So ... You Want To Pull A Trailer?

[mn90403]

I'm sure many of you have trailer horror stories.  Please share a few to keep the rest of us safe!

 

 

[kac]

Good post. Personally I would have changed the stickers on the car with a popular rental companies logos to add to the realism. 🙂

[F350Platinum]

I started RV'ing about 10 years ago, went from pulling a 16 foot Jayco with my Toyota FJ to now, a 40 foot Fuzion Toy Hauler, my 4th RV. I pull it with my F350 Platinum. 😀

I do regular maintenance. I keep the tires inflated properly, grease the wheel hubs at least once a year, and trade them in when they get too old... 😁

I have never had an issue, crash, or problem, the longest trip I take each year is about 600 miles one way, but I have 8000 miles on my latest rig.

Almost all my camping trips last year were metal detecting trips, two beach and the rest campgrounds. Next year same deal! 😀 I've had great luck getting permissions.

Just keeping it about metal detecting 🤣

[strick]

funny you posted this..been thinking of building a small overland trailer/camper to get into areas where I dont want to take the toy hauler..

strick

[F350Platinum]

1 hour ago, strick said:

funny you posted this..been thinking of building a small overland trailer/camper to get into areas where I dont want to take the toy hauler..

strick

We're thinking about buying a smaller camper for the smaller beach places that don't allow golf carts. Outer Banks specifically, where we camp the beach is wide open to metal detecting. One time I backed the monster toy hauler in the small park we went to, I blew out my back windshield, short bed ya know. 🤬 Guy backing me in wasn't watching where I told him to watch.

$600 later the truck was fixed. 😵

[rvpopeye]

I never trust "guides"      G. O. A. L.  

[GotAU?]

Great video, so here’s a question that maybe somebody can answer. In the last part of the video that showed the rover model with heavy weights on the tongue of the trailer lifting the front end up, what would be  the effect of that weight distribution using airbags to level a truck when you have a front heavy trailer, would it put some weight back down on the front wheels?

Asking because I’ve been considering a double propane system and a storage tray for a generator or water above it on top of the tongue for our 16 footer for extended remote camping and detecting trips.

Mainly just curious about it, we do have a pretty hefty weight distribution hitch which takes care of most of that, but I do have to disconnect it when we’re going offroad.

[Valens Legacy]

10 hours ago, GotAU? said:

would it put some weight back down on the front wheels?

That will not put any more weight back on the front of the truck. You might want to find someone to weld another bracket to the back of the trailer for an extra storage area. That way when you add you new equipment it can be spaced out properly.

ALWAYS make sure that the weight is evenly spread out from front to back or you are asking for trouble.

When I have to transport equipment and a mini sub to the Gulf I have to be very careful when transporting it. I have a Super Duty F-450 Ford that I use and if I am improperly loaded I have some problems. When towing anything just make sure that you keep the loads even and you will be alright.

Don't add to much weight to the tongue to lift the front end up because it will cause many problems. I use a special scale before hitching to the trailer just to be sure everything is going to be good. 

[GotAU?]

47 minutes ago, Valens Legacy said:

That will not put any more weight back on the front of the truck. You might want to find someone to weld another bracket to the back of the trailer for an extra storage area. That way when you add you new equipment it can be spaced out properly.

ALWAYS make sure that the weight is evenly spread out from front to back or you are asking for trouble.

When I have to transport equipment and a mini sub to the Gulf I have to be very careful when transporting it. I have a Super Duty F-450 Ford that I use and if I am improperly loaded I have some problems. When towing anything just make sure that you keep the loads even and you will be alright.

Don't add to much weight to the tongue to lift the front end up because it will cause many problems. I use a special scale before hitching to the trailer just to be sure everything is going to be good. 

Thanks for your reply! Does the scale measure tongue weight? Sounds interesting… 

[Valens Legacy]

1 minute ago, GotAU? said:

Does the scale measure tongue weight?

The scale I use will do the tongue weight and also anywhere I want to make sure what the weight is.

I can actually drive either side of the trailer onto it for the weight, and then with a board I can also weigh the back  end  of the trailer. When I weigh the back it has to be on the hitch.

They have a booklet to help with the location and math to do it on their calculator that comes with it.

I will tell you that it is not cheap, we needed it to make sure we didn't cause a few hundred thousand dollars worth of damage to our equipment.

We used to use a heavy duty bathroom scale to measure the tongue weight before we got the better scale, just make sure that it goes to around 750 pounds.