exhaust vent flap, lowers the steps and goes inside.

I have the trailer usually disconnect and have make final front to back level. I then adjust rear stabilizers, hookup power, water, sewer and cable TV.

By this time my wife asks if it is OK to move the slides out.
Then she verifies refigerator switched from gas to electric and then turns on AC. Got to keep the beer cool

Thats our plan in a nut shell.

hockeytownmom · 04-21-2011, 03:56 PM

I just hitched it up an hour ago. The guy next door asked if I needed help.

It was nice, but no, I can do it and I need the practice.

mjones12 · 04-21-2011, 04:49 PM

My wife and I are both involved in getting the camper hitched up, unhitched and set up, so she learned along with me, and she can do it all herself when necessary. Often we camp at a campground within 20 miles of our house, and she will tow the trailer over on a Friday morning, and I arrive after work. It's nice to arrive with the unit fully set up and - I might add - dinner on the table. The only thing is that she has to reserve a pull-through site. No backing, but I can live with that. Also, we see a lot of women traveling alone at campgrounds, or with female friends, so I am sure there are a lot of them out there who know what they are doing. More power to them.

skeeterbait8 · 04-21-2011, 11:12 PM

I pack it up, hook it up, tow it, back it in, level it, set up both ends (remember we are in a hybrid). I'll admit though on the first night we normally eat out. I'm so pooped by the end of the day I do not feel like cooking. Easy to do because we normally are at the national park and a town is just about 3 miles away.

Towing and backing is easy for me. Years ago I drove tractor/trailer OTR. FYI it was a "bull wagon". Yes I hauled livestock. lol

ilovecamping · 04-21-2011, 11:38 PM

I help by putting the blocks under at the corners for the stabilizers, either put wood down/pick it up to level/unlevel or I will pull it forward or back to level, put the chocks in, move the tv when unhooked, check to see if level, back up the tv when hooking up, but usually I do the inside and he does the outside. He puts the poles in place on the bunks and the mattresses and I make up the beds, unpack and set up the inside items. We just work together. I have towed it from the campsite to the dumpstation but just don't trust myself on the road. I do think if an emergency arose I could tow it but I couldn't hook it up or unhook it.

stefatc · 06-13-2011, 07:13 PM

My wife doesn't drive often, on other end I like it. Being a passanger it's boring

At least she is a good driver. But when it is time to drive the truck with the TT, my lovely wife doesn't want it. She is scared. I told her that we will start with baby steps but when it is time to pull the TT, it is always at about 3 or 4pm. Lots of cars...! We never know, maybe this summer.

2Susan · 06-13-2011, 08:22 PM

I drive. I prefer to drive. I don't mind backing up, (mirrors and back up camera make it fairly easy), but it's nice to have a spotter. I don't mind dumping, but DH thinks I take too long because I like to rinse everything, run water through the black tank etc.

The problem with having a capable (and sweet) DH around is that it's easy to let him venture into the swarms of mosquitoes to fight with the electrical snake (which is heavy) and instead offer to put the kids to bed and pull the curtains.

Last Summer, I drove from LA to Monterey up the coast highway -(yes the rig is wider than the lane in many spots.

I'm least comfortable with electrical gremlins. I can puzzle out a wee bit of schematic, and know which end of a test light to hold, but for that stuff I defer to DH who is actually good at it.

There are things I wouldn't even try doing - changing a tire for example. It's bigger than I am!

Nigels · 06-13-2011, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmmar

My wife drives our motorhome all the time. I just hold the steering wheel

Classic

LakeCumberlandCamper · 06-13-2011, 11:27 PM

I drive most anywhere and everywhere. I'm the better driver, camper/boat hauler, boat launcher/retriever....he is too impatient and whiny!!

JEN · 06-14-2011, 06:41 AM

I towed our trailer for the first time and even backed it into the site!! Don't plan on doing it on a regular basis, but nice to know I can do it

bikergirl · 06-22-2011, 09:00 AM

I do all the driving , hitching , emptying tanks , hooking up , backing up you name it ! But my partner is also female. She will not drive the TT. She tried backing up once but decided it wasn't as easy as it looked !

trudinator · 06-30-2011, 02:08 PM

My DH and I work as a team. He hooks it up, drives it and backs it into the site. I help with putting down the leveling blocks, the stab jacks, the steps, the awning, the slide, etc. Then we work on the other stuff - tables, chairs, rug, cords, hoses, etc. I'm just learning to back up our 16' boat trailer, so I don't think I have enough experience to back up a 32' TT. I love to drive, though, so maybe someday. I'm positive I wouldn't be able to get the bars in to our Equalizer hitch and get that all set up. So he'd have to help me with that.

**Terier** · 06-30-2011, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trudinator

I'm positive I wouldn't be able to get the bars in to our Equalizer hitch and get that all set up. So he'd have to help me with that.

One thing or another gives me trouble when hooking up.

At first it was the electric tongue jack, then it was the spring bars and now its the hitch. As long as the trouble doesn't move away from the hitching area I should be ok because I can direct helpers with strong arms on what to do.

If you can try to learn the steps on what to do even if you are not actually doing it. In a pinch you will be able to explain the steps to someone else.

My "backing up" skills still suck big time but will be working on it. I just need a lot more practice with someone directing me. It is harder to do it solo since I have not master this skill yet.

kmb1116 · 06-30-2011, 06:07 PM

I have been towing trailers on my own for 15 yrs. First Horse trailer then pop up, slide on, fifth Wheel, now TT. I userly Trailer by myself and my husband meets me I can get more time off from work then him or before we got the Toyhauler he had to bring the Motorcycles. We are women and there ante nothing we can not do.

kmb1116 · 06-30-2011, 06:14 PM

This was one of my only problems when I got the TT. Was the getting the load leveler bars on but I found a neat trick. I work for a salvage yard so I went and got a scissor jack from a old Lincoln Town Car. I use it to lift up on the bars so I can put on the chains, because even jacking up the the trailer while on the hitch I could not lift up the bar to get it high enough on the chains.

LOVE CAMPING

Luvtocamp · 07-12-2011, 12:26 PM

I pull the boat, he pulls the TT. Learned early to back a trailer but I will admit, I can't use those darn mirrors. I have to turn around and look but I can put a trailer anywhere you need it. We work as a team hooking everything up. Our five year old is now in charge of the jacks (they are electric) he loves his job and it makes camping a family team effort.

HoseDraggerLFD · 07-12-2011, 03:29 PM

We have a 2007 Wildwood 31QBSS, live in Michigan and I do it all. The first year we had it we took it to Yosemite, up to Seattle, down to Yellowstone and back home. The mountains dragging this beast were a new experience, but the mountain guides I bought were priceless, not to mention my amazing navigator!

It is always fun to pull into a campground with no pull-thru's and lots of trees. The gathering crowd is always amazed when my 5'5 self jumps out of the truck once I get it parked.

Hose

(I suppose if I can drive Fire Engines and Platform Trucks, I ought to be able to handle this

)

**Terier** · 07-12-2011, 06:00 PM

During my last outing a couple of other RVers commented that they were watching me set up camp. They were going to offer help with the awning but saw that I could do it by myself.

Later when I was walking back from the park store another camp neigbhor said hello and asked if I was there by myself before saying "Good for you!".

LOL- I may had called a little attention when I had to find help with getting the socket positioned correctly in the drill for lowering the jacks. After several attempts to fix the problem I ended up walking down the lane with the bright green drill in my hand. My high tech language didn't help either: "How do you get this end to stay in the other end with the hole?"

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