Travel Trailer Towing Experiences?

[npaden]

I'm looking at renting a travel trailer to take hunting in Wyoming this fall.

I've found a local place that will rent me a 24' lightweight trailer for $650 for 9 days to get there and back. It weighs 4,000lbs and is well within the capabilities of my Chevy 1/2 4x4 Z71 pickup.

I was talking with a co-worker and he said he would let me use his travel trailer for free. It is a 27' trailer and weighs 7,000lbs which is right at the limit of my trucks towing abilities.

The other option is loading everything in my truck and renting a trailer once I get to Wyoming and moving everything back and forth.

I've pulled trailers long distance hauling ATV's and lumber, but never pulled a travel trailer a long way before. I'm leaning toward renting the lighter trailer and hauling it there and back.

The only other option is that I've been looking at buying a used 3/4 ton truck for years now because I use my current truck to haul my tractor back and forth to my land 100 miles each way and it is probably a little over the towing capacity when it is loaded with the tractor and seed and other supplies. Probably not a good idea to buy a 10+ year old pickup and then turn around and run it 2,400 miles round trip pulling a big trailer though.

Oh well, I know the right answer, just looking for input.

Thanks, Nathan

 

[4Kings]

Be careful with that 7,000 pound trailer, it can easily climb to more than 8,000 lbs by the time you load it up with your stuff.

 

[RobertN]

I would rent the trailer. If you break your buddies rig, well, even if you take care of fixing it it makes for uncomfortable situation. And his rig is at your trucks limit to boot.

Have you hunted Wyoming before? Are you ready to tow in bad weather? Muddy and/or snowy roads? 9 of 10 of my trips back there have been good weather. One went from good weather to a foot of snow in less than 12 hours.

Some folks showed up after it snowed towing a trailer. We were in a basic, primitive type campground. They had a lot of fun backing that trailer in to thier camp site. The 5 miles of dirt road coming in were slippery but passable.

I'd make sure to have chains for the trailer. It would be the pits to tow in snow with no chains on the trailer.

My trips have been mid October, for antelope and opening of deer season(Oct-15).

 

[Diamondpilot]

I tow day in and day out. Really, 3-4 days a week, usually over 100 miles at a time. Just Saturday I pulled my 7,000# boat 150 miles round trip with my Nissan Titan and got right at 9.9 mpg. Sunday I moved a friend into college by borrowing a 2 Horse trailer. Its aluminum and it rated for 7,000# but only weighs 1,800# empty and drove it 380 miles round trip of which only 160 had a load of college kid stuff, I guess 1,500# of stuff. The trailer was only stacked 3 feet deep. Anyway I only got 9.2 mpg. What I am getting at is weight comes into play accelerating and stopping but wind drag is a bigger factor. My boat weighs 3 times more and I get better MPG pulling it.

Chris

 

[JMynes]

Rent once you get there. The difference in fuel economy will help offset the cost of the rental, and you will travel a whole lot more comfortably without that whale behind you.
Go and get that 3/4 ton truck after you get back. Drive it, get to know it, then you can tow most anything you want to behind it.
I traded my Suburban because my new toy hauler trailer was right at it's max towing weight. There's a lot to be said for reserve capacity when it comes to power and brakes.

 

[tommu56]

I'd make sure to have chains for the trailer. It would be the pits to tow in snow with no chains on the trailer.

I don't know of many trailers that have clearance for chains.

My TT has a waste pipe right behind the wheel and the skirt only leaves an inch on the side. I don't think chains will fit

Now chains on the truck I use cable chains and Vbar on the rear or if I need them on both axle's v on back cable on front. there isn't enough clearance on the front for the v bar.

tom

 

[daBear]

I have been RVing for about 25 years and have pulled many TT's. If you bump up against the max tow limit on your truck and take it up the hills and down the valleys between you and Wyoming you are asking for trouble. Having been that way more than once there are some fine grades in Colorado and some even finer grades in parts of Wyoming. If your truck makes it without noticeable damage you will have shortened the life of the trans for sure and not know it on that route. Flat land pulling in Texas regardless of the temp is not the same as the mountains. Be careful.

 

[npaden]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I'll be heading that way on September 17th. Snow isn't completely out of the question, but if it does snow it should be short lived and just be some nice mud. I'll be pulling the trailer approximately 30 miles down a gravel road that is fairly well maintained. The more I think of it the more I think the 7,000lb trailer is for sure out of the question. I'd like to save a few hundred bucks, but it just doesn't sound worth it.

I was thinking the 4,000lb trailer wouldn't be that hard to pull. I was thinking it would be worth the extra gas money to pull it there and back so I could load up everything before we left and then unload and clean it once we got back. I figured 6 mpg difference would cost $150 in gas and pulling the trailer would take 1 1/2 hours extra time each way. The rental is a little cheaper here than the rate in Wyoming and it looked like it would be almost the same cost either way. I'm planning on 12 mpg but that might be optimistic. Pulling my 7,000lb trailer with my tractor loaded to the gills I get about 10 mpg so I figured I would do a little better only pulling 4,000lbs but wasn't sure on the wind resistance. I was thinking I would plan on pulling at 65 mph and save a little gas and stress on the truck that way.

I'm worried about the timing on getting to the rental place in Wyoming and shuttling everything back and forth from the back of the truck when it could be raining, etc. and then trying to unload it and clean it before returning it might be a hassle too. I'm also worried that something could go wrong hooking it up or something and better to deal with those issues at home rather than 900 miles away.

The guy I hunt with pulls his travel trailer out there every year and this year my wife wanted to tag along so we won't all fit in 1 trailer and that's why I'm needing to pull one up there. I looked into buying, but the ultra lite trailers are pretty pricey and when you do the math it is actually cheaper to rent than buy if you are only going to use it once a year which is all I intend to do.

Thanks again for the input so far.

Nathan

 

[RobertN]

My 5th wheel has the axles flipped for ride height on my 4x4 Dodge. Plenty of room there, but again, it is "lifted".

My flatbed trailer would be close. So would the Scout Troop trailer I tow frequently. Our Troop went on a snow camp out last winter; they had good weather but had chains for the trailer anyways.

I would not tow a trailer in snow country without chains available for the braking axles. If it snowed, and got slippery, the trailer would be all over the place when you hit the brakes. Especially area's in Wyoming, where it may get steep, or really really windy.

I have never had need to chain up my trucks. My Uncle lives in Wyoming, and used to run from the middle of the state down to offices in Cheyenne in the winter. 10mph, with chains all around on a 4x4. Wind and ice, and blowing snow....

I don't know of many trailers that have clearance for chains.

My TT has a waste pipe right behind the wheel and the skirt only leaves an inch on the side. I don't think chains will fit

Now chains on the truck I use cable chains and Vbar on the rear or if I need them on both axle's v on back cable on front. there isn't enough clearance on the front for the v bar.

tom

 

[RobertN]

Where in Wyoming?

Thanks for the replies so far.

I'll be heading that way on September 17th. Snow isn't completely out of the question, but if it does snow it should be short lived and just be some nice mud. I'll be pulling the trailer approximately 30 miles down a gravel road that is fairly well maintained.

 

[npaden]

Where in Wyoming?

Just south of the park. Can't give too many details, it's public land!

 

[RobertN]

Ya, well Not so tough to know where to go antelope hunting. Deer gets trickier. Elk hunt spots are guarded by all I know who hunt

Most of my hunting has been deer and antelope. South Eastern part of state. I have hiked/camped other parts of the state though. Ten Sleep is pretty cool. Cloud Peak Wilderness is nice.

Just south of the park. Can't give too many details, it's public land!

 

[npaden]

Ya, well Not so tough to know where to go antelope hunting. Deer gets trickier. Elk hunt spots are guarded by all I know who hunt

Most of my hunting has been deer and antelope. South Eastern part of state. I have hiked/camped other parts of the state though. Ten Sleep is pretty cool. Cloud Peak Wilderness is nice.

That's what we are doing. It is an early season wilderness hunt. The bulls will still be bugling and it is a rush. I was lucky enough to have a decent 5x5 on the ground on 8:30 opening morning last year and would love to have a repeat again this year.

An outfitter took a 375" bull out of the same area we hunted so we are afraid that it might be a little more crowded this year though.

 

[LBrown59]

I would rent the trailer. If you break your buddies rig, well, even if you take care of fixing it it makes for uncomfortable situation. And his rig is at your trucks limit to boot.

Have you hunted Wyoming before? Are you ready to tow in bad weather? Muddy and/or snowy roads? 9 of 10 of my trips back there have been good weather. One went from good weather to a foot of snow in less than 12 hours.

Some folks showed up after it snowed towing a trailer. We were in a basic, primitive type campground. They had a lot of fun backing that trailer in to thier camp site. The 5 miles of dirt road coming in were slippery but passable.

I'd make sure to have chains for the trailer. It would be the pits to tow in snow with no chains on the trailer.

My trips have been mid October, for antelope and opening of deer season(Oct-15).

What good would that do?

 

[jwstewar]

Keep reading LB. Brakes.

 

[George2615]

I vote for renting the 4K trailer.

Ask about separate insurance in case of a trailer breakdown such as a tire blowout, axle bearings, brakes, or spring replacement in case they weren't taken care of or were just ready to fail, or that nasty tree branch you didn't see that ripped a gaping hole in the siding.

The reason I say this is because it happened to me. I borrowed a trailer for a short trip to get a pickup truck I had bought. Towed it empty 170 miles to where the truck was. Loaded the truck on the trailer, chained it down and started for home. I got about 1 mile when I heard a loud squealing noise. I looked in the mirror and saw one trailer wheel leaning. I pulled into the nearest parking lot and determined that the wheel bearings had gone. Fortunately I had a jack and tools with me so I took it apart and with pieces in hand I unhooked the trailer and set off for a trailer or auto parts store. I was lucky it was a Saturday and found a trailer store within a few miles. He had the bearings, races, a tub of grease and the seal I needed. After a 2 hour delay for repairs I was hooked up and on my way again. It was then I vowed never to borrow a trailer again.

 

[Bird]

Just 3 things I'd be concerned with; Brakes, Sway Control, and Load Distributing Hitch. Is it safe to assume you already have all of those? Of course, I've lived in RVs all over the USA and 4 provinces of Canada. My first conventional travel trailer was a 1972 Holiday Vacationer 24RB, although it actually measured 25' 3" in length. And in July, 1972, I pulled it to Alaska when we still had over a thousand miles of dirt and gravel roads each way. It was quite an adventure. I was pulling it with a 1971 3/4 ton standard cab Chevy, 2WD, 350 cu. in., automatic.

 

[Skyco]

I'll be pulling the trailer approximately 30 miles down a gravel road that is fairly well maintained.

Be sure to find out how much they may charge you for all the inevitable little dings in the front of the trailer. Especially bad if you have any hills to climb with a little wheel spin.
Sure glad they paved the road up the mountain to my hideaway in the NC mountains, did a number on the front of my trailers I took up there

BTW my wife is originally from Lubbock. She didn't recognize you in the pic but thought the elk looked familiar

 

[RobertN]

Because, when you hit the brakes on an icy or snowy road, the trailer is going to skid/slide, and probably push the tow vehicle along with it.

If you are chained up on the braking axles, you should maintain better traction and control.

What good would that do?

 

[Diamondpilot]

Thanks for the replies so far.



I was thinking the 4,000lb trailer wouldn't be that hard to pull. I was thinking it would be worth the extra gas money to pull it there and back so I could load up everything before we left and then unload and clean it once we got back. I figured 6 mpg difference would cost $150 in gas and pulling the trailer would take 1 1/2 hours extra time each way. The rental is a little cheaper here than the rate in Wyoming and it looked like it would be almost the same cost either way. I'm planning on 12 mpg but that might be optimistic. Pulling my 7,000lb trailer with my tractor loaded to the gills I get about 10 mpg so I figured I would do a little better only pulling 4,000lbs but wasn't sure on the wind resistance. I was thinking I would plan on pulling at 65 mph and save a little gas and stress on the truck that way.




Nathan

For what its worth my co worker just got back from the big aviation gathering in Oshkosh Wisconsin. He has a 2005 Yukon Denali and a Light weight 26' travel trailer that is around 4,000# and he only got 8mpg. I think for you trucks age and the hills and wind resistance you will be lucky to average 7mpg. My neighbor has a 8,000# travel trailer that is 28' long and they pull it with a 2006 F-150 4x4 and only travel around Indiana. They also get 8mpg which just goes to prove my point that its not so much the wight as it is the wind resistance.

Weight is one thing like I said before when it comes to climbing grades, accelerating, and stopping. The bigger issue is wind resistance.

Chris