I pick up my AS this Saturday (so excited!!!). Any towing and driving tips for newbi

[cantdrv55]

I've never towed anything longer than a utility trailer. Any towing and driving tips would be greatly appreciated. I'll try to post pics of my rig on Saturday night. Thanks in advance!

[SteveSueMac]

Congrats!


Best advice I can offer to your question - find a local Commercial Driver License (CDL) training center and see if they offer a safe RV drier course. My wife and I did this the first weekend we had the trailer. So glad we did!


Good luck!

(On edit)

Oh - and your user name...learn how to slow down :-)

Seriously. It's camping. Relax. And you're driving several tons more than before - keep it slow. You'll get there :-)

[cantdrv55]

My user name is due to my sports car which is now for sale to help finance my new AS lifestyle!

[Sbb]

Turns a little wider, especially in gas station with those pesky yellow poles, be very aware of your surroundings, get your mirrors set, be mindful of cutting in and out of traffic. This setup little longer than your sports car. Have fun, welcome and camp!

[oldfulltimer]

You're going to find that it's a lot easier to back up a bigger trailer than it is a utility trailer. Our 34 footer is a breeze to back up but a small utility trailer is much more difficult. Reason is the pivot point of the trailer in relation to your hitch pivot point - the greater the distance the easier to back up since a small turn of the wheel relates to a very small change in a bigger trailer. A small turn of the steering wheel relates to a much more rapid change in a utility trailer.

[BoldAdventure]

Stay to the right.

[Isuzusweet]

Welcome

1) Find a fairly large parking lot (Wallmart?) and take a few orange cones with you. Mark out with the cones the outline of a typical right turn, say 4 cones marking the turn lane and another 4 cones marking the lane you're turning into. If you can master a tight right hand turn successfully without knocking over any cones, then your good for lefties as well. Cones don't damage Airstreams like curbs, trees, tree branches or signs.

2) Never back up an Airstream with out a spotter, EVER!! Also teach the spotter to look UP as well as what's behind.

3) Check air pressures in all tires including tow vehicle. Tires play a really important role in how your rig tows and handles emergency situations. Trailer sway really can ruin your day if going down a long hill at speed.

4) Gradually increase towing speeds....don't hit the freeway right away.

Final tip and the most important.....If unsure, STOP, get out and take a look for yourself, even if you feel embarrassed it's small potatoes compared to how embarrassed you will feel driving around in a trailer with a big dent in it.

Goodluck and happy camping
Cheers
Tony

[rmkrum]

Add 'never get in a hurry' in tight quarters to the list.

I can attest to a bent step and a skin wrinkle from the bumper skid hitting when I got into too big a hurry it a tight area.

Be deliberate, look twice, and if you are still not sure, set the brake, put the TV in park, shut it down, and go take a look. Ignore the honking and hand waving from the others. You are in command of a lot of weight and precious cargo(family and pets)


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[rmkrum]

Add 'never get in a hurry' in tight quarters to the list.

I can attest to a bent step and a skin wrinkle from the bumper skid hitting when I got into too big a hurry it a tight area.

Be deliberate, look twice, and if you are still not sure, set the brake, put the TV in park, shut it down, and go take a look. Ignore the honking and hand waving from the others. You are in command of a lot of weight and precious cargo(family and pets) and it's not time to hurry.


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[brentonkeith]

Congrats! I did the exact same thing in September. Probably not advisable, but drove my 27 foot Onyx Intrnational home from the dealer, which was 10 miles. Loaded it up and drove 1,000 miles to CO. Scary for first 400 miles through rain and wind but I had the hang of it, was safe and it was a great experience. Easy. Good luck!

[ryandanz]

Having just reached day 40 of our first trailering experience I would say the most important thing is to go very slowly on both your turns and any bumps you might be encountering whether thats speed bumps or dips or even up onto the driveway -- not for the sake of the ride comfort but really for the sake of the contents. We found a number of times when we've opened the door after trailering that stuff has come knocked loose from inside the cabinets and resulted in timely clean up duties including broken mugs...

Don't try and change lanes - pick one and stay in it -

Love driving 60-6mph max -

Think about a elect brake controller - just installed a primus IQ - it's awesome

[norm37]

Slow down and enjoy!

[B00merang]

Congratulations, Cantdr55
In addition to what the others have advised (and note how all suggestions sound like they come from first-hand experiences/mistakes), make sure to walk around the AS a couple of times...and look underneath...to make sure all the hook-ups are in place and the stabilizers are up. Adjust your new set of towing mirrors (that you will need). And when you start driving...put on the brakes once to make sure your electric brake is engaged and set to the right level. Adjust as necessary. Wiping the big grin off your face will be harder to do. Jon

[whitsend]

The above advise is all good, but put in a slightly different way, all your 90 degree turns will have to be made wider, the trailer's tires do not "track" those of your tow vehicle (TV). Example - watch an 18-wheeler make a 90 degree turn & learn from him (or her). The last thing you want to do is damage the side of your Airstream!!

[m.hony]

When I picked up my first trailer, I drove from the dealership to a campground across a the top of a long, narrow dam. I did have plenty of experience towing cargo trailers, utility trailers, and boats. The biggest cargo trailer I hauled was 8 1/2' x 28'- about the same size as a camper-

[tyggeln]

Cantdr55 - all great advice from great sages of Airstreaming. One other thing to ask about is your TV and hitch. Dealers are really interested in getting you off the lot. You need to make sure that you have

1) A TV that is rated for the loads that you intend to pull (tongue weight and GVWR). On your side is that for the first trip home, it will be pretty light. Threads recommend GVWR + 20%.

2) A hitch setup that is appropriate for the expected tongue weight.

I was as green as you were when I picked up my rig at an un-named dealer on the way to Yosemite. We asked can my Jeep Grand Cherokee pull this trailer you are selling me? And I had them include in the deal a hitch setup to make it happen. Well, a Jeep Grand Cherokee is undersized when pulling a 28' CCD, but we were able to pull the trailer - off the lot and then it was our problem. Found out later that the dealer installed 700# load bars, but the trailer tongue weight as we found out later is in excess of 880#. So we were set up for an unsafe configuration that overheated going up the Priest Grade to Yosemite.

You should satisfy yourself that you have the right TV and hitch setup before you get to the lot.

Sorry for the rain on the parade, but it will be a great experience once you get set up right. Enjoy!

[paiceman]

Catndr55, congratulations and welcome to AS family and forums. Both my wife and I have commercial CDLs, although they will expire in a year. I have driven every vehicle, almost, around and would add to the excellent advice above.

I have given advice when asked by a number of people on trailers and motorhomes, believe it or not in tight quarters motorhomes are much easier to drive than a TV and long trailer. But, those too can be managed. My suggestion is when approaching a turn at an intersection or in a parking lot, campground etc think of "going deep into the intersection". Take a left hand turn at an intersection with a sidewalk on the right side where you are turning. Go as far as the TV can go and still make the turn without going or hitting the curb on the right side, by doing so as long as the cars sitting at the light are behind the white line where they are supposed to be you can make the turn without hitting the cars waiting for their green nor the curb on the right side. Takes some practice, but it works, I can usually get a tractor and 53' trailer around almost any intersection by using this method, of course a semi can turn much tighter than we can with a pick up and 30' trailer.

Also, someone at the dealership has experience in backing and maneuvering units in tight quarters, I would not be afraid to ask them to show you some tricks. Best of luck, take it slow, everyone can wait so don't be in a hurry just because people are behind you. Enjoy, there are not too many things more fun than traveling in and AS.

Safe Travels

[ukulele2010]

Great advice so far.

I will simply add that you should not worry if you need, say, 20 or 30 times to back in to a spot safely and all the other campers are watching to see if you can ever do it. I know, for me, once I heard this advice and took a long time to back into a spot (hey, I need some practice), I just kept saying that I don't care how many times it takes, it is practice... Eventually I got it just right...

[janabanana48]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

My user name is due to my sports car which is now for sale to help finance my new AS lifestyle!

Oh noooo!!!!

Don't sell the sports car!

....or at least get something less expensive to replace it for weekend fun!

Might I suggest a Porsche 914 as a classic but not yet overpriced!?
....of course I'm biased as a long time 73 914-2.0 "914S" owner!

My advice as a fellow newbie, is stick to the CA towing limit of 55 & just leave more time to get there, get a checklist made up for all the pre- & post trip stuff, & be super cautious while driving.

I think AAA SoCal & NoCal may also offer a towing/RV class too.

Also a good WD & anti-sway set-up helps immensely, as I found out very early on!!!! ....no accident, but our vintage 20' single axle sure liked to "wag her tail" over 55, so that kept me honest on speed!

Have Fun!
Tom (the other half)
///////

[rmkrum]

I've had onlookers applaud when I finally get it just right. I just get out, diff my cap and give a sweeping theatrical bow.

Never take yourself too seriously...


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