65 year old women...scared I don't know enough

[ColoRockiesFan]

I am 5'3", drove a Ford F150, and towed a Escape 19 trailer. Backing was always a challenge for me. But, I could back and hitch solo using these simple poles. Easy! If I can do it, anyone can!


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00030LM54/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[IanC]

Hello!

In 6 months I plan to hit the road. I own a 4 Runner and I'm planing on buying a 2017 R Pod trailer. It's 19ft  and very easy to tow. My problem is I know almost nothing about pulling a trailer, hitching and unhitching. It's a bit  worrisome . I know nothing about  car mechanics  or fixing stuff in general. Should I worry about this or just go with the flow?

I'm 60 and have gone most of my life thinking I don't know enough about most things, but somehow I did them and lived to tell the tale. The first trailer I ever towed was a long 5th wheel horse trailer - very heavy carrying 4 horses and 3 Shetland ponies. Thinking that everyone else in the world had towed trailers I was too embarrassed to say i hadn't, so I jumped in the truck and hauled it all over the East Coast and Southern States for a year. Mostly without incident, though I burned out the trailer brakes in the Tennessee mountains and bent the axle turning too sharply into a gas station, hitting a curb. I never did get closer than 2 feet from where I wanted to be backing up though.
That was 15 years ago, and haven't towed since, so I'm assuming it will be like riding a bike when I start out this time.

 

[95Astro]

As they say, "fake it til you make it"

 

[95Astro]

My 4Runner. Can tow 5000 pounds and the R Pod is about 2700 pounds. 

I'm new at this, too, and the subject of weight has been a little confusing to me. I don't mean to burst your bubble but that 2700 lbs you cited is unloaded weight of the R Pod (and, someone correct me if i,m wrong, INCLUDES the hitch weigt of 285lbs). You still need to consider the weight of your 3 tanks and all the stuff you bring with you.

Tanks:
water weighs 8lbs per gal so (36*8) + (30*8) + (30*8) = 768 lbs (i estimate all three full just to be on the safe side).

Cargo:
Everything from clothes to food to kitchen stuff to computer needs to be taken into consideration. I checked and the R Pod can handle up to 1136 lbs.

Dry weight:
2649

GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) is the amount of weight your axel/tires can handle:
I couldn't find it for the R Pod but it should be approximately the sum of the above three values, or:

2649 + 768 + 1136 = 4553 lbs

Now here is the real question, and i hope someone with experience will jump in here: can a vehicle with a tow capacity of 5,000 lbs comfortably tow 4,553 lbs? How much buffer should there be between the trailer's GVWR and the tow vehicle's towing capacity? Also, are my above assumptions and math correct?

Enquiring minds want to know.

 

[Gunny]

Preach has a comparable trailer, PM him and find out what he tows with and how they handle. Nothing like first hand experience.

Rob

 

[rvpopeye]

When you figure out how much weight it will tow.
Then figure out how much weight it will stop .................l

 

[95Astro]

When you figure out how much weight it will tow.
Then figure out how much weight it will stop .................l

Ah, stopping. An important consideration I forgot to consider. damn physics. is there a formula or rule of thumb or newton's law of motion (that might just be for planets) that can be used to calculate that?

Vizsla: I find that information and experience are the best ways to chase away such fears.

 

[Preach]

I've never towed a trailer , can you even feel that the trailer is back there when your pulling it?
Any yanking/ pulling when hitting bumps while driving down the highway?
Does the wind blow them around any?
As far as hitching / unhitching and backing up , i think practice would solve those issues pretty fast.

I my tow vehicle is a chevy Silverado, so I can't REALLY even tell.It's back there, I do use a friction sway control, no sway yanking or any.problems towing. YOU GOT THIS YOU CAN DO IT

 

[jimindenver]

I'm in the same boat you are, I've never pulled a trailer either.  I'm thinking of getting one of these to help with the hitching:

https://unclenormsmarineproducts.com/collections/never-miss-hitch/products/never-miss-hitch

I use these. Much less expensive and works every time.

http://www.harborfreight.com/magnetic-trailer-alignment-kit-69778.html

 

[Gunny]

Nothing but encouraging words and from someone with the same trailer (almost). A few days practice and no worries.

Rob

 

[johnny b]

just went to the rpod website and found this:

CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity) ** – is the amount of weight available for fresh potable water, cargo, additional optional equipment and accessories. CCC is equal to GVWR minus UVW. Available CCC should accommodate fresh potable water (8.3 lbs per gallon). Before filling the fresh water tank, empty the black and gray tanks to provide for more cargo capacity.
**Estimated Average based on standard build optional equipment.

so empty weight at 2649 and CCC of 1136 gives a GVWR of 3785. (empty weight of this model includes the propane fuel)

36 x 8.3 = 299           1136 - 299 = 837

so, with just the fresh water full you have 837 pounds remaining before hitting the GVWR of 3785 which is the number you should not exceed.

everything added to or carried by the trailer needs to fall within that 837 pounds.

a GVRW (gross vehicle weight rating) of approx. 3800 pounds should be OK for the 4Runner's capacity of 5000...although you will definitely feel it back there.

the rpod has brakes so that should be ok for the toyota also. (if your vehicle is not currently wired for electric trailer brakes, that will be a required install).

 

[Belinda2]

I would go on a few "mini" trips first with just the back of your vehicle mostly empty. This will give you ideas of needs you have and things to make sure your RV has.
Never leave without doing a complete walk around the vehicle and the trailer. Have a checklist and use it when your tired. Do all the turn signals work? Is it hitched up correctly? Are all the drains and doors closed? Is there anything under the vehicle and trailer that you may ride over and hit?, etc.
When parked for awhile, do you need to disconnect the trailer cable, so you are not draining your car battery?
Camp in it at night at home. Turn on a 100 watt light bulb inside the unit. Go outside and walk around it. Can a man see you changing your clothes, going to the bathroom, or that there is a woman by herself in there? Do you need to line your curtains or make them wider or hold them down with some Velcro?
I hope this helps,
Belinda2

 

[DannyB1954]

Backing up turning to the driver's side is easier for me then to make the turn the other way. If I find a spot that I want to back into, I drive the vehicle so that the turn will be in my favored direction. Once the trailer starts to turn, the rate it turns increases as the angle of truck to trailer increases. To explain, if the trailer is straight with the tow vehicle it will back up straight. If the trailer is 90 degrees to the tow vehicle it will spin around in circles on it's wheels. The greater the angle difference, the faster it turns.

So as you start to back up you will have to crank your wheel quite a bit to get it to start the turn. Once started it will want to turn faster as you go, so you will have to move the wheel in the opposite direction to keep it from turning too much. It sounds harder than it is. If you can come out West, you can practice with my 18' utility trailer. In a day or two, you will be able to put it anywhere you like.

 

[cyndi]

The first time I towed a trailer was the day I purchased our pop-up. The next time was when we took it camping. I practiced hitching unhitching and hauling it every time we went camping for the next 6 years. It had a very short tongue and I never did get the hang of backing it up, without it almost jack knifing. But I never had a problem with its successors.

 

[wagoneer]

"Re: 65 year old woman", Your a very nice looking 65 year old.

 

[Cammalu]

You will learn to tow and hitch up your trailer before you leave the dealer if you just ask.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Travelmonkey]

I'm new at this, too, and the subject of weight has been a little confusing to me. I don't mean to burst your bubble but that 2700 lbs you cited is unloaded weight of the R Pod (and, someone correct me if i,m wrong, INCLUDES the hitch weigt of 285lbs). You still need to consider the weight of your 3 tanks and all the stuff you bring with you.

Tanks:
water weighs 8lbs per gal so (36*8) + (30*8) + (30*8) = 768 lbs (i estimate all three full just to be on the safe side).

Cargo:
Everything from clothes to food to kitchen stuff to computer needs to be taken into consideration. I checked and the R Pod can handle up to 1136 lbs.

Dry weight:
2649

GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) is the amount of weight your axel/tires can handle:
I couldn't find it for the R Pod but it should be approximately the sum of the above three values, or:

2649 + 768 + 1136 = 4553 lbs

Now here is the real question, and i hope someone with experience will jump in here: can a vehicle with a tow capacity of 5,000 lbs comfortably tow 4,553 lbs? How much buffer should there be between the trailer's GVWR and the tow vehicle's towing capacity? Also, are my above assumptions and math correct?

Enquiring minds want to know.

If you are maxing out the trailer's GVWR and still 10% under the towing capacity, I would be comfortable.  Plus, I think it is unlikely one would ever have all tanks full at the same time (if you run out of water or you fill either the grey or black tank, you typically need to break camp to dump.)  That would an additional 5% buffer.

I think a good weight distribution hitch/anti sway system is probably a good idea.

Learning to change a tire and having the proper tools is important even if you have roadside assistance.  You may be out of cell service or boondocking where they the service may exclude.  

Good Sam, Coachnet, and AAA all seem to have the same type of benefits.  AAA requires the highest tier for trailer coverage.  If you have roadside assistance  through your insurance company make sure it covers trailers (mine didn't even though my trailer was insured).

I am terrible at backing up but am getting better.  Practice will help as you state.

I'm curious why you would go composting toilet right off the bat.  I would try to see if the installed bathroom would work for me before trying the composting toilet.  If the rPod has a wet bath can a composting toilet be used in conjunction with the shower (are there electrical and moisture concerns)?

In short, I think your concerns about towing will be overcome after your first trip or two.  Good luck and have fun!

 

[#1BonBonQueen]

Learning to drive a car was a LOT more complicated than hitching up a trailer, and you did that okay, right?  Just find a reliable person to show you how to do the job. Take a pad of paper and a pen, and then WRITE DOWN EVERY LITTLE STEP.  Type it up, have it laminated and keep it in the car, so you don't forget some crucial little step.

Don't settle for fast directions by an impatient dimwit -- INSIST on getting the particulars and the WHY of what you're doing.

A co-worker of mine had a great idea when she needed to learn how to do it.  She drove the car and small trailer to a store parking lot that was closed on Sundays, and took some cardboard boxes with her.

She set out the cardboard boxes (aka 'traffic safety cones') and kept practicing backing up until she got it right.  She said it took a good part of the day. 

For me, it would probably take all the daylight hours in a week.

  This is how I was taught to drive a vehicle. We used the inside core of a carpet roll, mounted it to a couple of 2x4's and set it in a parking lot, and I had to learn to back up and parallel park before I was allowed to go forward. I had the best teacher, and I was off and running and even tho that was over 45 yrs ago, I can still parallel park a truck, car , what ever.
I just never thought of doing it with a trailer too.
Good Idea!!!!!
Sharon

 

[#1BonBonQueen]

  LOL, and I did just that. Remembering the first time I pulled a camper, it was really funny, after the fact of course.

Hubby was working Midnight shift, we wanted to go to Spruce Knob camping for the weekend, only a 2 hr trip.
I was driving, and we had a 19 ft Prowler attached.
We always traveled the old roads, back roads.
As we were going thru the Phillipi bridge, (supposedly the place of the first land battle of the Civil war) I looked behind me, and couldn't understand why the person behind me was so close.  Well, I finally remembered, it was our camper, not a tailgater. 
When I told Hubby, he said " I kept wondering if you remembered the camper was behind you and why you were going so fast?"

So it isn't nearly as hard as we think it is,
Fear of the Unknown is always worse than fear of the Known.

Good Luck!!!!
Sharon

 

[becca]

Your mantra should be,"if dragonfly can tow and hasn't been killed yet, I can tow and not get killed"
Diane

Lol