Need advice for towing 30' Slideout

[mustang]

I like it to good lookin rig.

[Mikethefixit]

Welcome to the forums, Congrats on the new outfit it looks great. I would however put a governor on that truck.She evidently has no regard for others or herself towin at that speed. I kinda figure she has NO experience at towing what so ever and doesn't have a clue of what it takes to stop that rig in case of a malfunction or someone else's malfunction.
However that being said THE BEST TO YOU on your new adventure.
Roger

[mustang]

Mike I was thinking about that picture her trying to point and focus.then the road turns. very very dangerous worse than texting??

[Sean Woodruff]

Originally Posted by ycookmd

Also, he said the Propride hitch is well built, but doesn't think the instructions are spot on. I didn't install it with him, so I can't offer any details on the following, but his basic impression was that building the unit from one end to the other as the instructions say is ill-advised. Due to the weight of the components, it "sags" and makes connections difficult -- because of this, he stripped 2 bolts which had to be replaced. Instead, he said he ended up building it from either end and tightening everything at the finish. Just his comments after 5-6 hours working on the thing.

Hey Doc, glad to hear your all set up and enjoying the journey.

When you get a chance please have your brother call me. This is the first I've heard about it but the instructions are a work in progress and are updated as new users make comments and suggestions.

[ycookmd]

Well this trip is over and the trailer made it back. We had an excellent time kayaking and cycling.

Lorinda on the High Pass Challenge with Mt. Ranier in the background:


Mountain biking in Anacortes


Paddling in the San Juans:


Thanks again to everyone for the helpful advice both in this thread, and elsewhere on the forum.

Sean -- thanks for sending the hitch so quickly. We were in a bit of a bind for time. I'll have my brother call you about the instructions.

Mike -- I appreciate your concern, but characterizing Lorinda as having "no regard for herself or others" is a bit harsh when you don't know anything about her. She would not be driving that speed with any other vehicles around her, and I see no reason to drive less than the legal speed limit on a well-maintained open road in good weather with no one in sight. She drove all 5200 miles of this trip solo without incident except calling it early once to avoid thunderstorms. She has a commercial license, used to drive a bus full of seniors for the senior center, and hasn't had an accident in over 10 years. And she has an iPhone.

[2airishuman]

hi y'

awesome pix,

looks like a fantastic trip.

some of my favorite places on the planet.

here's to being on the road again soon, at any speed.

and i enjoyed the dash cam pic,

so here's speedo shot (towing a 34) from another swift traveler.

sometimes ya gotta go with the flow...

cheers
2air'

[ncbambi]

The Airstream manual also states the trailers were designed to be drivin at a max of a 65 MPH.

[Big Dee]

Originally Posted by ncbambi

The Airstream manual also states the trailers were designed to be drivin at a max of a 65 MPH.

my airstream manual says the trailer is designed to go safely as fast as the tow vehicle. the tires though are rated for 65 mph.

[Big Dee]

i have to say that i am philosophically opposed to the constant "overkill" advice always given on this forum. the advice is always "why get a 1/2 ton when you could get a 3/4 ton? why get a 3/4 ton when you could get a 1 ton?" i use to argue this point ad nauseum with my friend Silvertwinkie. those were fun threads and i am surprised he didn't chime in on this thread with his usual "overkill" advice. haha

[yakman]

Mike -- I appreciate your concern, but characterizing Lorinda as having "no regard for herself or others" is a bit harsh when you don't know anything about her. She would not be driving that speed with any other vehicles around her, and I see no reason to drive less than the legal speed limit on a well-maintained open road in good weather with no one in sight. She drove all 5200 miles of this trip solo without incident except calling it early once to avoid thunderstorms. She has a commercial license, used to drive a bus full of seniors for the senior center, and hasn't had an accident in over 10 years. And she has an iPhone. [/QUOTE]

Cool pics.. Looks like a fun vacation to me. We used to live in Tacoma and Bellingham and long to go back with our kayaks one of these days.

We stream with a 2500 HD Duramax and the 75mph 1800rpm is sooo smooth. You made a good choice. It's very easy to eat up miles with the Duramax. Driving anything less than the speed limit is dangerous to me. Maybe it comes from a few years of riding motorcycles and driving aggressively but defensively at the same time.

I still need to get a picture of the rig with our yaks on top. There is a Tahoe area paddler on here, but his name escapes me right now. He may shoot you an email as well. We'll have to talk yaks on PM.

Welcome to the forum.

-yakman

[overlander63]

The speed rating of 65 is at maximum inflation and load. LT tires used to be rated for 75 under the same conditions, but when I was at Firestone last week getting new truck tires, I found the LT tires are now rated for 103mph.
Now, in English for the rookie, that means you should run your truck and trailer across a set of CAT scales sometime, and see how much the trailer weighs. Divide that by the maximum capacity of the tires as shown on the sidewall of them, and you will then know how close you are to maximum load. If it's close, slow down, if not, carry on, with a tentative max speed of 75. Remember, getting there is supposed to be half the fun.

[slowmover]

Handling dynamics on a truck (handles badly) pulling a trailer (now handles worse) is not the same as a bus, a motorcycle or any car. Though the picture was likely an indication of a bit of exuberance, the fact remains that for an RV -- the worst-handling vehicle on ANY roadway -- prudence is first if safety is foremost. Braking distances, alone from 75 mph are huge. Few people have regualr experience stopping from this kind of speed with similar rigs, and misjudgment is almost to be taken for granted.

Virginia Code: Tables of Speed and Stopping Distances

And, while a brand-new trailer and truck are, hopefully, least-likely to suffer a failure it is still tempting fate. Under 70 is reasonable and prudent. And eats the miles while leaving a FAR larger cone-of-vision (peripheral vision) than above. Search out safety studies and make your own decisions. "Experience" is usually the lack thereof. Somehow I also doubt that the driver made the kind and timing of stops recommended (and proven) to avoid fatigue, the true problem. Highway hypnosis is nothing to sneeze at. Age and physical condition are no deterrent.

That said, I admire the choice of rig, hitch for intended use. I also recommend a complete set of scale weights to better dial in the rig for the best handling and long life. There is no better travel trailer for road-ability if one attends to all the details.