When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Towing........ why do they make it so difficult to understand?????
OR.
Why I am SO stupid?
Recently purchased a 2011 F-250 SD Super Cab FX4 6 speed auto, with the intention of pulling a 5th wheel when I retire.
Looking at used units, as we want to make it "ours" with remodeling, etc. and I am just a cheap SOB anyway.
As a newb to this idea, I get confused in trying to fit it all together.
I have read what you guys post, but I am just not getting it.
I have pulled before with my F-150, a 18 foot boat, and I started with a tent trailer, years ago.
Boy, do I recall some ugly skirmishes with the wife, as I tried to back that squirrelly thing into the camp spots..... IT WAS ALL HER FAULT.
It would take hours, if not days, for my pride to subside, asking for forgiveness, and salvaging the vacation........
Maybe my hand is still smarting from that stove, I dunno, but I am almost panicking before I even pull.
I want this to be enjoyable, fun, and a good way to end my run on earth.
I am thinking a 25 footer, plus or minus a foot or two, with one slide, will fit the bill.
I reckon they might vary in weight as well, depending on configuration....
I look at what you guys pull, and I am in awe, but gun shy.
Anybody else feel as clueless as me at the start of this adventure into trailing?
It's a big step. Have faith. You have the right truck for a 25 foot 5th wheel.
Ask your questions here. Be specific. You will get good advice.
I will start. When you buy your trailer, take it to an empty parking lot. Shopping malls will be pretty vacant in the evenings. Practice backing and making turns going forward. 5th wheels are different animals than pull-behinds. You will have to re-learn your timing. The short wheel base and the pivot point being in front of your rear axle will make the trailer turn sooner going forward, and straighten out slower going in reverse. Best thing you can do is practice. You can't be taught experience.
And let your wife take a couple tries while you are in the parking lot. It will help her see things from your seat. Or send her to the camp store while you back into the spot at the campground. You are not going to avoid the copilot dissent. We all have to find a way to deal with it.
Here's my take. I think it is entirely normal to be anxious when starting out and even sometimes after you have some experience. Plus, my wife really is not super good at giving instructions and in a tight spot will simply say she doesn't know if our fiver will fit or make a turn.
So to ease the battle scars this is what we do. First off, unless it is a pull through, I get out and look over what I am going to have to do before I try to do it. Then my wife calls me on my phone and I put mine on speaker so we can talk handsfree while I back. Then I start to back, but slowly as it is a thousand times easier to correct when going slowly. If I am not sure, I stop, get out, and look.
Now you are likely going to have folks watching you. Often they are just curious. Other times they are losers who only feel adequate when they see someone else trying to do something they finally learned to do themselves. I do my best to ignore them. I figure I am never going to see them anyway.
Like anything else, the more times you do it, the better you will get. Most folks are not very good at it because they only camp a few times a year and get very little practice. If you can, get some cones or something to mark a spot and practice at a local mall when the lot is empty.
I am sure without a doubt that you can learn to do this and not destroy your marriage at the same time!
my take.. longer truck... longer trailer.. = easier...
also.. looking in the side mirrors'... keep the side wall of trailer in view.. as soon as the side (not the edge) disappears. do a correction.. do not wait...
same if you see more of the side wall of the trailer (not the edges).. make the correction... do not wait..
trailer will go back straight....
plus twin axles also help...
I only use my wife to tell me IF I am going to back into something.. NOT Directions....
Yes, can't emphasize enough, that the shorter the trailer is the HARDER it actually is to back up. Short trailers change direction really fast, and can be a real bugger to back straight. Longer trailers are actually much easier once you get a little bit of practice under your belt, they change direction much slower, and are much easier to back straight.
A really short truck in combo with a really short trailer can be a real bear to back. One of the worst for me was when I moved my Father's Chevy S-10 blazer and his tent trailer. Man that thing was squirrelly.
Just try to be patient, and back slowly at all times, no matter how much room you "think" you have, just back it in slow. Until you get the hang of it, put your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel while backing. Now which ever way you turn your hand, that is the direction the BACK of the trailer will go.
Being nervous or a bit apprehensive is normal. It will help you concentrate. I've towed a bunch of fifth wheels and have found longer units are a bit easier to back, but you may find different. Pulling a 30-33' FW under 10k lbs is pretty darn carefree, IMO. Invest in a TPMS system for your trailer tires and take your time getting to where you go would be my main words of advise.
Regarding the wife - use cell phones to communicate and keep instructions simple - ie "I want these tires right here - but watch that tree for me when I swing in." Also determine ahead of time what left and right mean. You do it enough and you'll become a pro - or at least look competent.
I vividly remember two things that scared me when I first started fifth wheeling. The thought of pulling that thing a long distance through heavy traffic and backing into rv pads.
Turned out that the pulling part wasn't bad at all, seemed the worst thing to come up were people entering the interstate at slow speed and wondering whether to speed up, slow down or swing over a lane to let them in. Finally decided that since it's their responsibility to merge, I just hold my speed and keep an eye on them, they can either speed up or slow down.
Backing up is a different story. You'll find some spots that you can back straight in, some that require an angled back in and some with a long curved approach as you back in.
I usually get out, look over the possibilities, then I place a small brightly colored cooler (since it's always handy in the cab) on the campsite where I want the left side of the fifth wheel to be, then keep that aligned with the side of the camper as I slowly back in. If things get badly out of whack, I pull forward until I've got things lined up again and retry. I just have my wife stand where I can see her in the mirror and have her keep me from backing into something I'm not able to see. As I get almost into the spot, I'll mark a spot where I'd like to have the wheels placed and make some type of mark for the wife to guide me into. Slow and steady, if things don't look right, stop, pull forward and try it again. It does get easier with practice. One hand on the bottom of the steering wheel, the rear of the camper goes in the direction you're turning, just remember that it doesn't take long to start the turn and once it gets too far into the turn, you have to pull up and redo.
If I'm at a campground that has pull through sites, I try to get one of those, so much easier. But our favorite campsite for our fall trip requires backing down a 225 foot approach lane with a wide curve in it. After a few years, I can now back the fifth wheel with minimal frustration.
Probably most everyone has at least a bit of apprehension about the first time they tow something larger than they are used to. I bought a 34 1/2' tow behind toy hauler in Oct. 2016 and had never towed anything larger than my 7x16 enclosed trailer. So I buy the new TH, hook up and head home....375 miles to the house. As I leave, I'm thinking OMG....this thing is huge...OMG! So finally we get to the interstate and within about two hours it's starting to get dark and now I can't see the size of the trailer behind me (other than marker lights /etc.) And now that I can't see it back there, it really just mostly felt like it did when I was towing the 7x16'. Keep in mind though, as stated above, the 5ver will be different than a tow behind, so expect a bit of a learning curve.
And one other thing to remember, your F250 diesel isn't going to have a lot of payload capacity, most likely in the low 2000 lb range. A pretty common way to roughly estimate the pin weight of a prospective 5ver is to take the GVWR of the trailer ( that is the max. weight, not empty weight) and multiply that number by 20%. A 12,000 GVWR trailer will be in the 2400 lb range for pin weight....plus your 5ver hitch and you are in the 2550-2600 lb range.....which is probably over your payload on that truck.....check the white/yellow sticker on the driver side door pillar.
I take driving as a challenge...I learned years ago to scope out in advance how to spot the trailer in a location. Ideal is to back in straight if you can...second would be backing in from the drivers side at a 45 degree angle if you can. Last would be jacking it in from the passenger side at almost a 90 degree angle. Always try when backing is to get your rig straight and use the old hand on the bottom of the steering wheel to start. If you want the trailer to go left just move your hand and the steering wheel left..do the opposite to go right. Like stated before get the wife or another spotter to stand at the rear of the trailer and make sure they can see you in the mirror when giving directions. An empty parking lot is always great to practice in and make sure you have some cones or something else to practice spotting a trailer into. Make a game of it and have fun...I've been retired 6 yrs and loving it. In a previous life 45 yrs ago I drove a tank truck for Texaco for 12 yrs...I was trained for 2 weeks having no semi truck experience before. Once you learn it gets to be easy..well almost! Below is what the we have to camp in...getting ready to leave Friday for a three night trip about 250 miles away. I'm teaching my 17 yr old grandson how to handle the trailer and he's doing better then what I expected.
So I gather towing is sorta "Mind over matter"......
Kinda like my honeymoon night, where I had to learn to ride without my training wheels, yes?
You guys are great, thanks!
I use to avoid the boat ramp on busy days, because of the audience I just knew, were waiting for me to entertain them....
I think them setting up their lounge chairs, along the ramp, tipped me off!
Not anymore, I just paid attention, and like you guys share, correct early before you need to pull back out and forward.
The wife and I are pro's now, she just holds a bow line, I dump the boat, pull off the ramp without ever getting out (after I unhook the boat from the the trailer that is) and by the time I park, the boat is ready to pull away from the dock.
BYW, my engine is a 6.2 gasser, the PS just scared the heck out of me $$$$$.
If we pull a few times a year, that will be about it.
Also, lots of short hops in the truck when not pulling.
Yeah, if I can get that trailer home, I should be good, as I only have two route options to my house.
Pulling it across the Deception Pass Bridge ( goggle that, arg ) I have a hard enuff time just walking across it.....
Or, the ferry.
If I do the ferry, which I will, tho its pricey, I will pull it over late at night when the crowd/traffic, is reduced.
Those lanes are tight. The big commercial rigs do it, but they is pro, and they don't have my wife directing them
From my experiences as a tourist in the Seattle area numerous times, I am absolutely shocked the state of Washington hasn't made that Deception Pass Bridge a toll bridge. I am also amazed that bridge is open to heavy truck traffic.
11-19-2017, 01:49 PM
